I have three girls and they all love bows. Since I learned how to sew six years ago, I have made so many bows I could not even count. I have tried various patterns or tutorials for making them and pretty much feel like you can’t go wrong. The first bows I made were from a tutorial on madeeveryday.com I also found a very cute sailor bow pattern from Sweet Red Poppy. I have used my sewing machine to make bows as well as my Cricut Maker. I have enjoyed making all of my bows, but one thing I will say is that I am not a fan of a bows that involve using glue to finish. A big concern I have when selling a product is ensuring that it will last and hold up being used by a child. I personally never felt full confidence selling something that had glue as the finishing touch.
When Eva was a toddler nylon headbands became very popular, which I loved because they can be worn for so long. A baby can start wearing a nylon headband at the newborn stage all the way up to toddler days; they are a one size fits all headband that are adorable when you attach to a bow. The other option for bows would be attaching an alligator clip. I ordered my nylon headbands from etsy.com but just discovered that the shop I used to order from has closed. I purchase my alligator clips from either Joann or Amazon has a variety of sizes.
One of the reasons I have always loved making bows for the girls is because I can match them to shorts or dresses that I make for them. I also love that they are a quick and easy sew. Unfortunately with my girls it is hit or miss if they’d actually keep the bows on, they always love them but half the time end up just holding them rather than keeping them in their hair. Since Eva has started school and sees her friends wearing pretty bows, she is more inclined to keep hers in. If you are a beginner sewer and would like to try and make bows here are the materials you will need. And a main reason I love making my bows this way is that the knot itself is what attaches it to the clip or headband, no glue necessary!
- Cotton fabric (in this tutorial I am using double gauze but any cotton fabric will work)
- Fabric scissors
- Thread
- Sewing machine
- Measuring tape
- Pins
- Alligator clip or nylon headband
Step One: cut your piece of fabric 18” long by 2.5” wide. Once you are comfortable with this process you can adjust the length or the width. I will attach photos of bows that I made with a larger width, they make a very cute thicker bow.
Step Two: pin your fabric right sides together the long way. Make sure you leave an opening between 1-2” wide in the middle. This is where you will be flipping your bow right sides out.
Step Three: Cut each end at an angle.
Step Four: Sew with a 1/4” seam allowance going down the length and angled end you just created. Make sure you do not sew the opening closed!
Step Five: Trim each corner
Step Six: Flip your bow right sides out and make sure you poke the edges out. This may feel a little difficult since it’s not very wide but if you work at it slowly you will get the whole thing right side out. I will sometimes use a mechanical pencil (with no lead sticking out) or my Apple Pencil to help flip the bow right side out.
Step Seven: This step is optional but you can press your fabric to give it a nice professional finish. This also will help press in the edges at the opening.
Step Eight: sew your opening closed
Step Nine: If you are using a nylon headband you will tie your bow around the headband. If you are using an alligator clip you will make your bow first then attach the clip. I have found that the bow will look more even if you take each side and make a loop to tie around each other rather than doing the “loop, swoop and pull” method. If we are thinking in terms of tying shoes, you want to make your bow by making two bunny ears and pulling one through.
Step Ten: Look at your beautiful creation and give it to a little girl!
I hope you enjoyed following these steps and have fun making all the bows! You can experiment with different styles cotton and sizes. Make sure to let me know down below how your bows turned out. I have some bows in my shop if you would like to shop there but I hope you have fun trying the out for yourself as well.
