That's right, I'm about to tell you everything you need, to make bows!

Including my preferred equipment and supplies

Let’s get started!

Here, you will find a list of essential supplies for each "level" of bow making. In the next section, I will give a brief overview of each item. You will also find these items (and more) available for purchase, here!!!

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 ties
• Hair ties

Here’s what you can get to take your bows to the next level:

• An iron or heat press- I recommend heat press, I don’t recommend a Cricut press
• Fabric cutting supplies; IE cutting mat, acrylic ruler, rotary cutter and blades
• Heatnbond
• A variety of fabrics and ribbons
• Stiff felt
• Hotfix bling sheets

Once you’ve got the hang of making bows, you can level up yet again with the following:

• Hotfix rhinestones -Clear , AB
• Rhinestone supplies; IE template material, brush, wax pen
• Heat transfer vinyl
• A silhouette cameo (recommended) or Cricut
• A sublimation printer
• The Incredibow Ruler

In the future, we will be posting more tutorials for most of these products/use! For now, we have a brief description for each!

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 on this page, 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"

• Stiffener

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.

Here’s what you can get to take your bows to the next level:

• An iron or heat press- I recommend heat press, I don’t recommend a Cricut press

A heat press is essential to making anything "iron-on" or "heat transfer". Its used for applying HeatnBond, HTV, rhinestones, sublimation, and more! Out of these things, the only thing an iron cannot do, is sublimation. A heat press certainly makes a crafters life easier, I highly recommend getting one, even if it's a cheap one! Here's a popular one from Amazon I have used. Again, I do not recommend Cricut presses. Be sure to grab some accessories... Teflon cover sheets, heat press pillow, parchment paper, heat press tape.. you can live without them but you'll need them eventually. Below I have provided a guide to my personal heat press settings, THEY ARE APPROXIMATE and depend on your heat press! If somethings not working, tweak it until it works!

• Fabric cutting supplies; IE cutting mat, acrylic ruler, rotary cutter and blades

Pictured above: 3'x18' acrylic ruler, 24"x36" cutting mat, Fabric scissors, Rotary cutter and blades.

These items make it easier to get clean, even cuts of fabric. To me, its important to have precise measurements for everything. 1/4" can make a difference! but don't worry about that right now... I cut most of my ribbon and fabric with the rotary cutter using the acrylic ruler as a guide. You need to have a cutting mat to do this. I will show you how later! Fabric Scissors can be used to cut the end of the bow tail.

• HeatnBond

Heatnbond is what I use in lieu of glue when using another material on top of ribbon. It creates a dry, even bond. There are 2 kinds you can use: Lite and/or UltraHold... I use UltraHold almost every time. It makes the bow VERY stiff, and it holds up through multiple presses... Now, if you only want "kinda stiff", and you're not adding rhinestones or sublimation, HeatnBond Lite is the way to go. Although there are directions on the product, we will discuss "how-to" later!

• A variety of fabrics and ribbons

Even though I mainly do satin bows now, for the majority of my career, I used fabrics by the yard, such as Mystique. Mystique is a shimmery spandex used to make cheerleading uniforms (not always). We get to use almost any fabric on bows when using Heatnbond, which stabilizes the fabric. I stick to fabrics that don't fray!

• Stiff felt

We use stiff felt for a couple of things, but mostly centers! The only place I have found this type of felt, is Hobby Lobby.. That doesn't mean it's not out there, somewhere else!

• Hotfix bling sheets

One of my favorite bow hacks!! bling sheets.. they're exactly what they sound like! I use them to make centers but you can do a couple things with these as well. Make sure you get the hotfix ones.

Once you’ve got the hang of making bows, you can level up yet again with the following:

• Hotfix rhinestones

Oh my gosh! If you haven't made it this far yet, I'm about to blow your mind. Hotfix rhinestones are rhinestones that are 1. made of glass and can withstand the heat of a heat press, and 2. have solid glue (similar to hot glue) on the backs! That makes them heat-transferable! You can apply hotfix stones with an iron or heat press. Tip: "flat back" rhinestones are NOT hotfix! you have to use wet glue with those.

• Rhinestone supplies; IE template material, brush, wax pen

There are a couple things you'll need to efficiently use hotfix stones. Rhinestone template material, well, its what we make rhinestone templates out of! Remember, these descriptions are brief for now but we will get more into them, later!! You'll need a rhinestone brush to brush the stones on the template, and you will need a wax pen to pick up strays. Tutorials for these items will be available in the future.

• Heat transfer vinyl

You have probably already heard of HTV, But it is a non-fabric material (vinyl) that is heat transferable. It can be applied using a heat press or an iron. Most crafters use it to personalize garments, bags, anything fabric. HTV is great for customizing bows!

• A silhouette cameo (recommended) or Cricut

A cutter! these machines are primarily used for cutting vinyl, whether it be HTV or 651 (sticky). You can also cut the rhinestone templates using these! You need a computer to use them, and it would be best if you are familiar with computer functions such as downloads, zip files, and printer settings. I may not be able to help you with those things. IN MY OPINION; Silhouette Cameo is the most user friendly and versatile option.

• A sublimation printer

Sublimation allows us to print on polyester fabrics, or polymer coated products using a heat press. It uses sublimation ink, and sublimation paper, but works just like a regular printer!! I use an Epson Ecotank, and prefer it over Sawgrass.

• The Incredibow!

The Incredibow is a template/ruler or placement tool used to accurate place designs onto ribbons to be made into cheer bows. This product is created by me and is patented. That being said, the only place you will find them is here (click)