I spent a little time trying to come up with a project using the Bowdabra for Memorial Day. I finally made the decision to create a Patriotic Memorial Day wreath to place on my Father’s grave for Memorial weekend. He was a veteran of World War II and the wreath would be a nice way to show respect for him.
In my part of the country, it is also called Cemetery Day. It’s a day when people go out to their family cemeteries and clean them up and dress them up for Memorial weekend. A lot of people pay a trip to the cemeteries to pay their respects during Memorial weekend.
12” Wide Tulle Ribbon (White)
6” Wide Tulle Ribbon (White)
1 ½” Wide Red Glitter wire edge ribbon
3” Wide Shiny Red Foil Ribbon
2 ¼” Wide Blue Glitter Stripe wired Ribbon
1 ½” Wide Blue Glitter Polka Dot wired Ribbon
20” Metal Wreath Frame
Silver Bowdabra Wire
Regular Bowdabra Bowmaker
The items in this picture are needed for this project
To make your Patriotic Memorial Day wreath, start by placing a piece of the Bowdabra wire folded in half into the Bowdabra Bowmaker. Tuck the ends of the wire under each end to keep them out of the way. You will need to put this wire in the Bowdabra at the start of each bow.
For the White Tulle bows that you’re using to fill in, first put a 54” piece of 12” wide White Tulle into the Bowdabra Bowmaker and scrunch it down with the Bowdabra wand.
After the 12” White Tulle is placed into the Bowdabra Bowmaker and scrunched down, it’s time to put 36” of the White Tulle that is 6” wide into the Bowdabra Bowmaker and scrunch it down also.
Take both ends of the wire and put the loose end through the loop and pull tight. Bring the ends around to the back and tie a knot. Your White bow is finished
Fluff out your bow and set aside. Make 7 more White Tulle Bows for a total of 8.
Now, take the 12” Wide White Tulle which is 54” long and scrunch it down into the Bowdabra Bowmaker first.
Next, take the 36” long by 1 ½” Wide Red Glitter Wired Ribbon. Place one end of the ribbon into the Bowdabra Bowmaker. Make a bow, twist the ribbon, crossover the Bowdabra Bowmaker and make another bow. Bring the ribbon back to the middle, twist it and put it through the Bowdabra Bowmaker again and repeat until you’ve used up all of the Red Glitter Wired Ribbon.
Then, scrunch the ribbon down with the Bowdabra Bowmaker wand. Now take the 36” long by 3” wide Shiny Red Foil Ribbon and scrunch it down into the Bowdabra Bowmaker.
Scrunch it all down together with the Bowdabra Bowmaker wand. Then take both ends of the wire and put the loose ends through the loop and tighten. Pull the wire tight, pass the wire around to the back of the bow and tie a knot.
Fluff your bow out and set aside. You will need to make 3 more Red bows for a total of 4 and set them aside for now.
To make your Blue ribbons, start by putting 54” long of White Tulle by 12” wide of White Tulle into the Bowdabra Bowmaker and scrunching it down with the Bowdabra Bowmaker wand.
Use the Blue Glitter Stripe Wired Ribbon first. You need to start with a piece 36” long by 2 ¼” wide. Put the first end into the Bowdabra Bowmaker and make a bow. Twist the ribbon, put it into the Bowdabra Bowmaker and make another bow on the other side. Twist the ribbon again and put it into the Bowdabra Bowmaker and make another bow on the other side, repeat the process by twisting the ribbon and taking it to the other side. Make one last bow and put the end of the ribbon into the Bowdabra Bowmaker. Use the Bowdabra Bowmaker wand to scrunch the ribbon down.
You want to take your other blue ribbon which is 36” long by 1 ½” wide Polka Dot wired ribbon and insert the end into the Bowdabra. The ribbon should be made into a bow and twisted once again and inserted into the Bowdabra Bowmaker. On the other side of the Bowdabra Bowmaker, you will need to make another bow and twist the ribbon once again and put it into the Bowdabra Bowmaker. Make another bow and twist the ribbon and put it into the Bowdabra Bowmaker. You are now down to your last bow and finish off by putting your end into the Bowdabra Bowmaker. Use the Bowdabra wand to scrunch all of the ribbons down.
Finish it all off by putting the end of your wire into the loop and pulling the wire tight. Fluff your bow out and you have this blue bow finished. Set that bow aside and make three more for a total of four.
As you create your Patriotic Memorial Day Wreath, alternate your colors and tie them unto your wire wreath frame. I liked the colors going blue, white, red, white, in that order all around the wreath.
If you haven’t already done so, please take the time some Monday night (the sooner the better) to watch Sandy Sandler the owner of Bowdabra Bowmaker and the Mini Bowdabra Bowmaker on the Bowdabra Facebook page. You too can create beautiful pieces with those two tools! Sandy’s work is amazing and you can learn so much from watching even one show! They’re not long shows, but the shows are so creative! Tune in at 7:00 PM Eastern Time, 6:00 PM Central Time, 5:00 PM Mountain Time, and 4:00 PM Pacific Time. Leave a comment, I read them all.
Barbara
