A gift is judged by its bow. The paper can be creased, the box crooked, a well-made bow rescues everything. A slack loop, on the other hand, ruins a perfect wrap.
Before you tie
Prepare the ribbon. Cut the length before you start, never in the middle of the gesture. For a 30 x 20 x 10 cm box, you need about 1.10 m of 15 mm satin. Press the satin on the reverse with a cool iron: a set crease shows in photos and never leaves.
Choose the width for the box, not for the roll. 40 mm on a ring box crushes the paper. 10 mm on a moving carton disappears. Satin 15 mm (ref. 80245 in black, 80250 in red, 11.90 € per 100 m) is the right compromise for four boxes out of five.
The gesture
Place the box in front of you, the ribbon underneath, both tails towards you. Cross the tails at the centre underneath, bring them up, cross again on top. Hold the crossing with your thumb. Make a loop with the left tail and pinch it at the base. Pass the right tail around, then pull it through the loop to form the second one. Tighten by pulling the two loops, not the tails. The bow must lie flat, both loops the same size.
A bow that slides is fixed with a stitch of textile glue under the crossing. A bow that tilts comes from an off-centre crossing: start again, satin does not forgive.
The curl
Curl is made for large parcels. The 10 mm roll (ref. 80138, 11 € for 200 m) curls on the closed blade of a pair of scissors: lay the ribbon between your thumb and the blade, pull with a firm, even gesture. The curl holds if the ribbon is pulled slowly. The 19 mm curl (ref. 80068, 4 € for 50 m) curls less well: it is stiffer.
Paper ribbon
Paper (ref. BR6852.07, 16 € for 200 m) does not tie like satin. It marks, it breaks if you pull too hard. In exchange, it holds a fold and it matches kraft better than anything. A flat knot is enough, no loop. For a parcel meant to be torn open, it is the right material.
Ready-made bows
When fifty parcels are waiting, the prepared bow wins. Self-adhesive bows come in 2 cm (ref. 80101, 0.39 € each), 3 cm (ref. 80112, 0.59 €) and 5 cm (ref. 80117, 0.95 €). The pack of 50 brings the 2 cm down to 0.33 € each. Stick them on the crossing, never on bare paper, or they tear everything on opening.
The usual mistakes
Cutting too short is mistake number one. A bow always takes more than you think. The second: tightening the paper with the ribbon. The third: choosing organza for a heavy parcel, it slides and the knot lives its own life. Satin, linen and paper hold. Organza and raffia are made for flowers and small objects.
