How to Make Hair Bows

Every little girl loves her accessories, and what better accessory for little girls than hair bows? Hair Bows are essential for any little fashionista, and they can be very simple or extremely elaborate. Regardless of which hair bow style you go for, they enhance a little girl’s outfit, making her complete from head to toe.

You can use just about anything to make a hair bow. Fabric, ribbon, faux leather, yarn, old clothing, even beads. Once you get familiar with how to make hair bows, you can even combine a couple of different materials to make your creation. Just think, fabric with beads! Let’s check out some of the most common materials used for making hair bows.

The type of fastener you choose for your hair bow has a lot to do with two things, how big of a hair bow you are making, and the type of hair it is meant to hold. For example, a little girl with barely any hair, a small alligator clip will be more than sufficient. An older child with thicker hair, and might opt for the large barrette that clasps closed. For a child with long hair that is constantly braided or in a ponytail, then a hair elastic will be a wise way to go.

As we mentioned above, hair bows can be made with just about anything these days. Some creatives love working with one material over another. For example, some DIY crafters love the look of hair bows made with ribbon, some love the flex of fabric, and some love turning their crocheted creations into wearables. 

Whichever material you choose, be familiar with the properties they bring to the craft room. Ribbon, when layered, can present a thickness that some needles will have a hard time pushing through. Some fabrics are extremely delicate and can snag easily, whereas other types of fabric may be stiffer and won’t lend to a flowy style of hair bow.

Hair bows need to be attached to the fastener one way or another. For crocheted hair bows, it could be as easy as wrapping your yarn tail around the fastener. For ribbon, fabric, or faux leather bows, heavy-duty glue will be needed. Hot glue is the most commonly used glue for making a hair bow because it dries quickly, doesn’t seep through your materials, and has an exceptional hold. 

When using adhesives for embellishments on your hair bows, something similar to Gorilla Glue’s Contact Adhesive will ensure those embellishments aren’t going anywhere. Because embellishments are usually the last thing adhered to a hair bow, allowing time for the glue to dry and cure overnight is more reasonable.

Hair bows can get pretty elaborate, and serious hair bow makers will have several gadgets to use to ensure quality pieces every time. We are going to keep things simple today, so our supply lists aren’t that large, and there isn’t any need for fancy gadgets today. Let’s get started!

Whether you are a seasoned crocheter or just a beginner, this first method for making a hair bow is quick and easy to whip up. In this method for making a hair bow, you will need to know the absolute basics of crocheting. The stitches used are basic, and the pattern is a beginner pattern, making it easy to follow. You will need the following supplies:

Begin by making a chain of 45. Then, being sure not to twist your chain, slip stitch to the first chain to create a circle. We will continue working in the round.

Chain 2, then double crochet (dc) into the same stitch. DC into each stitch around, slip stitching (ss) into the first DC to close the round. Repeat the pattern for a total of 10 rounds.

After completing 10 rounds of the pattern, fasten off, leaving approximately 24” of a yarn tail for sewing, and loop the yarn through your plastic sewing needle. Next, place your seam face up and in the middle of your hair bow. In an accordion style, gather the middle of your hair bow.

Next, tie a knot with the tail from the beginning of your project, with the tail from the end of your project. You might need a second pair of hands, or to place your gathered hair bow between your knees to accomplish this. After you have tied your knot (a double knot works great!), push your needle through each piece of the gather, to keep it bunched together, as seen below.

Holding the beginning tail with your ending tail, we are now going to begin wrapping the center section of the hair bow. Wrap the yarn around the center gather, using approximately half of the yarn tail that remains.

Holding the yarn in place, slip the yarn tail through a hair elastic as seen below, and continue to wrap the yarn tail around the center of the hair bow, and through the hair elastic to secure it in place. Stop wrapping when you come to the last 5-6” of yarn.

With the back of the hair bow facing up, slip your needle through a couple of strands of yarn. Before pulling the needle all the way through, loop it through the yarn to make a knot as shown below. Repeat to make a second knot.

Finally, push your needle through a portion of the wrapped yarn, pulling the yarn tail all the way through, and clipping as close to the yarn as possible. Voila! You have a quick and easy crocheted hair bow!

Don’t know how to crochet? No problem! In this method, we are going to show you how to make a hair bow with ribbon and a button embellishment. For this method you will need the following supplies:

Cut four 5” pieces of ribbon from both spools of ribbon, and one 3” piece of ribbon from the contrasting ribbon. Center the contrasting ribbon over the wide ribbon, and fold in half. Cut the ribbon at an angle ½” in from the edge, as shown below.

Using your lighter, carefully and briefly run the flame over the cut edges of the ribbon.

Next, using a sewing pin, push the pin through the center of one set of ribbons. In the same fashion, stack the remaining sets of ribbons on top of the sewing pin. Once all the sets are on the sewing pin, spread the ribbon out as shown below.

Using your sewing needle and thread, leave the sewing pin in place, and fold your stack of ribbon in half with the right sides facing, in one direction. Push your sewing needle and thread through the entire stack of ribbon approximately ⅛” from the fold. Remove the sewing pin. Open the ribbon and repeat in the opposite direction. 

Next, sew your button in place, trying to keep the thread going through the center of the gather we just created.

Next, put hot glue down the middle of the folded ribbon, and press the top of the barrette into the ribbon to adhere. Lastly, flip the hair bow over, face down, put hot glue down the middle of the top of the barrette, and press the barrette onto the hair bow to attach. Sew easy!

If you have a special little girl in your life, these are two very quick and easy ways to brighten up any outfit. With so many colors of yarn, and so many options for ribbon these days, the possibilities are endless! I hope these two methods to make a hair bow have ignited some creative thoughts. I cannot wait to see your creations, so be sure to come back and share them with us!