What do I need?

In this short beginners course, we will make 2 basic cheer bows; one grosgrain and one glitter.

Here’s what you will definitely need:

• Grosgrain ribbon
• Stiffener, if you prefer
• Fabric scissors
• Skinny ribbon for the center- 3/8”
• Hot glue
• Cable tie
• Hair tie

If you want to make a glitter bow, you will need glitter HTV, and an iron (or heat press).

You can find everything you need to get started here!!

Lets breakdown the uses and options for these items!

• Grosgrain ribbon

This is the ribbon with "ridges". Grosgrain is what we use as a base or by itself, for most cheer bows. Like everything else in this school, it is UP TO YOU what size and length ribbon you'd like to use. The most popular size of ribbon used for cheer bows is 3". We bow makers tend to all prefer different lengths, anywhere from 26"-30". Here are the measurements I use for different bows and ribbons:

• Standard Cheer Bow: 3"x28"
• Smaller Cheer Bow: 2.25"x25"
• Keychains; 1 1/2"x16"
• Standard Tailless: 4"x15"
• Smaller Tailless: 3"x14"
• Pigtail Tailless: 3"x12"

• Stiffening Spray

There are a few different methods you can us to stiffen bows. For single layer ribbon bows, I use Rave hairspray. You can also use Aleen's Stiffen Quik. With either, you spray your ribbon and let it dry before folding. I use an old cutting mat or large piece of cardboard to lay my ribbons on to spray them. I also do this in the garage because of the hairspray fumes. I prefer Rave over Aleens simply because Rave is aerosol while Aleens is a spray pump, that makes my finger tired. Please note: Rave is flammable until completely dry.

• Fabric scissors 

Now, obviously we will need these to cut ribbon, however I also recommend using fabric scissors to cut the tail. This is how I cut tails for over a decade. See below.

I aim for the fork to be 1.5" up. you can line this up on the cutting board (shown in the middle photo) 3 little squares=1.5"! You may want to "seal" it using fray check or a lighter. Be sure to keep your scissors and blades sharp for a good cut.

• Skinny ribbon for the center 3/8” 

3/8" ribbon is not what I use on my centers now, but it is what I used for a long time. I would just get whatever color matched, or sometimes I would use the center ribbon for a color pop. You will want to cut it into about 3" pieces, give or take. I will show and explain how I personally do centers in another course.

• Hot glue/ Hot glue gun 

The only thing I use hot glue for, is the center of the bow. whether its going to be a ribbon, or a center piece, it gets glued around the zip tie. I use Gorilla Glue sticks.

Hot glue sometimes has a bad name to it, some people say that it doesn't hold anything. Well, it WILL hold fabric and ribbon, especially if your gun gets very hot. If you're not getting good results with your glue gun, consider getting a new one, its probably the temperature..

• Cable ties 

Cable ties or zip ties is what we use to not only secure the fold, but also to attach the hair tie to the bow. Zip ties almost NEVER break, as long as you get the good ones. I use wire cutters to cut them.

• Hair ties 

I know this is a super obvious one! We need hair ties so the bow can be worn in a pony tail. These hair ties are seamless, and will not break.

Alright, let's move forward!