Bow Making Crafty Tip

When making bows, be sure to heat seal the ends to create a professional appearance. There's nothing that can ruin the look of a bow like frayed ends.

The Ribbon Retreat has provided a complete tutorial on how to make a Flower Loop Hair Bow. The tutorial is included on the details page for The Ribbon Retreat.
FLOWER LOOP HAIR BOW TUTORIAL

♥ This bow pattern will work for any size bow.
♥ The secret to this bow is decreasing each layer by 1 inch. To create a different look, decrease it by ½ inch if you want – it all depends on the look you’re trying to achieve.
♥ Vary the number of ribbons per layer to create different looks.
♥ We've found the minimum length of ribbon to easily work with is 5 inches so plan your bow accordingly.
♥ For each piece of ribbon you cut, you will get 2 loops. So if you cut SIX pieces, you will get 12 loops.

MATERIALS LIST
Layer 1: SIX 9” pieces
Layer 2: FIVE 8” pieces
Layer 3: FOUR 7” pieces
Layer 4: FOUR 6” pieces

BOW MAKING INSTRUCTIONS
1. After cutting your ribbon lengths, heat-seal the ends with your preferred method.

2. Stack the ribbon for LAYER 1 on top of each other. If you are using ribbon with a printed pattern, place it print-side down.

3. Gently fold the ribbon in half - we only want to find the half-way point, not make a crease.

4. With a threaded needle with two ends of thread tied together to form a knot, you will be going through the center of the ribbon fold. You will be using the needle like a spindle so DO NOT PULL THE NEEDLE ALL THE WAY THROUGH; thread the ribbon so that it is only about half-way down the needle.

5. Holding the ribbon and needle firmly, fan all the pieces of ribbon out into a circular shape with the needle in the center.

6. An alligator clip will make it much easier to complete your bow. Place a double prong clip so that the needle is in between the two prongs. Do not put the clip over the needle otherwise you will not be able to remove it later. If the clip becomes more trouble than it's worth, simply remove it and continue making your bow.

7. Take one end of the bottom piece of ribbon and fold it in your desired shape and place the end onto the needle.

8. Now take the ribbon directly next to the one you just folded and do the same thing.

9. Continue making loops all the way around your ribbon fan. You may need to re-shape some of the loops to make sure that everything is even.

10. Now you can pull your needle all the way through until the knot stops at the back. Then take the needle and put it back through the middle of the bow – making a stitch through the center. Repeat this 4 or 5 times – or until you feel comfortable with the bow staying together.

11. A thimble or hard surface can help push the needle through all of the ribbon layers.

12. If you flip the bow over, you can see that you don’t have the ends showing. You can use either side as the “top”.

13. At this point you can also sew on a 2 ½” piece of ribbon to the side that will be the BOTTOM of the bow. This piece of ribbon will be used as another measure of keeping your bow attached to the barrette. See Step 14.

REPEAT STEPS 2 THROUGH 13 WITH EACH ADDITIONAL LAYER.

14. Sew the layers together or use glue if they are too thick for the needle to go through. Use either Hi-Temp hot glue or E-6000, which you can find at Wal-Mart and most craft stores.

15. Glue your clip to the back of the bow. Use the added piece of ribbon to glue across the barrette for additional stability.

Add your center embellishment for a completed hair bow like we did with the bow shown above.

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