Hair*We*Bow*Now

Showing you how to make Beautiful Boutique Hairbows. Everything You'll Need to Know.

I would like to thank you for your purchase of this tutorial on boutique hairbows from Hair*We*Bow*Now. This tutorial will teach you each step of making beautiful boutique style hairbows. I will take you step by step as I make a bow right along with you. This hairbow tutorial includes everything you will need to now and includes pictures of each step along the way. Whether you are wanting to make hairbows for the little princess in your life, or wanting to make them to sell for profit, this tutorial is perfect for you and will teach you enough that you will soon feel comfortable creating beautiful bows without my help.

*Materials Materials* Materials 1.Scissors 2.Thread 3.Hot glue 4.Tape measure/ruler 5.Lighter (for sealing the ends of the ribbon) 6.Starch or stiffening spray 7.Blow dryer (for drying the starch) 8.French clips or alligator clips (I prefer french
clips because they provide more stability)

9.Ribbon- 1.5 7/8 5/8 3/8

Bottom Layer Twisted Bow

We will be using the twisted bow for the bottom layer and for the top layer. The twisted bow can be made with with the 1.5 ribbon, 7/8 ribbon and 5/8 ribbon.

First you will need to decide what size of bow you want to make. I am going to be making a 4 bow. 1.For a 5 bow you will need to cut 34 of 1.5 ribbon 2.For a 4 bow you will need to cut 30 of either 1.5 or 7/8 ribbon 3.For a 3.5 bow you will need to cut 26 of 7/8 ribbon 4.For a 3 bow you will need to cut 24 of 7/8 ribbon 5.For a 2.5 bow you will need to cut 20 of 5/8 ribbon.

(All of the lengths of ribbon can be adjusted, you can use an inch or so more, or less. It will not change the bow that much, it just depends on how loopy your loops are.)

Once you have cut your ribbon to the length you want it, you will want to run the flame of your lighter over then end. This will seal the ribbon and prevent fraying, ensuring a long lasting bow. Now that you have sealed your ribbon, you are ready to begin folding your ribbon and making your loops. First you want to make sure that the back of the ribbon is facing you. Holding one end in your left hand, make you first loop by bringing the ribbon up and over with your other hand, like the picture shows.

Next you take the long ribbon that is hanging down and fold it back, to the left, and put it under the first loop, to make what looks like a figure 8. After you have done this, be sure that your 2 loops are the same size. If you don't like how it looks, just play around with it until you are happy with how it looks.

If you have trouble holding it all together, you can use an alligator clip or a pin to keep it together while you make your other loops.

We are half way there!! To make our third loop, hold the bow in your left hand. Using your right hand, fold the ribbon up to the middle and under your thumb, leaving the rest of the ribbon to hang from the top and behind the bow.

To make our fourth and final loop, just bring the remainder of the ribbon around the back and match it up even with the other end of the ribbon, over lapping slightly.

At this point you are going to want to make sure all of your loops are the same size (don't stress out if it isn't exact). Basically this bow is made of 2 figure 8's and you want to make sure the centers are twisted enough to make the loops of the bow look poofy

Now it is time to crease and tie the bow. First you need to fold the bow in half, down the center. This is your center crease. You also need to make one crease on each side of the center. To do this, carefully hold the bow with both hands, making sure to keep your center crease. Fold one side back up, and hold it, then fold the rest of that side back down. Repeat this step on the other side of center and you will have a total of three creases. At this point I like to put a pin through the bow, holding all of the creases, then wrap the thread around the center (make sure the thread is centered) and tie your knot.

Now that your bottom layer is complete, it is time to stiffen it, or set it. To do this take your starch and spray the bow. I usually do this over the trash can or sink, to avoid a mess. Don't get it too wet, but do get the whole thing wet. If you spray to much just dab a paper towel over it. Next you need to make your loops look how you want them to look (and stay) then blow dry your bow on a low setting. Making sure to hold the bow how you want it to look. Once it is dry, it is set and should stay how it is.

Second Layer Ribbon Spikeys

To make the second layer of your bow, you will need four different kinds of ribbon. (You can use as many or as few kinds of ribbon as you want. And you can make as many spikeys as you want...depending on how you want you bow to look). I use four kinds of ribbon, 2 spikes from each ribbon, plus one spike made from the same ribbon that I made my bottom layer bow from. The best way to see how long each spike needs to be is to put it up against the bottom layer bow that you just made. It just depends on how much you want it to hang over your bow. The spikes I am using are 6 long. The below picture shows one piece of ribbon up against the bottom layer bow.

