How To Make A Bow Out Of Loom Bands

Looming took the crafting world by storm in 2014. All kinds of people were weaving and wearing their own colourful charm bracelets and other jewellery out of small elastic bands.

Simple patterns evolved into complicated and impressive  creations and now this inventive activity has grown far beyond what you can wear on your wrist. This tutorial is just a dip in the ocean of rainbow elastic accessories!

Image © Pixabay

What You'll Need:

A loom

About 20 bands for the main body (it looks best when these are the same colour)

About 2 bands for the tie and ring loop

Crochet hook/loom pick

1 c-clip/s-clip

Step 1: Start with the loom arrows facing up. Vertically line a single band on both the left and right row from the bottom hook. Repeat this action on each side, making sure to loop the second band over the pin you stretched the first one.

Step 2: Place a band from the pin where the first two intersect on the left and bring it in to the middle row. Place another band over that and bring it to the row on the right, creating a bridge between the two lines.

Step 3: Starting from the middle pin again, stretch a band to the upper pin on the left. Repeat this for the right side to create an "X" shape in the middle.

Step 4: Starting from the upper left and right pins create another "X" above the bands already on the loom using the same method as in step 3.

Step 5: Vertically line another band on both the right and left side, placing the bands upwards from the pins at the top of the last "X".

Step 6: Now close off the pattern by making a final "X" directly above the second, looping the bands on to the vertical lines created in the last step.

Step 7: Finish off this pattern with a cap band on the two top pins. Wrap a single band around the upper left pin three times and repeat for the upper right pin.

Step 8: Turn the whole thing around so the arrows face downwards. With your loom pick go inside the left cap band, take out the lowest band and hook it on to the middle pin. Repeat this for the right side.

Step 9: Hook the other bands attached to this middle pin, underneath the ones you just brought over, to the left and then to the right. Now hook the vertical bands directly up on to the pin in front.

Step 10: Repeat this process for the next "X", leaving the vertical bands until the end.

Step 11: Loop the vertical bands upwards, reaching downwards through all the bands on the pin to pull the band up. From the side, stretch the bottom half of the band on the left topmost pin up and over on to the pin below, creating a slipknot. Repeat on the right side.

Step 12: Pull the band on the top most pins of each side taught to tighten the knot. Now you should be able to remove the entire thing in a single piece. Gently pull it off with the loom pick to reveal the main body of the bow ring!

Step 13: Tuck in the two rubber bands that are hanging out by reaching inside the main body with your hook and pulling them through.

Step 14: Kids can now wrap two bands of a different colour around the centre of the creation to finish off the look. You now have a cute bow charm!

Additional Step: Here's an extra step if kids wanted to further the design to make it into a ring; attach your clip to the back of the bow and then loop in another band or two so it can be worn on the fingers or in the hair!

Image © Pixabay

If the kids love this loom band bow and are looking for more easy accessory ideas to make with their bands, then check out these fun ideas to keep that creativity flowing. They could even make a charm bracelet for everyone in the family!

Elastic Animals: Although it might be a bit more challenging than a ring, making their favourite animal is sure to be fun for kids.  They can build their own elastic pet in or maybe even create their own bedroom zoo! From turtles to trolls, there are so many creatures to create.

Dolly Dresses: Not as much of a commitment as the infamous eBay loom band dress, (a full sized elastic dress that sold for £170,000!) but just as stylish! Give Barbie a fresh new look, and she won't complain about it being itchy.

Flowers: Adorable, simple and comes in about a million shapes and sizes. There are so many different flower templates that can be the perfect charm or accessory.

Phone Covers: A hobby that's fun and practical! Build your own phone cover for a colourful pop and a protective casing. Say goodbye to cracked screens as the elastic makes for a surprisingly durable and bouncy cover.

Note: The recommended age for playing with Rainbow Loom is 8+ as the elastics are a choking hazard. Make sure to watch out for little fingers as well; this tutorial can be used for a ring, which can cause circulatory problems if the band is too tight.