My new hobby: Bows!

A few months ago my friend Anngel taught me how to make baby bows! It is something I've wanted to learn how to do since I had Tabitha. I wanted to be able to make her some bows. Now, not all of those bows in the picture above are ones that I've made. My friends Kasey and Erin made some of them too. I am really enjoying my new hobby! I thought I'd share a few of the bows that I've made and also share how to make them! This past week I taught a few girls in my SAA club how to make them for a club activity. It was really fun! Bows really aren't too hard to make once someone shows you the tricks. And it just gets easier and easier the more you practice! I feel like a nerd but I took "home videos" of myself demonstrating how to make a bow and also a head band. Don't laugh too hard at them...I know that they aren't really in focus. Enjoy! Keep in mind I've only been doing this for a few months so don't expect perfection from me! I'm no pro but I sure have fun!

MAKING A BOW

These are the supplies that you will need to make a baby bow. (I'm not sure why this picture keeps turning sideways like this but I can't figure out how to fix it!).

Supplies:

Ribbon-Grosgrain ribbon is my favorite. I think it is the easiest to work with but you can make a bow out of any kind of ribbon you want! You’ll need ribbon for your actual bow (about 22-24 inches long depending on how big you want your bow. Also I use 3/8" wide ribbon to make a thin bow and 7/8" ribbon to make a thick bow), 1-2 inches of ribbon for the center of your bow and about 4 inches of ribbon to line your clip with (This ribbon should be 3/8" wide ribbon).
NOTE: You can also make a flower clip. Just purchase some fake flowers at the store (they should be kind of flat so they lay against your babie's head), cut off the stem and glue them onto your lined clip. Easy and soooo cute!

Scissors-To cut your ribbon.

Alligator clips-You can usually find these at a beauty supply store. They are also called curl clips and come either double or single pronged. You can also use snap clips.

Hot glue gun

Wire (I use 26 gage)-I found this in the floral/craft section at Wal-Mart. They also have some thicker wire in the beads section.

Wire cutters/needle nose pliers-Most pliers have a wire cutter on them. You’ll need these to cut your wire and then to tighten your wire around the center of your bow.

Foam-So that the clip will stay and be comfortable in your baby’s hair or on a headband. I use the craft Foamie sheets in the craft section of Wal-Mart and cut them to the right size.

STEP 1: "Tying" your bow

STEP 2: Wiring your bow

STEP 3: Gluing the center piece

STEP 4: Lining the clip with ribbon

Gluing the foam piece

Gluing the bow to the clip

MAKING A HEADBAND

Supplies to make a headband:

A knee-high- They come in the little plastic ball containers at Wal-Mart for $.33 a pair. If you’re lucky you can find them in other colors besides white, black and brown. (I’ve seen pink before...cute!) I use the regular sized ones but if you want a thicker headband use the queen sized ones.

Needle and Thread-The thread should match your knee-high.


Ribbon-about 1.5" long to glue around the seam. I like to use a ribbon that is ½ inch wide. This is where your bow will clip onto the headband.


STEP 1: Stitching the headband together

STEP 2: Attaching ribbon to headband

And there you have it! Please let me know if I've left anything out or if you have any questions. I had fun doing this and hope you all have fun making bows!