Sunday, August 7, 2011

Baby~Take A Bow~

Hmmmm..
Don't you love words that
can be pronounced two ways?
Like sewer (she sews)
and sewer
(the toilet drain)...;>)
Am I saying
BOW or BOW?
Give up?
Well, I don't want y'all
BOWING down
so I guess I will show
you how to make a
SweetCheeks
BOW.

I think I am going to have
to do two little "how-to's"
cuz there are different kinds
of bows.

I'll start with a simple one..
and you gals that love your glue guns
will like this one.

I usually sew my own onto the
clip but you can hot glue them too.
I am just not the greatest with
a hot glue gun.
I have burned myself so badly,
so many times,
that I am surprised the skin grew back...
but that's just me.
You glue-gunners go for it.

Sometimes I let the kids
pick the colors..
When I am feeling all
Nana-ish and jovial.
Sometimes I just grab the
ribbon basket and go for it..
and hope they likes what
they gets~

For this bow
you will need two co-ordinating ribbons
(or not !;>)

You simply cut a the first piece of
ribbon twice as long as you want each
side to be -plus add an inch for overlap.
This one is about 11-1/2" long
(I use the edge of a piece of copier paper
as a rough guide)
Then you simply fold the sides in
and it will form two loops
and overlap the back about an inch.
If you are a perfectionist you can measure
to make sure you have them equal.

You are overlapping now
and will hide the raw edges under the bottom.
I thread a needle and take
good sturdy string and
sew two or three running stitches
right through the middle.

Then pull the thread tight so it
gathers the ribbon a bit
and wrap the thread around
two or three times.
Put a stitch up and down through
the layers so it holds and
cut the thread.

Cut the next piece of ribbon
about 2" longer.
Repeat the above process.

You will now have two
looped pieces.
(total of 4 loops)

Layer them one on top of the
other and take your threaded
needle from the bottom
of the first "bow" up
through the center of the
second "bow". 
Wrap the thread around them
three or four times
together to secure them.
Take a stitch thru the center
to secure it and tie it off.
Snip thread.
(or you can glue gun them
together but it is kind of a mess
to hold it till it catches and then
you have those stinking glue
"strings" flitting all over)

Cut a piece of ribbon
about 4" long.

Sometimes I cut a 4" piece of
each ribbon and tie them together.
Tie a loose knot.
Just one hand-over-hand tie.
Don't pull it too tight..
you want it to look like the one below.
Lay the tied piece over the
center of the bow.
Turn it over and cut it so
it just fits around the middle.
At this point you can sew
the ends together
on the backside of the bow
or..
you can HOT GLUE IT.

From that point you can
HOT GLUE it onto
the spring clip backing.
Ta-dah-
That's it.
The first one will make you
feel really clumsy.
By the third or fourth one you will
find a rhythm and have it
down in no time.
You can buy the barrette backings
at any craft store.
I'll post a picture of the ones I use
tomorrow-I forgot to take that shot
tonight.
They have small, medium & large ones.
Buy the medium ones unless
the kid has horse hair!;>)
OR
unless you live in the
SOUTH
Cuz SweetTea told me in
the comments yesterday that
they wear them as big as their
heads down South..
I say - SHOW ME!
The small ones are too skimpy-
unless it's for a baby-
and the heavy duty ones are
too long and you have to make
a huge bow to cover it.
(Perfect if you live down South, I guess)
That's it...just a few stitches.
Now-if you are very good
and promise not to tie ribbons
on your cat's tail
tomorrow I will show you how to
make
THIS KIND OF BOW!
That is REAL ribbon-

Not curly ribbon from the gift wrap
department.
I'll show you HOW to make
your very own ribbon curl!
Get your baking sheets ready~
WH-AT?

your photo name

23 comments:

Kim @ Savvy Southern Style said...

Well, I did not know you were crafty, too. What is the world coming to?

Laura said...

You are a bow making machine!
Now I need granddaughters.
My sweaty headed grandsons won't let me put bows in their hair!


Waaawaaawaa...



Laura
White Spray Paint

Karen thisoldhouse2.com said...

you have far more patience than I. Nice job!

Jettie said...

You do beautiful work, sewing them holds better than glue, I think. I've made a couple of bows but nothing like those.

At The Picket Fence said...

What a great Nana! Our mom would make the most adorable hair barrettes for Vanessa and I growing up, we have so many wonderful memories of her taking the time to create something just for us. Your granddaughters will not forget the time you spent making these for them. :)

Heather

Diane said...

Cute, cute bow. I need to make some of those for my Taylor, but she probably wouldn't wear them very long Ÿ

Gabriele Agustini said...

What a great tutorial!
I can paint the finest detail in a painting, or a piece of silk, but to try to sew ANYTHING makes me a nervous wreck!! Better you than me, girl!
My hat's off to ya! The bows are beautiful and so are the little characters wearing them. :)
xxxx

Country Wings in Phoenix said...

Good Morning Diana Sweetie...
Love this bow, and how easy is that. Who would have thought? I love the color combinations that you come up with.

I will be making some black and white combinations for one, some neon greens for another, and a whole lot of blues for the denim. How fun. I am going to be buying some ribbons this week, and get myself going.

I love this bow, and ofcourse will be keeping my eyes out for the addition tutorials. Thank you so much for sharing along sweet friend.

Have a glorious Sunday. Many hugs and much love, Sherry

Anonymous said...

wow isn't that cool, you can color match all thier little dresses,, I can't to see how you make the real ribbon like that,

Debby said...

I love making bows for my girls. I am anxious to see how to do the curly ones.

Gina said...

Do you think there's any possibility of my getting the 13 year old to wear bows again??? You're a good Nana. Thanks for sharing.

Debi WeeFaerie said...

Very cool! I love making bows for Lil' Miss, especially the corkers! You are such an awesome Nana to do this!

michelle said...

Look at you your crafty girl! These are adorable! I am very curious on how to make the curly ones too..so many tricks up your sleeve. :)
xoxo

Kathy said...

I was thinking the other bow at first! :)
Love seeing little girls with bows and ribbons in their hair! So much fun - these look terrific!
Kathy

Jane, Naples, Florida said...

Well done! Beautiful bows!

Jane
Flora Doora

GratefulPrayerThankfulHeart said...

Sweet bows for your dear little ones!

Ugh! Hot glue guns are dangerous!

Linda said...

What a great post!! I have a one year old granddaughter as well as a 7 year old one! I will SO be making some of these thanks to YOU!!!

Karen said...

Oh those bring back memories of the days when I made barrettes for my girls(sniffle). They are so cute your a great Nana.

Tete said...

Guess what? I'm here and it is working evern better than before...yeah, they can't stop me.
Love these bows, or bows. Either way, take a bow for being a super bow maker.
Hugs- Tete

Maryjane-The Beehive Cottage said...

What an adorable bow! Thanks for showing us how to make one! :)

Michele Smith said...

Cute bows! I might just have to attempt to make some for my girl.

Suzanne@thriftstoredecorjunky said...

what cute bows! And I'm glad Debbie won... :-)

Annesphamily said...

I use to make a super bow you fanned back and forth then spread out! It was soooo much fun and I used them on my parties where I displayed the pretty hand blown teapot. I used wire ribbon and the bows were just perfect! Love you! Anne