Pom Pom Bow

What I love about pom pom bows, aside from how pretty they are, is that they can be used for several things.  Here I made one to top off my brother-in-law's birthday gift:

I added one to the wreath I made for my front door:

The other good thing about pom pom bows is that they can be made from different ribbon materials:  sheer, satin, acetate, grosgrain, etc...

Last night as I was making my mom a wreath similar to mine,  it occurred to me that I should probably do a tutorial on making pom pom bows.  

Materials for this tutorial:

4 yards of satin ribbon, scissors, and clear tape:

Here's a look at the ribbon I used.  I found it 50% off at Hobby Lobby and the color matched the flowers Mother chose for her wreath:

You want to begin by opening the roll and cutting about an 8 inch piece of ribbon off the end (for use later):

Set aside that piece of ribbon.   If you're using a 30 ft or 4 yard roll, go ahead and uncoil the rest of the ribbon from it's container.  If you're using a roll with more yardage, then count out 4 yards:

Go back to the top end of your ribbon and make a loop by curling the edge under the ribbon.  I wanted a big bow so I curled a 10 inch piece under.  Obviously if you're making  a bow for a small gift, you would want to make the loop smaller:

Secure the edge that you curled under with a piece of clear tape:

Now it's all secure:

Then just roll the loop in your hands so that the ribbon begins to layer onto the first loop. 

When you're done, all of your ribbon should be in a big loop.

Then fold the loop by squeezing the middle section:

Take your scissors and cut diagonal piece of each edge:

When you're done it should look like this:  You're basically making an upside down V.

Then do the same to the other end until you have 'V's on both ends:

Grab both cut ends and pinch them together:

Like this:

Remember that piece you cut off at the very beginning?  Go ahead and fold it in half:

You're going to use it to secure the V's that you have pinched together:

Tie the piece into a tight knot:

Now you're ready to finish it off:

Go to one end and grab the innermost piece of ribbon, pull it out and twist it up towards you:

This is me twisting it:

Now you have one loop.  Go to the next innermost piece from the other side and do the same (twist it up towards you):

Keep switching sides and twisting the pieces up towards you:

Now you're finished with one end of the ribbon! See me holding the unfinished end below?  All you have to do now is repeat the twisting steps with the other end....:

and you will end up with a beautiful pom pom bow:

I know tutorials are difficult to follow when you're reading them online.  I learned how to make these bows by reading tutorials and watching them on youtube.  The ones on youtube helped me the most because I could rewind and rewatch any time I didn't understand a step.  Just be careful because some of the tutorials make pom pom bows differently (there are several ways to make them), and you don't want to confuse yourself.  Of course if you have any questions, you can leave a comment and I will try my best to answer your question.  I hope this tutorial made some kind of sense and that you do decide to try your hand at these.  Making pom pom bows is quick and fun (once you get the process down), and they look so beautiful when used for different crafts.