Making a Ruffle Style Burlap Bow with 10" Ribbon

The beautiful way fabric looks gathered inspired us to combining two of our favorite things: ruffles and bows.  This new ruffle bow technique that can be used with wider ribbon and mesh creates a simple, pretty ruffled bow that shows off the natural burlap texture and uses less ribbon than traditional looped bows. The tutorial below shows you how to create this bow using a rich red that is perfect for fall or Christmas. This bow can be made in any ribbon or fabric for any season as long as the fabric is at least 9" wide.

SUPPLIES (click on the product name to purchase at www.mardigrasoutlet.com)

1.  9.5" Faux Burlap: Rust
2.  Wire or string options-

• Metallic Tinsel Roping
• Natural Jute/Twine
• Deco Flex Tubing Ribbon

3.  Scissors

 COST/TIME
The total cost  per bow would be about $4 each. This cost will depend on your supply choices. You can make about 3-4 bows from one 10 yard roll of burlap ribbon, depending on how full you make the bow loops and the length of the bow tails. The bow shown below is about 12 inches across and nearly 2 feet long.

Blended Burlap
Blended Burlap is a faux burlap material that is a great choice for outdoor decorations or for use with wet arts and crafts media. While natural burlap is made of jute and can not withstand the elements with out falling apart, this synthetic burlap is made with polyester and is safe to use outdoors.

You can follow these same steps, but use different colors of Deco Mesh or Burlap to make a custom bow for any holiday or occasion. Click here to see more color and pattern options in Burlap.

STEP 1
Cut a length of Burlap about 20-24 inches long.  Lay it lengthwise on a flat surface.

STEP 2
Begin to pinch and pull the burlap towards you, being sure to pinch the fabric tightly at the center.

STEP 3
Continue to pull the burlap towards you until you get to the end, making sure not to bunch.  You want a nice, even, ruffled effect.

STEP 4
Pinching the center tightly, secure the middle of the bow.  We used Tinsel Roping in Metallic Red because it is so easy to tie in other accents directly underneath or on top of the wire, and it adds a little extra shine to your project.  Be sure to leave yourself a few extra inches of tinsel roping on each end to making tying easier.

STEP 5
Add the tails to the top of the bow by cutting a length of burlap twice the length you would like each tail.  Then simply tie the center of the fabric underneath the center of the bow with the same tinsel roping.

STEP 6
Now you can trim the tails.  We folded our burlap in half and then cut upwards at a diagonal from the outside corners in order to make a split-tail style bow.  You can also simply cut the bow upwards at a diagonal from inside to outside to make a tail that is an angle cut.

This diagram shows you a few possibilities on how to trim your bows tails.

The finished Bow- Ready to hang!

Here we've used the bow on a burlap bubble wreath.  We trimmed the tails a little shorter and added some floral accents.  The tutorial on how to make this wreath can be found by clicking here.   

 

We would love to see how you use this burlap bow style in your decor!  Email us at ideas@mardigrasoutlet.com with your creative pictures.  Happy Crafting!

Patriotic Wreath Tutorial with Deco Mesh

Let your colors fly for the Fourth of July with a patriotic themed wreath. A basic blue deco mesh puff wreath is transformed from plain to patriotic by adding American flags, paper fans or festive beads.

Here are some inspiring ideas. Keep scrolling down for more ideas and tutorials on creating the fun wreaths featured here.

What is Deco Mesh?  Poly Deco Mesh sometimes called Geo mesh is a type of soft plastic art netting that is perfect for making wreath, bows and more. It is durable and holds its full shape indoors and out. Mesh come in many colors, allowing you to customize your decorations for any season or celebration.  Using mesh and a simple work wreath form you can easily create the base for any type of  seasonal wreath.

Here is a basic tutorial for creating the base wreath with a work wreath form.

Basic Supplies:

•  21-inch Poly Mesh Roll: Metallic Royal Blue
•  24-inch Work Wreath Form: Royal Blue
• Floral Wire
• Scissors

Optional Embellishments:

•  4" x 6" American Flags
• Patriotic Mini Paper Fans
• Colors of America Mardi Gras Beads
• Star Mardi Gras Beads in red, white and silver

 Bows and Ribbons: 

• 21" Poly Mesh Roll: Red/White Stripe 
• Metallic Tinsel Roping (25'): Red
• 2.5" Faux Red Burlap Ribbon
• 2.5" Metallic Red Deco Mesh Ribbon

To purchase these products from www.mardigrasoutlet.com, click on the individual product links above or click HERE  for a page listing of all products.

