Bow Tutorial

A few weeks ago I posted a Bow Holder project I had made for all my daughters hair bows. I mentioned then that I would post a Hair Bow Tutorial at some point in the future...
So here it is!

There are a lot of ways to make hairbows - mine probably isn't the best/most professional/easiest way. It's just the way I do it - and it works for me! My daughter is VERY (over)active, and these stay together for her - so I must be doing something right!
Type A: The Boutique Bow

To start I cut two lengths of ribbon based on what size I want my bow to be. I singe the ends with a lighter and fold them into loops. I use hot glue to attach mine - a very tiny bit! Otherwise you won't be able to gather the bow in the center.

(I used to use sewing glue, but found that hot glue holds about a millions times better and dries about a million times quicker)

Put one loop inside the other and turn them so they make an X

Then cut your additional ribbons. For this bow I used 1 wide organza ribbon and 4 coordinating gross grain ribbons (2 of each pattern.)

Again, I singe the edges with a lighter, then layer the ribbons on top of my X.

I use super thin floral wire to wrap the middle as tight as I can get it.

At this point I added another ribbon - it felt like it needed some more pink.

Then I choose a coordinating ribbon to use as the center wrap and attach it with a dot of hot glue.

I attach the barrette to the back of the bow with (yep!) more hot glue - then wrap the ribbon over it.

And there it is!

Type 2: The Pony Bow

I just learned how to make this style, and I love it. I actually purchased one from Gymboree so I could examine it closely. Mine are just as fabulous as theirs are, and are SO MUCH CHEAPER.

Start with several pieces (I used 10) of coordinating ribbon in different widths and patterns cut to about 14 inches long.

Make sure they're nice and flat - I use a 1/2 inch flat iron to smooth mine out.

You're going to choose two "main" ribbons to become your T for the bow. One will be the bottom, the other will be the top. They should match each other.
Start with the bottom ribbon and begin crossing ribbons over the top of it.

The goal is that no two ribbons sit directly on top of each other - so you can see them all when it's laying flat - but you want to keep them pretty close together or the ribbons don't fall as pretty when it's in the pony tail.

Once they're all laid out how you want them, sew them together. You don't have to use a machine for this, but I did.

Sew it in an X, so you're sure to get all the ribbons.

Then you take your elastic, stand it up right and use your second "T" ribbon to attach it.

I marked where I wanted it and sewed the first side without the elastic in it.

Then I slid the elastic back in and sewed the second side down.

And that's it.

Here it is in my daughters pony tail. I love this style of bow! It's so sweet - but a little more "grown-up" looking :)

Back to School Bows

Sorry for the long absence!
My daughter went back to school last week, and I was busy preparing for that...
Then I was trying to figure out how to pace my day around drop-off and pick-up...it's always so hard to change your schedule, isn't it?

Every year before school begins I spend a day or two making hair bows.
And every year, but the time Summer rolls around, she's lost them all.
She loves to look pretty, but she loves to PLAY even more, and when she's running and rolling and hiding and seeking on the playground at recess she tends to lose bows. Since I'd rather she play than worry about her hair, I try not to get too irritated by it. And since I sort of like making bows, I keep replacing them.

This year I went overboard. My ribbon collection needed to be cleaned out anyway, and I just kept making them. She ended up with WAY too many to fit in her current bow holder (a rubbermaid 3 drawer storage cube.)

So I decided to make something cute to hold them all, instead :)

I started with a chunky wooden frame (16x20) and a craft kit I found on clearance at JoAnn's.
I forgot to take "before" pictures, so picture the frame an ugly wood tone and the butterfly pieces unpainted.

Once they were painted I attached the butterfly pieces to the frame - making it the center of the bug.

I purchased some rabbit wire at a local farmer supply store. Cut it to size with my wire cutter and attached it to the frame with hot glue.

A note about the rabbit wire - originally I wanted chicken wire (with the people at the farm supply store called Poultry Wire) but it was sold only in large rolls. The rabbit wire was sold by the foot, however, and they had two different sizes on sale for just 0.99 a foot. I bought 3 feet so I'd have some left over in case I decide to make another :)

Here's the result - before she was filled up with bows. I hung it on the wall in my daughters bedroom.

The majority of the bows I've made have the barrette style hair clip on them, as they stay in her hair about a million times better. A few have the alligator, pinch open/close style clip on them. Both stay on the holder very well! The alligator kind just pinches on, and the barrette style just kind of sits on the wire. It stays on perfectly.

