Who else loves the trend of big bows as Christmas decor?! I want one for the front of my house so I thought I’d made one out of chicken wire so it’ll create an eye-catching decoration. This festive big bow will work for a Christmas tree, door, big present, the outside of a shop or even a car! Here’s a step-by-step guide for how to make a giant bow.

how to make a giant bow

Let’s start with the video tutorial so you get an overview on what I did. Then, I’ll dive in with more details below:

If the video doesn’t work here, you can watch it on YouTube here. It’d mean so much if you’d watch the video! I’m trying to get better at my video skills so I can grow my YouTube channel. If you have a few minutes to watch this and/or subscribe, I’d so appreciate it.

SUPPLIES

Chicken wire 2’x25′
8 Yards of 54″ wide Fabric (mine is from Joann and is clearance fabric)
Hot Glue Gun
Hot Glue Sticks (I needed 4 sticks for this project)
Wire cutters
Floral wire
Fabric Scissors
Cup Hooks (I used 9)

BEFORE

Here is the outside of my house. It’s super cute, but I think it’d be fun to add a giant bow for the holidays! I’m seeing these used on shops and over fireplaces, so I thought over a window would be fun. I need something with structure so I’ll be using chicken wire to make this. Drew from Lone Fox Home gave me the inspiration for that.

Here’s a mock up of what I want the bow to look like-

step 1- prep

1. Prepare the Chicken Wire

Cut a piece of chicken wire to 9′ long. This makes the support of the loops of a 4′ wide bow.
Next, cut two pieces of chicken wire to 6′ long. This makes two bow tails.

Use Wire cutters to cut the chicken wire to size.

2. Prepare the fabric

Cut a piece of fabric to 9′ long. This makes the fabric loops of a 4′ wide bow.
Cut a piece of fabric to 12″ wide by 21″ long. This covers the middle of the bow.
Next, cut two pieces of fabric to 7′ long. This makes two bow tails.

Use Fabric Scissors to cut the fabric to size.

step 2

Next, Create the Loops (the top of the bow)

Start by laying out the 9′ long fabric on a table or a flat surface.

Place the chicken wire flat on on top of the fabric. Sandwich the fabric on either side of the chicken wire. Pull the fabric tight over the chicken wire. The fabric should overlap on the back of the bow.

Use a Hot Glue Gun to glue the fabric to itself.
Fold the fabric/chicken wire over to create two loops. The ends should overlap in the middle of the loops

Secure the Center

- Once you’ve folded the chicken wire and fabric to have two loops, gather the center of the loops together to create the middle of the bow.
- Use floral wire, twine, or a piece of the chicken wire itself to tightly twist around the center of the bow to secure the loops in place. Twist it tightly enough so the loops stay together.
- After securing the middle, adjust and shape the loops of the bow by gently pulling them apart and fluffing them up. You can also bend the wire to add more volume to the bow, depending on how full you want it to look.

Add fabric to the Center

- Take the 12″ wide by 21″ long strip of fabric. Fold it in 1/3’s. Put it over the center of the bow. On the back, use hot glue to adhere it in place. This creates a cute middle of the bow.

Attach wire for hanging the bow

The bow needs to be hung on the wall. Since mine will be outside, I want mine to be as secure as possible. Around the middle of the bow, add wire going around both loops and connect in the middle to make a V for hanging.

Around each loop of the bow, add wire so that each loop will also be secured outside. If hanging inside, this step can be skipped.

That completes the top of the bow!

step 3

And now, create the tails for the bow

Start by laying out a strip of the 7′ long fabric on a table or a flat surface.
Place the 6′ long piece of chicken wire flat on on top of the fabric. Sandwich the fabric on either side of the chicken wire. Pull the fabric tight over the chicken wire. The fabric should overlap on the back of the tails
Note, the chicken wire is 1′ short (so it can be gathered at the top and hung). Push the chicken wire so it’s at the end of the bow tail.

At the bottom of the bow, pull the chicken wire to the edge of the fabric. Cut a V in both the fabric and the chicken wire. Make the fabric longer than the chicken wire by 1″.

Hot glue the fabric around the bottom of the bow. Overlap the fabric on the back of the bow sandwiching the chicken wire inside the fabric. This is a little tricky with the V section, but it’s worth the cute look.

Continue gluing up the side of the bow tiles.

At the top of each bow tail, there will be 1′ of space where there’s fabric and no wire. At that point, gather the fabric and secure it with wire.

Repeat to create two bow tails.

step 4

Last, hang the bow outside for display. For that I’m using Cup Hooks

Finally, you can hang or attach your chicken wire bow to wreaths, fences, doors, a house or any other decorative setup.

To hang the bow, get on a ladder or step stool. Bring up a drill, cup hooks, and the top of the bow.

Use the drill to make a pilot hole where the center of the bow will hang. Attach the bow to the cup hook.

Repeat with a cup hook on either side of the bow. Attach the wire on the back of the bow from step 2.
Bring up one tail for the bow. Use a cup hook to attach the wire from the top of the tail to the house on the side of the window. Repeat for the second tail.

Use a cup hook to secure the bottom of each bow tail. For that, we cut a hole in the back of the fabric and attached the chicken wire to the cut hook.

after

And now we have a 4′ wide by 7′ tall bow on the side of the house!

Didn’t it turn out so cute?! I think it’s a fun look and honestly, I never want to take it down!

This is kind of a silly project, but it makes me smile every time I come home! I think this would look so cute around a door or as a focal point around a fireplace!

It was really fun to dream this up and then have it come to life! It’s just as cute as I imagined and I’m so happy it actually worked out.

price breakdown

Chicken wire 2’x25′ cost $18
8 Yards of 54″ wide Fabric. I bought fabric that was on sale for $5 a yard- so this was $40.
Hot Glue Gun, Wire cutters, Floral wire , Fabric Scissors I already had these on hand.
Cup Hooks cost $3

Grand total- $61

I think that’s a pretty good price for a giant bow. I was hoping to spend less than $100. To make this for less, making it smaller would be the best option so less wire and fabric would be needed.

So now you know how to make a giant bow! How to you like it? Would you try this at your house somewhere? Bows are a big trend this holiday, but I’ve loved them for years. It was fun to add this statement piece! But now I have to figure out how to store it. If you have any ideas, let me know in the comments.

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