Make your very own DIY accessory. These hair bows are easy and fun to make! Great for teens and adults.

You’ve got your favorite outfit on, and you’re slaying it with the shoes and accessories. Your make-up is on point, and your hair looks perfect.

But wait, you know what would really kick this outfit up a notch? A really pretty bow tie to hold your hair back!

Don’t you wish you could have a cute hair bow for every single outfit you own? But it can be pretty hard matching every outfit you have to the perfect hair bow.

Here’s the solution: make your own hair bows at home. Just follow this step-by-step tutorial, and you’ll be making a dozen of these bows in no time!

What You’ll Need for Hair Bows

Take a look at everything you’ll need for this DIY hair bow:

2x felt stripes (8.2’’ x 1.6’’) (textile or ribbon)
Wide ribbon (7’’ long)
Narrow ribbon
Crocodile hair clip
Small piece of felt
Hot glue
Scissors

How to Make Hair Bows

The more sturdy the material you use to make the hair bow, the more wear you’ll get out of it. I bet you have a ton of scrap fabric lying around, ready to be used.

In fact, while you’re at it, why don’t you check out these 47 DIY scrap fabric projects? You’ll find a ton of creative ways to use up your scrap fabric stash.

But, coming back to this project, let’s take a look at how to make these pretty hair bows.

Step 1

Lay out your two strips of felt scraps on a flat surface, as shown below.

Grab the two ends and pull them in towards the center.

Step 2

Once you know where the ends need to be fixed, apply a layer of glue to the area and carefully press the ends in place. A word of caution, though: take care not to press the curved part of the bow and flatten it.

Step 3

Repeat this step once more with the second strip of fabric. Your two bows should look something like the image below. Notice that generously curved arch from when you folded the scrap?

That gap will provide an added lift to your hair bow.

Step 4

The next step is to pinch both components inward to form the actual bow-like shape. Just apply a dot of glue to the middle of each bow.

Then, pinch the middle inward, as shown below. It’s really starting to come together, isn’t it?

Just repeat this step with both components.

Step 5

This is the part that I enjoy the most: decorating your hair bow! With just a little strip of fancy cloth like what you see below, you can make your cute bow into a dressier version of itself.

So go ahead and pick out the decorative fabric.

Step 6

Now it’s time to bring all the components together and wrap up(ha!) your bow. Hold the two pain fabric bows in place, as shown below.

Apply a dab of hot glue and stick both pieces together. The bigger piece should sit below the small one for a more pronounced and flamboyant bow.

Step 7

Once the glue has dried up, move on to the next step. Grab your decorated fabric strip.

Fold it and subsequently stick it in place, like you did with the other two components. it around the

Step 8

Apply a decent amount of glue to your main component and carefully attach the third component—the decorated fabric bow—in between the two pieces.

Step 9

You’re nearly there! Now all that’s left to do is hot glue the back of your crocodile hair clip. Next, attach a small strip of the same fabric you used to make your bow to the back of the clip.

This will help you cover up the metal bit of your clip. Allow it to dry completely.

Step 10

Grab your glue gun once more and line the strip of felt on the hair clip with adhesive. Next, carefully stick the hair bow to the clip, making certain that it has the right side up and facing forward.

You will need to hold the bow and the clip together for a minute or two to allow the two pieces to stick together.

Be patient, and allow the hair bow to dry before you try it on. If you think sticky fingers are annoying, just think of how much worse hot glue on your hair would be!

Step 11

Loop a narrow strip of ribbon into and through your crocodile clip. Bring it up and over the bow, wrapping it around the center.

Next, bring it back down and under, and once more, loop the ribbon into the crocodile clip to secure it in place.

You’re all done! Doesn’t this hair bow look absolutely adorable? You can make a dozen or so of these bows in different sizes, with different designs and patterns.

What Fabric is Best for Hair Bows?

I’d recommend using felt, or satin to make these hair bows. They fold better and the bows always end up more pronounced if you use such fabric. To decorate the bow, you can use any strip of fabric—be it embroidered, gold mesh or net, or just a plain old length of ribbon.

Full Video Tutorial!

Have fun following the tutorial!

Yield: 1 hair bow

How to Make Hair Bows

This fabric craft is a fun, DIY accessory anyone can make! A full tutorial on how to make hair bows will make it easy to get creative!

Prep Time 15 minutes

Active Time 20 minutes

Additional Time 10 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Difficulty Medium

Estimated Cost $2

Materials

2x felt stripes (8.2’’ x 1.6’’) (textile or ribbon)
Wide ribbon (7’’ long)
Narrow ribbon
Crocodile hair clip
Small piece of felt

Tools

Hot glue
Scissors

Instructions

Grab all your supplies and place them on your work table.
Pick out your fabric and cut them into strips. Fold the two ends together and stick them in place to form two individual bows with the two different lengths of fabric.
Next, apply a little glue to the center of the bow and carefully pinch the center to form a more pronounced and accentuated bow. Repeat this step with the second piece as well.
Grab your strip of decorated fabric and repeat the previous step to form another bow-like component. Allow all these components to dry.
To attach all the components together, first grab the two bigger bows and carefully stick them in place with the larger of the two facing down. This will create a more pronounced bow-like arch to the hair clip.
Next, hot glue the decorative fabric onto the bow, across the middle. The main component is ready. Allow it to dry completely.
Meanwhile, grab your crocodile clip and stick a small piece of the same felt fabric you use to make the bow to the back. This will help cover the metal from the clip.
Then apply a bit of adhesive over the felt fabric on the clip and carefully attach the hair bow to the clip.
You might need to hold it in place for a little while to allow the components to meld.
Next, grab a piece of ribbon and loop it into the crocodile clip, over it and over the center of the bow. Next bring it back down and into the crocodile clip and secure the ends in place.