Tying Elizabethan Bows

Tying your points with period Elizabethan bows is the finishing touch to any outfit. You can use it on points tying sleeves together, on points tying sleeves to doublets, on breeches pointed to a doublet or jerkin, on skirts which tie together at the front, and practically anywhere where you might use a bow.

Elizabethan bows are both stable and less likely to come untied, faster to make, and take less ribbon. To make one, follow the steps below:

First, thread your points through the corresponding holes of your corset, sleeve, doublet, etc. If you are simply tying two strings together, disregard this first step.

Now do a simple half-tie, as you would when beginning to tie your shoelaces.

Take one of the laces, fold it in half, and bring it in front of the other.

Bring the loop of this folded lace behind the other lace and through the opening, as shown to the left. Pull on the ends indicated in the diagram to tighten the bow.

You now have a period Elizabethan bow! To make a bow with even ends, you will have to start out with one lace roughly twice again as long as the other.

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