Make your own boutique-style hair bows.
If you love the look of boutique hair bows, but you don't love the expense, learn to make your own. Creating your own hair bows doesn't take much time and each bow requires a few yards (or less) of ribbon. Once you master basic hair bow construction techniques, you'll be able to tackle everything from simple bows with a simple topper to fancier multi-colored and multi-layered pieces.
Instructions
1. Cut a 22-inch length of 1 1/2 inch wide ribbon. Lay on a flat workspace.
2. Fold the ribbon in half with the front sides facing outward.
3. Mark along the inside of the center fold with your pencil.
4. Unfold the ribbon and create a loop with the top part of the ribbon. The front side of the ribbon's end should sit against the back side of the center point.
5. Create a loop from the bottom half of the ribbon. Once again, the front side of the ribbon's end should sit against the back side of the ribbon's center point. Overlap the ribbon ends to create a figure eight shape.
6. Check to make sure the pencil mark lines up with the center of the figure eight.
7. Pinch the top of one of the figure eight loops and bring it to the center of the figure eight to create two smaller ribbon loops that extend horizontally from the figure eight's center. The front side of the ribbon loop should face toward you and the back side should sit against the back of the ribbon at the figure eight's center. Repeat for the other figure eight loop.
8. Slide a salon clip through the center of the bow to hold its shape in place and check to make sure all the loops are even. Pull at any unevenly sized bows to even them out.
9. Tie a length of embroidery floss around the center of the bow. Loop the floss twice around the center of the bow, threading it through the salon clip's open edges. Slowly tighten the loops of floss and tie a knot at the back of the bow.
10. Remove the salon clip and check once more to make sure the bow loops are even.
11. Thread a needle and sew through the bow's middle crease, wrap the thread around the center of the bow and tie off the thread at the back to secure the bow loops in place.
12. Cut a 4-inch length of 3/8 inch ribbon and place a small bead of hot glue on the bow's center top.
13. Lay the ribbon flat across the top of the bow, press it onto the bead of glue and allow it to dry.
14. Bring one end of the ribbon to the back of the bow and trim off the excess. Hold a lit lighter against the cut edge of the ribbon for two or three seconds to seal it and glue it in place with a tiny bead of hot glue. Repeat for the other end of the ribbon to create a polished-looking center for your bow.
15. Apply a bead of hot glue along the top of a french barrette and center the bow on top. Press the bow into place, making sure to press along the entire length of the barrette to secure the bow in place.
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