I'm sure you noticed the excess of navy blue...my daughter wears a uniform to school, so almost all of her bows have navy and/or white in them to match :)

I really like the way it turned out - it's sweet and girly and functional, too!

Spa Wrap/Cover Up

My daughter, Tessa (who just turned 8) and I are leaving for Girl Scout Camp today!
It should be an adventure!!!

I wanted to make her something special for camp. A little accessory or souvenir that she'd always associate with her first time at camp. I settled on a spa wrap/cover up.
Our camp has a lake, and the girls will be swimming.
I believe the showers are communal, as well. So her little wrap will be functional as well as fun!

To start, I scoured the internet for a design I liked. I found this one, from Centsational Girl, and LOVED it. The ruffles were just too perfect for my little girly-girl.  Eventually I may do what she did and make one for myself, but for now I only had time to make the one.

This is a project that's been in my head for some time. Last year I bought a set of towels on clearance at Target with this project in mind. They were part of the '09 College Collection and I got 2 bath towels, 2 hand towels and 2 washcloths for $3.24. Score!
I started with my cheap towels and a scrap of fabric I had in my stash.

I cut the fabric into strips (about 4 inches wide) then folded it in half, lengthwise, and ironed it flat. Then I folded it up about every inch or so and ironed those folds flat, making faux pleats.
Then I sewed my pleats down.

Next I measured my daughter and cut the towel accordingly. My 8 year old is kind of tiny, so the regular size bath towel was quite large on her. I ended up cutting about 18 inches off one end, plus the finished end from the other side.

I folded the top down about 2 inches and sewed it shut, creating a casing for my elastic.  I measured my daughters chest, subtracted 2 inches and cut the elastic to that length. Then I put a safety pin on one end of the elastic and sent it through the casing, but not all the way. I sewed the other end into the towel.
Then I sewed the ruffle onto one end of my wrap.
Next, I measured the length on my daughter and hemmed the bottom of the towel (after cutting about 2 inches off.)  Originally I wanted to give it a ruffle on the bottom, but I was running short on time and decided against it. I can always add one, later :)

I used one of the washclothes to make a pocket, next. I decided how big I wanted it and cut it down to that size. I left the hem from the cloth on the bottom, and left the top raw, but I ironed the two sides in.
Then I added a ruffle to the top edge and finished it off with a piece of double fold bias-tape.

 

I top stitched it onto the wrap.

This is when I finally finished the elastic. I waited until the end so I'd be working with a flat piece for as long as possible.
First, I threaded the safety pin the rest of the way through the casing, then I pulled the elastic tight as I sewed from the finished edge to the unfinished edge. I did it twice, the second line just a few centimeters away from the first.
Then I hemmed the unfinished end of the wrap.

I added two sets of velcro to the wrap, so that it would stay closed on her.

Then I added straps (using the hemmed pieces I had cut off earlier) so that it would stay UP on her.

And that was it.

I love how it turned out. She looks adorable in it and LOVES it. We leave for camp in two hours - hopefully I'll get a cute picture or two of her in it in a real setting! For now, here she is, photoshopped into post-card form :)

Linking up at...
The Girl Creative and
Raising Memories

Valentine Buttons

My daughter goes to a charter school where she wears a uniform.
I LOVE it.
Most of the time.

It's kind of a bummer around the holidays, though. She always has a cute Halloween t-shirt or Christmas dress that would be fun for her to wear to school.
We make due with accessories, instead.
Hairbows, bracelets, necklaces, earings...

Two years ago, when she was in Kindergarten, I made these sweet felt heart button covers.
They were looking a little worn, so I decided to make new ones this year.
We love them - I'll bet if you have a little one that wears a uniform, I'll bet she would love them, too!
They take about 90 seconds to make, here's how!

First, use the stiff felt at the fabric store.
When I made these I used plain red for 2 and pink with glitter for 3.

Figure out how big you want your hearts to be - just measure your space between buttons and decide what size you want.  Mine ended up about 1.75 inches from top to bottom.

Cut out your hearts.

Fold them in half (top to bottom) and cut a small slit for the button hole.

 

Slip them over the buttons and send your darling girl to school. She'll be the cutest one there!

Here's my cutie last year at her Valentines party. I was her room mother, we played a beanbag toss for one of the games. Isn't she adorable?