The following instructions for making cross-stitch bows come from Rita Liesch. Rita has made several of these bows from "scratch" after having first learned how to make them from kits. I (Cameo) have not tried this technique yet, so pass the instructions on in good faith.

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Bows: Instructions for making cross stitch bows
Sent: Friday, February 06, 1998

The Fabric

I use 60 inch wide (14 count) Aida, purchased from American Needlewoman or Herrschner's for under $13.00 a yard. This 36 by 60 inch piece will make 11 bows. My local WalMart sells 48 wide Aida for under $6.00. To make bows with it, I buy two yards, so I am working with a piece of fabric that is 72 by 48. If you want, you could buy one yard of this fabric and cut it in half, then sew the two shorter ends together, producing a piece of fabric that is just under 72 by 24. Since I am lazy and don't like to get my sewing machine and iron out just to do one bow, I usually make up as many at one time as my piece of fabric allows. If you have never made a bow from a kit and this is your first bow, you might want to make them up one at a time. I started making my own bows because the bows in the kits made by the first company to market bows are often made crooked and are also too expensive to make very many of them.

You can make bows using 11, 14, 16, or 18 count Aida, but I would recommend you use the less expensive fabric. which seems to have more body than the big name fabric. If you are using fabric longer than 60 inches, the first step is to trim your fabric so it is 60 inches long. You can use the piece you trim off for other projects.

Cutting Out the Bows

You need to check either the left or right long edge of your fabric. Is it cut straight along a row of squares? If not trim this edge to make it perfectly straight. For 14 count Aida, measure five inches to your left (if working from the right edge of the fabric) and cut straight up from the bottom to the top. Fold over three squares and press (first by hand, then with an iron) each of the long sides of the piece you have cut. Repeat the finger pressing and ironing, this time doing it with four squares.

Sewing

Sew down the long edges from one end to the other, three squares in. If you use a thread that matches your fabric (see variations below), any slight variations in the straightness of your sewing will not be noticeable on the finished bow tie. To make the points at the short ends, fold the material in half with what will be the front of the bow tie to the inside. Sew straight across about three or four squares in from the short edge and form the point. Repeat for the other end.

In addition to the 60 inch long piece, you will need a small piece about four by four inches. This small piece is not used until the bow is almost complete. It can be from any leftover scraps you have on hand as long as the color and count are the same as that used for the long piece of material.

Variations

You can use a contrasting thread to sew the long sides, or sew on a narrow bias tape in matching or contrasting colors to edge the long sides. If you are going to use the bias tape, each piece of material should be cut four inches wide insides of the five inches wide used for the self edged version above. If you are self conscious about people looking at the back of your bow ties to see how neatly you stitch, you can iron on interfacing to the back of the bow tie after you have completed the cross stitching.

Before beginning to stitch

Fold the long piece in half so you have a piece 30 inches long. Using a colored thread or floss, sew a line from side to side where you have made the fold. This line will not be seen once the bow tie is finished, so it can be almost any color. Measure down the length of the material 12 inches, and again using colored thread or floss, set the two sides of the material together. Your material should now end up with a tail, a loop, and another tail.

Where to place the designs you want on your bow tie

This is the hardest part, but the more bow ties you do, the easier it becomes. It is easiest if you are using designs from a previously purchased bow tie kit, or from one of the leaflets of bow tie designs. In this case, you can usually get away with starting two and a half or three inches up from the point and stitching the designs that will go on the tails. Once the tails are done, lay your material out on a flat surface. Center the two lines of colored stitching over each other. This will result in a single layer of fabric on the ends and three layers of fabric in the center. With a pin, mark the center of each side of the top layer of fabric. Center the designs that go on the loops of the bows here.

If you have never done a bow tie from a kit, or you are working with designs that have not come from a kit or leaflet, it is best if you figure out how long your design will be when stitched. For example, if the design to go on the tail is 125 stitches long, this works out to be just over nine inches.

Cut a strip of paper nine inches long and lay it on one of the tails. Center it between the point and the first colored stitched line. The bottom of the paper will be about four inches from the point. I would most likely move down about a half inch, or an inch, and begin stitching up from there.

For the design you are going to use for the loops, you first lay out the fabric as noted above. Mark the center of each side of the top layer of fabric with a pin and center the design for each loop at the point you have marked with a pin.

Making the actual bow

Once your stitching is completed, you can make the bow. Take your small piece of Aida fabric, fold it in half and sew down the long side about a half in from the cut edge. This makes a small tube of material. Turn it inside out, so the seam you have sewn is on the inside. Once again you need to lay your bow out on a flat surface with the colored lines of stitching on top of each other. Sew lightly through all three layers going right over the top of the colored lines. Scrunch the bow tie together at this point and secure the tube of fabric around it, slip stitching the tube of fabric to itself at the back of the bow.

Now hold the center of the bow tightly in one hand and pull on each of the tails. This is much easier to show than to write about. Basically, I hold the bow out in front of me with one hand and grab one of the tail points with the other hand and pull down. Then I do the same with the other tail point.

Comments welcome

After you read over these instructions, please send Rita your comments. If you have a question about something, other folks will too. Rita is glad to share everyone's helpful hints.