I was so inspired last week by my DIY on hair braiding that I wanted to try another DIY hair project, so this week we’re making DIY fabric hair bows. I’ve been busy all week with work and I’ve been wondering what the best way to keep my hair out of my eyes is. It’s easy to go for the classic ponytail, so I wanted to try something a little different. Lately I’ve been seeing girls around campus with cute little fabric bows in their hair and I wondered if there was any way I could replicate those.
As luck would have it, there are a ton of DIY bow tutorials on Pinterest. I picked the one I thought looked the most simple and straightforward. I’m not the best with pins and needles, but I still wanted to try it out.
All you need for this project is a needle, some thread and fabric. I picked out a black fabric scrap from my local JoAnn’s, but you can choose any kind of pattern you’d like. Cut one piece of your fabric 6” long and 2.5” wide. Then cut a scrap piece that is 1.5” long and 2.5” wide. Now this is where it gets a little complicated. Take the longer piece of fabric and fold one side into the middle and then do that for the other side. It’s almost like “folding a paper airplane” the tutorial says. Then fold both of the ends into the middle making the piece of fabric shorter. Then run a basic stitch through the fabric that overlaps in the middle. Pick any kind of thread, I chose black because I was making black bows. If you want to add a little flair, try contrasting colors or a pattern with a funky colored thread.
Make sure to pull the thread taut so the bow takes shape. Take the smaller piece of fabric and do the same, folding in the middle length-wise like you did for the first piece. Wrap the smaller piece around the middle of the larger one and sew it in the back. Voila! You have a perfect bow! If you find yourself getting lost please refer to the photos and directions on the website. Feel free to hot glue a bobby pin or a clip onto the back of the bow. Mine are drying as we speak so I’ll post a picture of them in my hair next week with my new blog.
The best part about this project is that you can make the bows as big or small as you want depending on the kind of fabric that you use. The bows can also be used on necklaces or brooches. Make some for your friends or your roommate; I’m sure they’d appreciate a cute little piece of flair for their hair! For more DIY projects, follow my HerCampus pinboard, where I post everything I try.
If you have any suggestions please leave comments below, I’m always looking for new projects to try out.
Photo credit: littlegrayfox.blogspot.com