Once you decide on the length of the ribbon spike, you need to cut two piece of each ribbon.

Now that you have cut out all of your spikey pieces you need to make them spikey. To do this you will be making a v cut on each end of each piece of ribbon. To do this you will fold the ribbon lengthwise, wrong sides together. Once it is folded you will cut at an angle from the edge to the center....like this

Now that you have cut a v into your ribbon end, you will need to heat seal it. Just like you did before. Just run the flame along the edge. You will be able to see it seal the ribbon. Don't hold the flame on the ribbon because it will melt it too much and it will look burned.

Repeat this step with each one of your spikey pieces.

Now that you have each of your spikes cut and heat sealed you will place the bottom pair of spikes in an X. Put a small bead of hot glue between the pieces to hold them together. Put the glue right in the center and only a small drop. You will end up gluing all of the pieces together so make sure not to use too much glue one each piece.

After you have glued the first pair of spikes together, you are going to place the next pair of spikes in an X on top of the bottom pair, but make the X a little wider.

Then add the next layer

...and the next

...and finally you will add the single spike to the top of the pile

Now that all of your spikes are glued together you are going to crease and tie them. This time you want to fold the ribbon up, make sure the two sides of the center ribbon meet in the middle.

Then you want to hold it carefully and fold each side of the center ribbon down (it will all fold down, but if you focus mainly on the center piece it is a little easier).

Now that you have done this, stick a pin through the creases (sideways)to hold them while you wrap your thread around the center and tie your knots. After you have tied your knots you can spread your spikes out if need be.

It is not necessary to spray starch on this layer to stiffen it. I, however, am going to because a couple of the ribbons I used are kind of flimsy. I suggest that if you are using any flimsy ribbons, such as satins, that you do stiffen the layer. After spraying the starch, dry on low to set it. Once you are done with this step, but a small bead of glue in the center of your bottom layer and put the two layers together. Make sure the thread matches up on the two layers, this ensures that it is centered.

Third Layer The Loops

To make the loops, you can make anywhere from one to three layers of loops. To make the loops you will need to use 3/8 ribbon. You will need two pieces for each set of loops. For this bow we are going to cut each piece 12. (For each kind
of ribbon you will need to cut two 12 pieces. If you are making a bigger bow just add about 1/2 to the length of these pieces. If you are making a smaller bow, take away 1/2 for each size down.)

Once you have cut your pieces of ribbon, you need to heat seal the ends. After they are sealed and ready to go, you need to find the center by folding it in half.

Mark the center with a pencil. Then, you are going to make a mark 1/2 from the center on each side. Put a small bead of glue on one make and then bring the end of the ribbon around and glue, wrong sides together. Set the end of the ribbon at an angle.

Do the same thing on the other side of center as well...and then it will look like this.

Run a small bead of glue along the center of one of the sides and then put the other on top of it. like this:

Do the same thing to the next layer and then glue the two layers together. Once you have done that, spray your starch on them and set them with your blow dryer. If you put your fingers inside of the loops as you blowdry them, it will help to keep them rounded when they are set. Once you have done that, glue them onto your spikey layer. Be sure to keep them centered.

Once you have done this you are now ready to make your top layer twisted bow. To do this, just follow the same instructions that you followed to make the bottome layer bow. For the top layer I used 26 of 7/8 ribbon. Be sure to stiffen and set the bow and then glue it onto the top of the bow. It is now time to add your french clip. First you need to take the center out of your clip.

Now you need to glue a thing piece of ribbon along the top of the clip

Once you have done this, you need to glue the top of the clip to the bottom of the bow.

Now we are going to make a knot for the top center of the bow. You will need to cut a piece of 7/8 or smaller ribbon, about 6 inches and knot it like this.

Put a small bead of glue in the center of the top of the bow and place your knot on it.

Next you are going to bring the ends of the ribbon around to the bottom (you need to pull it kind of tight so that you bow isn't floppy or anything.This ribbon will hold it all tight). You are going to glue one piece onto the inside of the french clip. After you glue it, trim it and heat seal it. Then bring the other side around and glue it on top of the first one. After it is glued, trim it and seal it too.

And now put the center back into the clip.

Now just fluff your bow and make sure it looks like you want it to look (the top of it might have gotten a little squished while you were fixing the bottom). And Now you are done. Put that beautiful bow on the beautiful little girl and enjoy your creation.