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How to Make a Hairbow With Fabric

Homemade fabric hair bows offer the unique opportunity to make a hair bow that exactly matches the fabric of a little girl's dress. You can make solid or patterned fabric hair bows to match any outfit, store bought as well as custom sewn. Use fancy satin fabric for a dressy bow or bright cotton jersey to match a T-shirt. They are easy to sew and require very little fabric. Bows can be attached to a clip or a headband.

Things You'll Need

12-inch-long by 6-inch-wide piece of fabric
4.5-inch-long by 2.25-inch-wide piece of fabric
Thread
Scissors
Sewing machine
Unsharpened pencil
Straight pins
Clothes iron
Ironing board
Hot glue gun
Metal hair clip

Instructions

- 1
  Lay the larger rectangle of fabric in front of you with the right side facing up. Fold the fabric in half lengthwise with right sides facing each other. Hold the fabric in place with straight pins.
- 2
  Use a straight stitch and a 1/4-inch seam allowance to stitch the fabric edges together. Begin by sewing up one short edge and then the long edge. Leave the remaining short edge unsewn.
- 3
  Cut the thread and remove the fabric from the sewing machine. Use the unsharpened pencil to turn the rectangle right side out.
- 4
  Fold in the raw edges of the unfinished side and straight stitch them shut. Cut the thread and remove the fabric from the sewing machine.
- 5
  Use the clothing iron to press the finished rectangle flat.
- 6
  Bring the two short edges of the rectangle together to find the center of the rectangle. Crease the center. Unfold the rectangle and lay it flat.
- 7
  Bring one of the short edges of the rectangle to the creased rectangle center. Pin it in place.
  
  Bring the other short edge of the rectangle to the creased rectangle center. Slightly overlap the short edges and pin them in place.
- 8
  Set the machine stitch to a long straight stitch. Without backstitching the first stitch, sew the short edges of the rectangle in place at the rectangle's center. Do not backstitch the final stitch. Cut the thread and remove the fabric from the machine.
- 9
  Pull the beginning and end of the top thread to gather the center of the bow. Set the bow aside.
- 10
  Fold the smaller rectangle of fabric in half lengthwise with right sides facing each other. Pin it in place with straight pins.
- 11
  Straight stitch along the long edge. Cut the thread and remove the fabric from the sewing machine. This is going to be the center wrap of the bow.
- 12
  Use the unsharpened pencil to turn the fabric right side out.
- 13
  Turn the raw edges in and press them with the clothing iron.
- 14
  Place the center wrap around the center of the bow. The loose ends of the center should be at the back of the bow.
- 15
  Use the threaded needle to hand sew the ends of the center wrap in place at the back of the bow.
- 16
  Place a dab of hot glue on the back of the bow. Press the metal clip into the hot glue and hold for 20 seconds. The bow is ready for use.

Sewing