DIY Bow Tie Belly Band

Download FREE Bow Tie Template (PDF)

Today's project enters your computer screen with a swagger.

Put a little waltz on the phonograph, dust off your dancing shoes, this bow tie belly band hails back to Hollywood's golden age.

Nothing finishes a package quite as well as the perfect bow. I'm taking the guesswork and frustration out of tying the perfect bow by doing it for you!.. by means of the free bow tie template. Simply cut and assemble and you'll have a stylish band to bring your invitation package together.

Print the template on any color card to coordinate the bow ties to your invitation suite. I've sized the band for a 5 x 7" invitation, you can easily adjust this for different sized invitations.

I love the way the bow tie looks with the bold stripes on our Joanna invitation collection. The belly band breaks up the vertical stripes nicely.

The bow tie starts out as a fat, three-dimensional embellishment. It is going to get flattened in the mail. Fear not though, it is still very much a stylish bow tie when flat. I recommend squishing it yourself before placing in an envelope so that you know it gets flattened evenly.

You can get creative with the bow tie and think beyond belly bands. This would make a fun recurring embellishment throughout your wedding. You can make napkin rings, favor embellishments, or wrap a bow tie around pillar candles as part of your centerpieces. Just make sure the hot wax doesn't drip onto the paper.

If you are looking for clean lines with a large helping of dapper, this invitation and belly band combination is just for you!

 

• Card stock - any color
• 1/2" brass fasteners
• 1/8" hand hole punch
• Scissors
• Bone folder
• Printer - I like Epson printers

Download the free printable bow tie template and open in Acrobat.

Each print out will make four bow ties, and each bow tie is made up of four elements - a long strip, a short strip, and two bows.

Rough cut around all the pieces needed to make one bow tie.

Use a 1/8" punch to punch out the circles. If you try to use a standard size office hole punch you will end up with holes that are too large.

Start the creases on the long strip by scoring along the vertical lines. If you don't have a bone folder you can use any pointed but not sharp object. You don't want to cut through the paper, just score it. A closed mechanical pencil or the back of a utility knife will work.

Download FREE Bow Tie Template (PDF)

Cut each bow tie element along the solid outline. You will end up with four pieces per bow tie.

 

Now to make a bow tie!

Place one brass fastener through the center hole of the larger bow. Fold the ends of the bow to the center and place on the fastener.

Place the second bow onto the fastener.

Loop the smaller strip around the center of the bow, it will hide the front circle of the fastener, hooking the holes over the fastener's tail.

Finally, loop the long strip onto the fastener forming the belly band. Close the fastener to hold everything neatly in place.

Slip a 5 x 7" invitation into the belly band. I'm using the invitation from our Joanna collection in gray. Big bold stripes in classic colors pair with a timeless scalloped border and modern fonts to make this an elegant invitation collection with just a touch of playfulness.

I've also inserted the coordinating Joanna RSVP card and a 4-bar envelope. The invitation package is now ready for mailing.

 

View Joanna Invitation Collection >

With template love,

 
(Although all the products listed in this tutorial are products I personally use, I will be compensated just a tiny bit if you make a purchase through some of the links provided. Thanks for supporting small biz!)