PRE-NOTCHED BOWS

What is a pre--notched bow? Pre-notched bow is one of the oldest bow designs commonly used by florists, crafters, bridal shops and other bow makers. They are also called hanks. Each bow consists of several yards of folded ribbon. “V” or “U” shaped small cuts are made in the center by machine or scissors. That is where the ribbon is then tied with florist's wire, chenille, narrow curling strings or specialty staplers.

To transform such folded ribbon into a nicely shaped bow, loops have to be pulled one at the time, twisted and then pulled again towards you. All loops must clear a middle notch or they will slide back under neighboring loop.  Don’t be discouraged if the bow does not look right after you’ve done all this. It only means that more adjustments is needed so keep twisting and pulling loops until you get desired shape. Our pre-notched bows are made with plain or flora satin finish polypropylene  ribbon. Polypropylene is the most  durable ribbon material  on the market. It  won’t easily tear or wrinkle as opposed to satin acetate. Detailed fluffing instructions are included in the package.  click here to WATCH our VIDEO

                        
While we use machine to produce neat die-cuts ready for fluffing , pre-notched bows can also be made by using few yards of ribbon and a pair of sharp scissors.

PRE-NOTCHED BOWS  LOOK SIMILAR TO PULL BOWS, BUT THERE IS SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE  

Don’t confuse pre-notched bows with pull bows, also sold in our store. While they both ship as pre-bows they form in a very different way. Pull bows form in seconds. Loops automatically arrange themselves in front of your eyes when you pull two inner strings. Pre-notched bows have to be fluffed one loop at the time which requires approximately 3 minutes per bow with additional primping as needed. Most colors and color combinations sold in our store are available both in pre-notched and pull bows format.

ABOUT RIBBON MATERIALS  

We use excellent quality US made polypropylene, manufactured by Berwick and Hollywood Ribbon, the industry leaders for over 50 years. The most commonly used bow materials  are polypropylene in plain satin,  embossed flora satin, iridescent, metallic, lacquer and holographic  finish, and satin acetate (wood pulp + acetic acid).  Due to solvents and manufacturing processes, both polypropylene and satin acetate are essentially thermoplastics, and fall into the same category of the most popular and affordable ribbon materials.