Hi guys, i need a few pointers, i just cant get my loopy bows to look nice and to stay secure. i think maybe im not making them the right lengths or something.

firstly, what do you use as glue - royal icing? does it have to be really stiff to allow the top ones to stand up?

Secondly, are all the loops the same lenght? or are some longer?

Thirdly - when you allow them to dry with the paper towels in them do you pinch the ends to make them thinner and easier to insert?

Fourthly (lol) - i saw that Confetti Cakes use wire at the pinched ends and insert the wires into a ball of fondant - is this a good way of doing it>

Fifthly - how does everyone keep the loops the same width etc, (same goes for stripes) do you just use a ruler and measure - is there a trick to getting them all the same size.

Thanks so much, i just love the look of the bows and want to make them myself!

I do mine between 4 to 41/2 inch long..2 sizes. You can use a ruler if you are not good with eye measurements..All strips same width. I use RI to put them together. No wire for me, just a pinched end..The bottom rows will support the higher rows.
The more days they dry, the stronger they get..
Hope this helps
Edna

I'm assuming your talking about a pom pom type bow.

firstly, what do you use as glue - royal icing? does it have to be really stiff to allow the top ones to stand up?

I like to use Candy melts for the glue. I tried using RI one time, but it takes way too long to dry.

Secondly, are all the loops the same lenght? or are some longer?

I make different lengths, using the longest loops for the bottom row, and maybe some of the longer ones for the second row and then make some smaller ones for going up as I build the bow. So I usually end up with about 4 different sizes using the smallest loops to fill in at the top of the bow.

Thirdly - when you allow them to dry with the paper towels in them do you pinch the ends to make them thinner and easier to insert?

I don't use paper towels in them, I loop them over a piece of pvc pipe and pinch the ends together and let them hang to dry.

Fourthly (lol) - i saw that Confetti Cakes use wire at the pinched ends and insert the wires into a ball of fondant - is this a good way of doing it>

I don't use wire I just use the candy melts and build up with it in the center as I go.

Fifthly - how does everyone keep the loops the same width etc, (same goes for stripes) do you just use a ruler and measure - is there a trick to getting them all the same size.

I just measure the width I want, hold a straight edge on the fondant and cut with a pizza cutter.

Each row of bow loops gets 1/2" shorter. Just make sure you make enough of each size.
You can use royal icing or melted choco. to glue the loops together.
Yes, cut or pinch the ends to a point. I do not use wires. I want my work to be as edible as possible and since it can be done w/o them why have an added expense. I've even seem some people use toothpicks instead of wire.
For keeping widths the same use any straight edge; measure or whatever works. There are some 'ribbon cutters' available that can help but again its an expense you can do w/o.
I had (might still have) a salad cutter/chopper. It has 3 or 4 blades like a small pizza wheel that you just roll along. My problem was I couldn't ever roll it more than a few inches before it would start to curve

there is a tutorial on this site for this... great tutorial... also on cakeboss.com... i cut out a round disk from fondant or gumpaste or fondant and gumpaste mixed.. i make the bow loops different sizes. same width... dry completely... then i put them together with r/i on the dried disk.. that way you can lift them off easily and the recipient can keep the bow. if it is top of a buttercream cake the buttercream adheres the bow to to top tier... if it is fondant i use r/i to adhere it. i,ve done this for years... hth

Thanks sooo much -feel much more confident now - the tips about the lengths and the disk as a base are brilliant as now i cant make it well in advance and have it sitting on the disk easy to lift off.

will use royal icing as glue as i too want everything to be as edible as possible, il let you know how i get on xox

Here's another tutorial on how to do these types of bows. I just made my first one this past weekend using these directions. I would give a couple pieces of advice: she says to make the loop lengths something like 11" long (before folding). I made mine 10" long to put on a 12" cake, and the bow loops were too big for the cake. So you might want to consider making your loop pieces a bit shorter. Also, I made a few more loops than the 20 or so recommended. I still found the bow a bit sparse and had some gaps. So I would make a few more than are recommended just to make sure...

http://cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-582750.html

I think you may have mis-read the tutorial Tracey. The width of the rolled out gumpaste/fondant is 11" , the length of the loops is 7". (So if you have 1" wide ribbons, you would have 11 of them). You can roll it wider to do more at one time but I don't like the g.p. to dry out so I do 11 at one time.
this bow will not fit a 12" cake. It is for a or 7" top tier.

good luck with the bow.

Yep - must have misread it. I saw the 11" x 7" and assumed I was cutting it into strips long-wise (i.e. 11" long strips, seven of them). It never occurrd to me to cut it into strips the other way. Now I see why it was so big. I'll give it another try now that I know what I did wrong. Thanks!