Ready to add another layer?
If you’ve already made the ribbon bow from my [Moon Stitch Bow Tutorial – LINK HERE], this one is going to feel very familiar. And if you haven’t, that’s okay too! That tutorial walks through the same basic bow construction using a single layer of ribbon, so it’s a great place to start if you want to practice the technique first.
For this tutorial, we’re taking that same basic bow and making it a little more special by layering lace over ribbon. It’s still surprisingly simple to make, but adding that second layer gives you so many more options for customizing it.
You can also make the bow entirely from lace, add lace only to the loops, leave it off the tails, mix colors, change the center—once you know the basic construction, there are a million directions you can take it.
And despite how fancy the finished bow looks, you still only need about one yard of lace to make it.
What You’ll Need
For the bow shown in this tutorial, I used:
- Just over 1 yard of ribbon – [SHOP THE METALLIC RIBBON]
- Approximately 1 yard of lace – [SHOP THE BUBBLE LACE]
- Thread, fabric tape, or your preferred way of securing the layers
- Scissors
- An alligator clip or your preferred bow hardware
- Hot glue or another adhesive for attaching your clip and finishing the center
I’m also showing another version made with my [SHOP THE SANTA LACE] so you can see how the same technique works with a scalloped lace pattern.
Cutting Your Pieces
Cut both your ribbon and lace into:
- 10.5 inches – bow loop
- 12 inches – bow loop
- 13 inches – tails
For your center wrap, cut:
- 3.5 inches of ribbon
- Optional: approximately 2.5 inches of lace if you want lace over the center as well
That puts you right around a yard of lace for one bow if you’re careful with your cuts.
A Note About the Center
I usually use just the ribbon for my center wrap rather than layering lace over it. Once all of those layers come together, the center of this bow gets fairly thick, and adding another layer of lace isn’t really necessary.
But this is also a really fun place to change things up.
You could use a contrasting ribbon, a rhinestone center, or even a rhinestone buckle. I especially love the idea of a little sparkly buckle with something like the Santa lace.
Step 1: Layer Your Lace and Ribbon
For each piece of the bow, lay your lace directly over your ribbon and line up the edges.
You can secure the two layers together before you start manipulating them, but you don’t have to. A couple of stitches, fabric tape, or even a tiny dab of glue in the center can help keep everything from shifting.
Personally, I don’t attach mine first. I just work with the ribbon and lace together as I form the bow.
I would avoid using too much glue here because it can add unnecessary bulk.
Step 2: Make Your Bow Loops
Just like the single-layer bow, fold each end of your ribbon and lace back toward the center to create your loop.
Once folded, your finished loop should measure approximately 4.75 inches across.
Secure the center using thread, fabric tape, or your preferred method.
Tip: Watch Your Lace Pattern
If you’re working with a lace that has a very distinct or directional design, pay attention to where that pattern lands before you secure your loop.
You want the design to look balanced on both sides of the bow.
With the bubble lace I’m using here, there’s quite a bit of flexibility because the pattern is more organic. With something like my Santa Lace though, I intentionally centered the design so the finished bow wouldn’t look off-kilter.
It’s a tiny detail that makes a big difference in the finished bow.
Step 3: Add Your Tails
Next, layer the lace over your 13-inch ribbon piece and form the tails just as you would for the single-layer version.
This is also where you can start having some fun with the design.
There is absolutely no rule saying the lace has to go everywhere. You could put lace on the loops but leave the tails as plain ribbon, use a different lace on the tails, or mix and match colors.
Once you understand the basic construction, you can really make this bow your own.
Step 4: Put Everything Together
Stack your loops and tails and wrap thread securely around the center to hold everything together.
And here’s something worth knowing: it probably won’t look perfect the second you wrap it.
That’s normal.
In my step-by-step photos, you can actually see that mine needed some adjusting too. Once everything is secure, I move the tails, fluff the loops, and adjust the lace until everything is sitting where I want it.
That little bit of adjusting at the end is what gets everything sitting nicely and makes the finished bow come together.
Step 5: Add the Center Wrap
Because we’re working with twice as many layers this time, the center is noticeably thicker than it is on the single-layer bow.
That’s why we cut a 3.5-inch center piece instead of the shorter center used in the single-layer tutorial.
On one end, fold the ribbon slightly over itself so that, viewed from the side, the folds resemble a small Z. Secure the folds with a tiny dot of hot glue.
Repeat on the opposite end—but make your Z fold in the opposite direction.
This little detail makes a difference! Folding the two ends in opposite directions keeps the center wrap from lying completely flat and gives the front of your bow’s center that slightly puffed, dimensional look.
Wrap it securely around the center and attach it at the back of the bow.
From there, you can add your alligator clip or whichever hardware you prefer.
Step 6: Finish Your Tails
Once the bow is assembled, trim the tails to your preferred length and shape.
For these bows, I actually prefer a simple straight-across cut. There is already so much detail happening with the lace that I don’t think the tails need anything complicated.
If the ribbon you’re using requires heat sealing, you can carefully heat seal the ribbon edge only.
Do not heat seal or burn the lace. Trim the lace cleanly with sharp scissors instead.
Make It Your Own
Once you have the basic construction down, this is where it gets really fun.
You can add pearls or rhinestones just like you would to a boutique bow, or dress up the center with a rhinestone buckle, charm, resin, or another embellishment.
You can even use the lace pattern itself as inspiration. With the Bubble Lace I used here, how cute would a little rubber ducky center be? Or add a few tiny rubber ducky charms around the bow. With something like the Santa Lace, a sparkly rhinestone buckle in the center would be adorable.
And don’t feel locked into my measurements, either. They’re a great starting point, but you can absolutely adjust them for the look you want. Add a couple of inches to the tails for a longer, more dramatic bow, especially for an older child, or shorten them for a smaller bow.
You can play with the size of the loops too. Just keep in mind that because we’re layering ribbon and lace, this bow gets thick pretty quickly, so going really tiny can be a little trickier. Sizing it up, though, is incredibly easy.
Change the lace. Change the ribbon. Skip the lace on the tails. Add some sparkle. Make the tails longer.
Use the tutorial as your starting point, not your rulebook.
And That’s It!
This is one of those projects that looks much more complicated than it actually is.
Once you know how to make the basic bow, adding lace really is just one extra step—and suddenly you have a completely different bow with a ton of possibilities.
Want to Make Your Own?
You can find the supplies I used here:
[SHOP ALL LACE]
[SHOP ALL RIBBON]
And if you looked at this entire tutorial and thought, Yeah, no. I would rather somebody else make the bows, I understand completely.
I don’t currently offer this exact style as a wholesale finished bow, but you can shop my other [WHOLESALE FINISHED BOWS] here.
And if you want to start with the simpler version first, head over to the [SINGLE-LAYER / MOON STITCH BOW TUTORIAL].
Now go make something good. 💕