Hair bows are timeless accessories for little girls.
Purchasing hair bows is much more expensive than creating your own. Making them yourself is not only cost-effective, it lets you customize bows to your preferences or those of the little girl who'll wear them. Although you may not be sure create fancy boutique-style bows, some basic tricks will allow you to make them without having to master complicated tying techniques.
Instructions
1. Cut the grosgrain into three 4-inch pieces and one 1-inch piece. Measurements for hair bows don't need to be exact, but if you use a tape measure, it helps.
2. Cut an inverted V-shape into both ends of one 4-inch ribbon segment, creating the double-spiked edge commonly found on hair bows.
3. Run the trimmed ends over a small flame to seal them so they don't fray. You can use a lighter or small candle. Extinguish the flame after you seal the ends.
4. Cut a piece of thread approximately 10 inches long. Thread it into the eye of the needle until the needle is in the middle of the thread. Fold the thread at the midpoint to create a double-threaded needle. Tie the ends of the thread into a knot.
5. Hold the threaded needle with your dominant hand and the trimmed 4-inch section with your other hand. Point the needle up. Hold the ribbon over it. Insert the needle in the middle of the ribbon. Pull it through. Set the needle and ribbon aside.
6. Pick up another 4-inch section of ribbon. Make a loop by overlapping the ends 1/4 inch. Pinch the ribbon together in the middle to create a figure-eight-shaped bow.
7. Pick up the threaded needle. Insert the needle through the middle of the ribbon. The needle should run through the overlapped portion and the other side of the loop, securing the figure-eight shape. Repeat the process with the last 4-inch section of grosgrain. You should have a stack of ribbons held together with the thread.
8. Hold the needle in your dominant hand. Arrange the four loops and two trimmed ends by hand to make the bow shape you prefer. Hold the arrangement in place with your non-dominant hand. Run the needle back through the entire stack of ribbons. Pull it through. Make two more stitches through the center of the ribbon stack to secure the arrangement.
9. Wrap the thread around the center of the stack. Wrap two or three times. This will pinch the bow in the middle and create slight puckering in the ribbon. Tie the thread off on the underside of the ribbons. Trim the excess.
10. Turn the bow over. Apply a peppercorn-sized bead of hot glue to the center of the bow.
11. Place one end of the 1-inch section of grosgrain in the hot glue. Wrap the ribbon around the center of the bow in the same place you wrapped the thread. Apply another bead of hot glue to the center of the bow. Secure the other end of the 1-inch section in the glue.
12. Apply a bead of hot glue to the center of the bow. Press it to the alligator clip to finish the bow.
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