Girls often enjoy making and wearing their own hair accessories. Allow them to adorn plain metal barrettes with braided ribbons. Braided ribbon barrettes look so attractive, people will be amazed they were homemade. The materials are inexpensive, so you can make a set for every occasion, and to match every outfit.
Ribbons
Choose fabric ribbons, like satin, grosgrain or velvet. Avoid polypropylene, commonly used for gift wrapping, because it wrinkles. Use ribbons 1/4 inch or narrower, cut 1 yard in length. You'll need two to four ribbons in different colors per barrette.
Braiding Process
Lay lengths of ribbon on top of each other, matching the ends evenly. Thread a closed, double-bar barrette, bars facing upward, onto the ribbon. Slide it over until it's equidistant from the ribbon edges. To start the braid, grab the ribbon edges on the left side, thread them over the left bar, through the split between the bars, and under the right bar, pulling them to the right as far as they will go without displacing the barrette. Grab the other set of ribbon ends that were originally on the right, thread them over the right bar, through the split, under the left bar, and pull them as far to the left as they will go. Repeat the pattern, weaving the ribbons down the length of the barrette.
Creative Options
End the braid when the ribbon ends by tying them off and cutting away excess. Alternately, allow strands of ribbon to remain and cascade down the hair. Hot-glue beads or silk flower buds down the hanging strands to decorate further.
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