Time/Cost: This wreath is simple and quick to make, one hour or less to put together. The total cost of the basic supplies for the blue mesh wreath is about $15. Depending on what accents and bow you choose, your total cost for the decorated wreath can range from $17 to $36. A great bargain!

Basic Wreath Directions:

STEP 1

First, open up the tinsel ties so you can easily place the mesh in between each pair. Bunch the end of the mesh and secure into a set of ties on the inner ring. Twist the wire ties around the bunch to secure.

STEP 2
Now you will form a puff. Move down the mesh about 9" in length. Working from each side as shown, fold as you gather the deco mesh into the center. This creates an even, fuller looking puff.

STEP 3

To secure the puff, place the gathered section into the next set of tinsel ties on the inner ring. Twist the ties several times to secure the deco mesh. Pull and fluff the deco mesh puffs out as you go.

STEP 4

Continue around the entire inner ring, gathering, attaching and fluffing the mesh puffs. There is no need to cut the mesh between the puffs.

STEP 5

Once you have filled in the inner ring, move down to the outer ring without trimming the mesh. Fill in the entire outer ring with puffs, just like the inner ring.

 STEP 6

Once the outer ring of the wreath is filled in, trim the excess deco mesh. This wreath form uses the most part of a 10 yard roll of the deco mesh.

Next add your embellishments!

STEP 7

Choose your preferred patriotic accents and bows. Add them to the basic wreath by securing them into the tinsel wire ties.  Here are some suggestions to inspire you.

Patriotic Mini Paper Fans,  Colors of America Mardi Gras Beads and bow made with 2.5" Metallic Red Deco Mesh Ribbon

Close up of the Patriotic Mini Paper Fans

2.5" red deco mesh bow

 Patriotic Mini Paper Fans and red tinsel roping bow

Red tinsel bow

 4" x 6" Polyester American Flags 

with layered bow using  Red Metallic Tinsel Roping and  2.5" Faux Red Burlap Ribbon 

Closeup of the American Flags

 4" by 6" American flags

 21-inch Poly Mesh Roll: Red/White Stripe accent bow with Star Mardi Gras Beads

 The tutorial for making this style bow  with 21" mesh can be found here:

Making a Large Bow with Deco Mesh.

We hope you have a fun filled Fourth of July!

Patriotic Bow Tutorial with Striped Deco Mesh

Dress your door, porch railing or parade worth bike in  red, white and blue with this large patriotic bow.  This easy DIY bow tutorial shows you a fun, new way to create a large bow using 21" wide red, white and blue striped mesh. Making this large, red, white and blue decoration is very easy, even for non-crafters. No special skills or supplies needed- just your hands and a wide deco mesh or fabric. Fourth of July parades and parties are the perfect place to show off these big bows and your patriotism- so get crafting!

SUPPLIES (available here at www.mardigrasoutlet.com)

21"x10yd Red, White and Blue Deco Mesh Roll   

Scissors

Deco Poly Mesh is a type of soft plastic netting that holds a full shape, allowing you to easily make wreaths, bows, garlands and more (see our tutorials page). Deco Mesh also comes in many colors, patterns and styles, including the red, white and blue striped mesh used here for this patriotic bow. One roll of deco mesh will make about 2 large bows, 3 if you make the tails shorter and the top less puffy by using less mesh than shown in this tutorial.

You can follow these same steps, but use different colors of Deco Mesh to make a custom bow for any holiday or occasion. Click here to see more deco mesh colors. 

We also made a different type of bow with 10-inch wide mesh, instead of 21-inch wide mesh shown here. Click here to see that tutorial.

STEP 1: Make the Bow Tail

Cut a length of deco mesh that is about 6 feet long. Hold it at the center, and straighten out the tails. Set the bow tails aside for securing the bow top after these next steps.

STEP 2: Make the Bow Top

Using a new length of deco mesh, make the bow top. Take the end edge of the deco mesh roll and hold  it at the center. Start gathering the mesh, folding as you bunch the mesh into your hand as you go down the center of the mesh.

