How I made fabric bows for my place mats

I put a little bow in one corner of each place mat, I think it really made them look finished.  I used the same ribbon as the trim that goes around near the edge and stitched it in white too so it would match.   I didn't have much of the ribbon as it was given me so I had to make sure I saved enough of the ribbon to make bows by calculating how much I would need to trim each placemat and still save some for bows.  The bows are not actually tied, they are made from two strips of ribbon, a long piece for the loops and tails and a smaller strip to wrap around the middle.

Follow the link to see how to make the bows like I did, step by step...

1. Each bow is about 1.5 inches long.  So you'll need 4.5-5 inches for each one and then about 1 inch for wrapping each bow around the middle.  Cut off the portion of ribbon that will be saved for the middle of each bow and set it aside. 
2. On the length of ribbon for the loops of the bow, stitch little lines of stitches along each edge carefully so as to look like the stitches on the placemat trim.
3. Cut the stitched ribbon piece into sections for the bows, each about 4.5 - 5 inches (you're going to trim this a bit more, don't cut it too short).
4. On each section take the end, fold it in half widthways and then trim off a triangle of the ribbon so that it forms the classic inverted "V" ribbon end (this prevents fraying and looks pretty), do this for both ends.
5. Now we make the loops - fold the piece of stitched ribbon in 3 like a zigzag and even it up.  Twist it once in the middle and then turning it so the loops face up and the tails face down, the picture shows this pinned to the back of a mat so you can see it better on the side with no pattern. 
6. Cut about an inch of unstitched ribbon, hold it in half widthways, wrap it around the middle of your twisted "bow" so the ends are at the back, trim off any excess and pin the "bow" in place on the place mat so it will hold it's shape and keep that middle right where it is...yes, this is fiddly!  I have little fingers....
7. position one side of the middle of that bow under the sewing machine needle and stitch little stitches along one edge of the middle and then the other, making sure to backstitch to secure and make it look sufficiently like the rest of the stitching for your satisfaction.  If you can do this better by hand, go ahead.
8. Repeat for all the other bows!

(this shows the bow ready to stitch on)

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