Beginners' Guide to Cheer Bow Materials

When you are searching for the perfect cheer bow to buy, you're most likely looking at a bow that is made from spandex/lycra fabric or glitter vinyl. Unless the seller is printing their own designs on fabric, this can be pretty limiting when you are looking for a specific bow.

One of the things I love about being able to make my own cheer bows is that I'm not limited to basic fabric designs or simple glitter designs. If I want a glow-in-the-dark spiderweb bow for Halloween, I can make it. If I want to make a decoden 3D bow, I can. It may take some experimenting, but I love the idea that cheer bows are essentially a blank canvas.

Before you get to the experimenting, however, having some knowledge about basic bow materials and how they act can be very helpful.

From left to right: Bow made with only black grosgrain ribbon (unfinished), bow made with pink
spandex/lycra, bow made with black and gold glitter vinyl, bow made with metallic mesh.

Grosgrain Ribbon

Before we begin talking about the finishing fabrics that make your bow unique, let's look at the actual backing ribbon for a second. The ribbon that is used for all standard cheer bows is called grosgrain. It has horizontal lines that run through it and raised edges. This ribbon provides the base for the actual finishing fabric.

Unfinished black grosgrain only ribbon (with gold glitter vinyl center ribbon).
Notice the lines in the ribbon.

Some companies will sell cheer bows made just from grosgrain. They can be tempting because they are often cheap (in price). These bows often can be worn once or twice before they go limp and lose their shape. The problem is that grosgrain itself is not a stiff ribbon - the stiffness of normal cheer bows comes from the adhesive layer that binds your chosen fabric or vinyl to the grosgrain. You can add hairspray to your grosgrain ribbon to perk it back up, but it will eventually become floppy again over time. 

If you want a long-lasting bow that will hold their shape, choose a layered bow that has fabric or vinyl adhered to the grosgrain.

Fabric Types

Spandex/Lycra 

The majority of cheer bows are made with spandex or lycra fabric. This is a stretchy, silky fabric that probably feels a lot like your basic allstar cheer uniform. Now spandex can come in two different types: Two-way Spandex and Four-way Spandex. Two-way Spandex stretches only one way (either length or width-wise) while Four-way Spandex can be stretch both length and width-wise. Although I've seen recommendations for Four-way Spandex, I've used both types successfully and have actually never noticed a difference when it comes to making cheer bows.

Finished spandex bow with vinyl additions on the ear and center ribbon.
This particular spandex material is considered to be "performance wear."

Nylon Spandex

Nylon spandex is made to be worn when active and stretches easily. It can come in a variety of prints and finishes from matte to shiny and even with some foil accents.  

Cotton Spandex

This type of spandex is very similar to nylon spandex except it is used more for activewear, leggings and yogawear. This material is very soft but is often thicker than nylon spandex. This can make it a bit challenging to use for cheer bows. 

High Performance Spandex

This is a type of spandex that is usually used for athletic clothing. It is specifically designed to keep wearers dry when working out. This is likely what your allstar cheer uniform is made of.

Holographic and Specialty Spandex

Spandex comes in a wide variety of fun finishes that can make your cheer bows look unique. Finishes can include animal print hologram spandex, galaxy print, cracked ice, fish scale and many, many others. Mystique fabric is one of the most popular options for cheer bows. 

Cotton

Cotton fabric is normally not used for cheer bows as the material can be thick and stiff. This makes it difficult to actually fold your bow. However, there are tons of patterns available and it tends to be cheaper than spandex. If you are a master bow folder, you can use cotton fabric to make unique bows that match your outfit. Cotton fabric can fray but you can seal the edges using a lighter.

Finished snowflake bow made with cotton fabric.
Because the fabric is so stiff, you can end up with some really pretty bow art. 

Mesh 

I personally love to use mesh fabrics to make cheer bows. This is a great way to add bows that have pops of color. However, this material can look glossy or even plastic-y in certain light due to the adhesive.

Unfinished bow made from mesh that has rainbow foil accents.

Vinyl Types

If you want to make a glitter bow, you will most likely be using vinyl. However, there are some other vinyl types available that you can use to make some cool, custom designs. Heat transfer vinyl has a layer of adhesive that, when activated, causes the vinyl to become strongly adhered to your fabric or grosgrain ribbon.

EasyWeed Matte Vinyl

Matte vinyl is very thin and pliable. It can be applied on top of spandex to add wording or images to your bows. This vinyl comes in a wide variety of colors including pale colors, fluorescent or neon colors and even glow-in-the-dark.

Glitter Vinyl

This type of vinyl does not need to be layered over fabric. Glitter vinyl is on the thick side and has a slightly scratchy feel to it. While it should not be layered, you can use a vinyl cutter to cut out designs that cover your whole bow. Glitter vinyl also comes in many different color options with multiple pinks, blues and greens. There are also translucent and neon options. This is a popular cheer bow material.

Unfinished black and gold glitter cheer bow. 

Holographic Vinyl

This vinyl is sparkly, shiny and reflects rainbow colors. While this vinyl can be interesting to use, it has a plastic feel that makes it difficult to fold. It may crease in very unflattering ways when folded. I recommend using it for effects but not a whole bow,

Electric/Metallic Vinyl

This vinyl has a satiny sheen that is slightly reflective. When heat is applied, it can show the grooves in the grosgrain through the finish. It is more difficult to fold that glitter or EasyWeed but is workable. 

StripFlock Vinyl

StripFlock vinyl has a fuzzy almost-velvety look and feel. This may be good material to use for accents. 

Experiment with Your Cheer Bows

While you likely want a competition cheer bow that matches the team uniforms, practice bows are fun to experiment with. As you work with different materials, you'll find stuff you love to work with and may end up with some really unique and fun bows. As long as there are no sharp objects on the bows, cheer bows made with any of the above materials are safe to wear when stunting or tumbling.