Tips on Making Ribbon Hair Bows

It's very easy to make lovely hair bows. You can create any type of bow that you want which in any pattern or color. They can easy or may be difficult/complicated as you want. Hair bows make a nice addition to, even simple, ponytails. Here's how to make them:

You will need:

-    Ribbon (see below for amounts)
-    Velcro fastening or hair clip
-    Hot glue gun and glue sticks
-    Floral wire or any other thin wire
-    Fray check

Cut the ribbon. To make a baby bow, you need one foot of one inch wide ribbon. Use wider ribbon if you are making a bow for an older child or for an adult. A large bow of 5 inches wide can be made with 30 inches of ribbon while a 3 inch wide bow can be constructed with just 18 inches of ribbon.

Next, fasten the bow. Make a bow same you would when fastening a shoestring. For a more full appearance, attach several bows to one clip.

Now you need to get the bow ready for the clip. To begin, neatly trim the ribbon's ends. Make even the loops of the bow to matching size. Clip the ends of the ribbon. There are many ways to cut them:  straight, crinkly, zig zag or in a V-shape. Apply the fray check to prevent fraying at the ends of the ribbon. It is time to warm up your hot glue gun.

Take care not to burn yourself when using a hot glue gun; it has that name for a reason. Fasten a bow along the clip. Attach your bow, with a hot glue gun, to a small section of Velcro to create a baby size bow. You can paste the bow onto a difference of clips or barrettes procurable at most discount stores. When you're using a glue gun, take care not to touch the tip, since the metal gets hot and will burn your hand. Additionally, avoid using to much glue which will spill over the edges of the Velco or hair clip. Another thing you can do is to stitch a hair bow on top of an elastic tie, so that you can use the bow at the end of the braid.

If you would like to make a fancier bow, tie it with ribbon in two different colors or thread the ribbon through lace for a bow for something like a party dress. You could purchase many lengths of ribbon to match the size you've chosen. Bows can be made in any color, or pattern, to complement an outfit.