How to make the most beautiful lemon lantern swag with Bowdabra

Learn how to easily create a beautiful lemon lantern swag using the Bowdabra® Bow Maker—with layered greenery, wired lemons, and a gorgeous crushed velvet “shoelace bow” style that looks boutique-worthy (but is super easy to make!) Ready, set, let’s get started:

Materials:

2 yards – 7564 Lemons & blooms ribbon 2 ½” wide white/black

1.5 yards #7809 Elite Velvet/2-sided ribbon 1 ½” wide

white/silver

1.5 yards #7413 Brilliance Ribbon 1 ½” wide black

Bowdabra ribbons

Lemon bush

Foliage bush

Large lantern

Bowdabra bow maker

Bowdabra bow wire

Instructions:

First, cut a piece of Bowdabra bow wire.  Then, fold it in half and insert it into the Bowdabra.  You will have a loop on one side and two loose wires on the other side.  This will serve as your slipknot. Make sure you cut it long enough so that you can use it to tie it to the lantern. Tuck the ends under to stay out of the way while you are making your bow.

Next, lay in the foliage bush and then place the lemon bush right in the Bowdabra.

Now, make a funky bow. Fold pre-dovetailed lengths of ribbon in half with a loop on one side and two tails on the other, like an awareness ribbon. Then, place them in the Bowdabra alternating the sides of loops and tails. To dovetail, fold the ribbon in half and cut at an angle away from the fold.

Since there is a wrong and right side of this ribbon, make sure you twist when you place it in the Bowdabra so that the wrong side is on the inside.

Next, make a little shoelace bow. Find the center of a piece of pre-dovetailed Brilliance black ribbon and scrunch it down into the Bowdabra.  Now bring one side across and scrunch down, then bring the other side across and scrunch down. Make sure you measure the loops so that they are about the same size as the previous ribbon loops.

Using the crushed velvet ribbon, repeat the steps for another shoelace bow.

Finally, make a little button loop with the lemon and blooms ribbon.  Scrunch down, make a little loop, and let the other side of the ribbon hang down for a tail.

Now, scrunch everything down with the Bowdabra wand.  Then, insert the loose wires through the loop and pull tight while the bow is still in the Bowdabra. Then, remove the bow from the Bowdabra, separate the ends, turn to the back, and tie a knot.  Tie a double knot for extra security.

Shape out the loops and pull the tails down, and arrange the swag and open the button loop. Use the excess wire to tie the swag to the lantern.

You have the most beautiful lemon lantern swag and best of all made in just minutes!