Caterpillar bows are the bows that have a series of circles, typically five in a row. You can use most any ribbon but using small ribbon will give you a much smaller bow. For this demonstration we will give the measurements for one-inch ribbon. This will give you about a five-inch bow. A two-inch ribbon will give you about a ten-inch bow. These can be adjusted in or out but this is the general range.
Materials needed:
- One roll of 1" ribbon
- Scissors
- Stapler
- Double sided tape
Lay the end of the ribbon on a flat surface so that about four inches are on the table. Fold the remaining ribbon up and back over in the direction of the ribbon end. Continue about another inch and a half past the end and cover the first piece of ribbon. You should have about a five-inch piece of ribbon with a bump at one end. Do not crease the bump down.
Now reverse the step by leaving the end of the ribbon on the table and bringing the ribbon back toward the first bump. In the process you will be making a new bump. So if you were to push your finger down in the center you will have a bump on each end. Follow the path of the ribbon until you get to the bump. Fold the ribbon up and over and head back to the other end. Repeat on the other side. This will make two bumps on each side. Holding the ribbon down in the center cut the remaining ribbon so that you will still have a three-inch piece of ribbon to work with. Fold this piece up and over and immediately tuck the end inside of the bump you just created. Insert the stapler into the center loop and staple. Apply double sided tape. Your bow will look like a line of five circles.
You can then add tapered tails of ribbon off the bottom or include clusters of curling ribbon in other colors for punch and sparkle. Create your own variations. Try making a cluster of them or making them longer or shorter. You can crisscross them into each other if you make several. There are no rules. Add embellishments such as small toys dangling off the bow or little critters peeking out from the holes. You can add little streamers with a word of love or motivation on each individual streamer. Look in the scrapbooking and sticker embellishments to see how you can personalize your bow.
