How To Decorate A Christmas Tree With Ribbon
Cindy VenerioNow that Christmas is just around the corner, you might be thinking about how you can make your Christmas tree stand out from all the others on your block this year. One way to do that is to use festive ribbons to decorate it with, but how do you go about doing that? How to decorate with a Ribbon? This ultimate guide will walk you through the entire process of decorating a Christmas tree with ribbons from start to finish, ensuring that you have the perfect decoration for your tree this year and in years to come.
What you will need
- A medium size Christmas tree
- Ribbons of various widths
- Scissors
- Christmas lights with bulbs (preferably white)
- A cordless drill with an adjustable bit (if you want to put the lights on the tree)
- Glue gun or duct tape (to fix any loose wires from your lights)
- Tape measure or ruler for measuring how much ribbon you'll need per branch. You will also want some strings for this task.
- Wire cutters, scissors, or clippers for cutting the wire on your lights. If you're using lights that come in pre-cut lengths, skip this step.
- Measure out how long of a piece of ribbon you need to go around the circumference of each branch. Use the scissors or wire cutters to shorten it if necessary. Tie one end into a loop and then secure the other end to create a tight knot near where it attaches at the base of each branch. If desired, use a glue gun or duct tape to tightly secure light bulb cords so they won't be visible once all ribbons are on tree branches.
Step 1. Start at the top
- Tie two ribbon loops at the top of your tree.
- Wrap one ribbon around the front of the tree and tie it in the back.
- Wrap one ribbon around the back of the tree and tie it in front.
- Alternate between the front, back, and sides until you reach the bottom of your tree.
- Finish by tying two loops at the bottom of your tree. That's it! You just decorated your first tree with ribbon!
Step 2. Create an anchor point
Cut the ribbon so that it is long enough to wrap around your tree, and then tie the two ends together in a knot. Fold the ribbon in half so that it is one long piece with two tails, and then tie one of the tails around the edge of your tree. Do this for all four edges of your tree, keeping the ribbons close together. Once you have done this, use scissors to cut away any excess ribbon on each side of your tree.
Step 3. Keep going around, down, and up again
Keep going around, down, and up again. You should have enough ribbon or string to do this twice on the tree, which will cover most of the branches. If you need more, add it in between the last time you wrap around. Take your ribbon or string and start wrapping it around the tree like you would when tying a bowtie. When your string meets itself, tuck it under, and do not cut off any excess string so that when you take off the ribbon at the end of this process there is enough for another use later!
Step 4. Create some folds in the fabric
The next step is to create folds in the fabric. The folds can be created by folding one side of the ribbon over and then folding the other side over it. This will give you two full pieces of ribbon that are each folded in half. Now, take one piece and fold it in half so that it is now folded into three parts. Take a left third and lay it on top of the right third. Fold them together (halfway) so they meet in the middle and then unfold them again so they are both still folded into thirds but now they are on top of each other with a little space between them.
Step 5. Tuck the ribbon behind branches
Now that the tree is covered in ribbons, it's time to tuck the ribbons behind branches and secure them with an ornament. If you have more than one color of ribbon on your tree, be sure to alternate colors so they look like they're tying the different branches together. Then you can add some of your favorite ornaments for a festive finish!
Step 6. Repeat these steps around your tree
You can also do this around your tree. You will want to make sure you wrap the ribbons around evenly so that there are no gaps or overlaps. To do this, start at the top of the tree and work your way down, making sure each ribbon is tight against the next one.
Section 7. Finishing touches
Start by tying the largest ribbon on the tree as high up as you can. Wrap it around the trunk of the tree and then tie it off on top of it with another piece of ribbon. This will be your base layer. Next, wrap one layer of ribbon around the tree starting at that large base knot and going in whichever direction feels best to you. Once you get back to where you started, tie off with another piece of ribbon. Repeat this process all the way around until you've made it down. Tie off when you are back at your starting point. Add as many layers as you want to depend on how full or sparse you want your tree to look.
If you are wondering, a medium-sized tree is around 6 to 8 feet tall. If your tree is smaller or taller, you can use the same instructions but adjust the lengths of the ribbon accordingly. Decorating with a ribbon is to cut about 30 to 40 pieces of ribbon (depending on how many colors you want to work with) and make sure they are all roughly the same length (roughly 24 inches). Take them one at a time and fold them in half.