STEP 3: Continue down the Mesh

Keep gathering, always staying at the middle of the width of mesh, parallel to the two long sides of the roll. You should start to see a bow starting to form. This bow used about 6 or 7 feet of deco mesh for the top part.

STEP 4: Trim

Once the bow looks full enough for you, trim the bow from rest of the roll.

The top part of the bow should look something like this.

STEP 5: Tie the Tails to Bow

Use the bow tails you cut in Step 1 to secure the bow, where you have been holding. Wrap the center of the tails around the center of the bow, so the front of the bow looks like this.

Tie a simple knot at the back of the bow. Pull the knot tightly to secure. Straighten out the two tails by pulling, as needed. Deco mesh tends to want to curl on its own.

You are finished! 

You can add a wire or string to the back for easy hanging. Use this big bow (about 20in x 45in!) as a door decoration, or to decorate a patio, porch or stair railings, or any other place that needs a festive accent. Deco mesh is durable and waterproof, so this bow will last through the elements without any re-fluffing. This makes is a great decoration for boat parades, lake houses or piers.

Memorial Day Parade in Washington, D.C.

We love a good parade down here in Louisiana. So I thought I would pass along some pictures of the National Memorial Day Parade  held in Washington, DC on Memorial Day. The National Memorial Day Parade features legendary veterans of the U.S. military, and has included the Band of Brothers, Doolittle Raiders, Flying Tigers, and the Tuskegee Airmen (shown above). If you couldn't be there in person at least you can watch from home. Check out the parade coverage at the National Memorial Day Parade website. 

A parade...what a great way to spend Memorial Day!

Photos courtesy of http://www.nationalmemorialdayparade.com/

Memorial Day Pound Cake Dessert for effortless entertaining!

For Memorial Day, decorate with touches of red, white and blue,  fly your American Flag and serve some all American favorites like fried chicken or barbecue. End your meal with a fun red, white and blue inspired dessert. This festive star spangled dessert that requires no baking was featured in Better Homes and Gardens July 2009 magazine.  It is easy to prepare and looks so festive. This  is the perfect light summer dessert to end your patriotic Memorial Day meal.

Star Spangled Pound Cake

Ingredients:
Store bought or homemade pound cake, sliced
fresh strawberries
fresh blueberries
topping of your choice
Directions:
Using a star shaped cookie cutter (3”), cut slices of pound cake into star shapes. To prepare the strawberries, cut off the green tops, slice them in half top to bottom. Use the 1” star cookie cutter to cut out star shapes. Layer star shaped cake on a dessert plate, top with star shaped strawberries and blue berries. Drizzle on a sugar glaze or whip cream.

Precious, super easy and yummy!

Memorial Day Wreath with Deco Mesh

Memorial Day is the holiday that officially kicks off the summer! With the three day weekend packed full of summer activities, it is easy to forget the true meaning of the Memorial Day holiday. More than just a day to celebrate being out of school or off of work, this American holiday is a great day to show our appreciation for those people who have sacrificed their lives for our freedoms. Take an opportunity this Memorial Day to celebrate and remember the reason for the holiday with your family.

A great way to honor service men and women is with a patriotic red, white and blue wreath. This wreath is made with the 21" wide decorator mesh and is waterproof. It would hold up well out in the elements. The Memorial Day wreath pictured combines solid  21" wide blue poly mesh and 2.5" red poly mesh ribbon  with a red, white and blue striped 21" deco mesh.

Making a wreath out of decorator poly mesh is very easy. The decorator mesh is easy to manipulate and very forgiving if you need to re-adjust the shape. For directions on how to make a similar style wreath see the previous post for  Mardi Gras Wreath made of Sinamay. You will need about 10 yards total of decorator poly mesh to make this style/size wreath. In the wreath shown the mesh is wrapped around the wreath form twice (once on the inside edge of the wreath form and then again on the outer edge) using the same technique shown in the tutorial.

A home-made wreath would be a fun Memorial Day craft project for the family. Create something special with your family this holiday and have a memorable Memorial Day!

2011 Update:
We now have video tutorials on how to create these deco mesh wreaths. Click here to view the whole list. Decorator mesh is also great for bows, gift wrap, garland and so much more!