Parents make-your-own bow hair ribbon questions

[teksquad]

Hi Everyone,
For their last meet of the season, my daughter would like to make matching bows for she and her teammates. These are young teens, and she wants to make something really simple and not too big- a simple bow, like the college girls sometimes wear. She is going to layer 3 different ribbons on top of each other, for the colors she wants. She wants to attach the ribbon to a ponytail holder.

I was wondering if those of you who have experience with bow-making could answer a few questions?

1. How do you attach the ponytail holder? Tie directly to the ribbon? With a zip tie? Glue gun? I want to be sure the ribbon will stay on when they pull and twist the ponytail holder, while putting it into their hair.

2. Do you tie the bow to make a bow shape, or do you sort of fold it together, and sew it in place? Which seems to work better?

3. Do you have any specific advice for this newbie? Anything is appreciated. (-:

I will report back what I learn after our bow-making experience, if anyone is interested.

Thanks!

 

[SignHere]

I have found sewn bows look best, as opposed to tied. She can fold, crease, then sew the bow. Then, use the center piece to attack to the pony tail holder. I also like hot glue, but be careful not to burn yourself. Hairspray ( inexpensive, or Aussie ) works well to make the bows nice and stiff.

I recommend hip girl forum as a nice place to find free bow folding instructions. Good luck.

 

[teksquad]

Very good tips, Hickory- thanks! I just visited the Hip Girl forums. What a great place! Thanks again!

 

[LIGYMMOM]

Just one tip, however you make your bows be sure to burn the edges with a lighter or something like that so that they don't fray. Just wave a flame across the edges quickly a few times and it does the trick. Good luck!

 

[Becauseisaid]

I would love to see a picture when your DD is done with the bows.

 

[Tami222]

There are heaps of really good videos on you tube "how to make a cheer bow" that give u simple steps with easy products like cable ties hair ties and ribbon is all you need , I prefer the no glue methods as I just don't feel glue is strong enough. The cable tie method is much much stronger and lasts longer,

 

[COz]

Hickory: Aussie hairspray??

 

[Bess]

Hickory: Aussie hairspray??

Not Hickory but thought I would jump in...Aussie is a hair care line sold in the States...not sure where else it is sold

 

[SignHere]

Any super hold or freeze hair spray will do... Aussie just smells nice. To keep bows stiff and to help them hold up, you should put some type of stiffener.

You could also spray starch them, or spray with Alene's fabric stiffener, or a combo of glue, water, and alcohol. Or you could bake them (before you glue them). Lots of ways to skin the cat!

 

[mylittlemiss]

I would suggest sealing the ends of the ribbons with a wood burner. Works great! Just be patient and take your time to practice on a few pieces of ribbon first. Those things get REALLY hot! Good luck!

 

[SignHere]

Or pass the ends of the ribbon over a lighter if you don't want to buy a wood burner. You can't use a candle, too much smoke.

I second the request to post a pic!

 

[teksquad]

Hi Everyone! Daughter made the bows today! Thanks again for all your advice! (pictures at the bottom of the post)

First, she layered her three different colored ribbons, and sewed them together. (into a flat, continuous combined ribbon) Then she used a folding template (which she made from a piece of cardstock) to center and fold into the bow shape. She wanted the bows to be about 4.5 inches/12 cm long, so that is how wide she made the template. (you can see the template in the link to a video below) Then, she secured the middle of the bow with a zip tie, also tying in an elastic/pony-o with it. Then she covered the zip tie with a strip of ribbon, and glued it in place with a glue gun. She put a little flower accent on the middle of the bow, shaped the edges, and then I sealed the edges with a lighter. (most nerve-racking for both of us!)

Now she wants to make ribbons for her coaches, too. One coach wears her hair in a ponytail, so she thinks she will make a bow with a pony-o for her. The other coach likes to wear her hair down, and she made a "ribbon campaign" style ribbon for her to pin on her shirt or team jacket, also with a flowery accent in the middle. (-:

Here is a ribbon, paired with Daughter's comp leo:

The most helpful video we found is as follows:
It's for making the bigger cheer bows, (7 inches wide), but we just made a template 4.5 inches wide instead. I think we will put a little hairspray on them, though they are already pretty stiff, due to their smaller size. Do we "drench" them? (will the colors bleed?) or is a light spraying enough?

I'll try to get another picture with the bow in her hair later. (-: Thanks again, everyone!

 

[Becauseisaid]

They look great! She did a fantastic job!

 

[SignHere]

I pretty much soak them. Then let them dry. I've never had color run, even when using white. However, you could use a few scraps to do a "test piece".

Good job!

 

[teksquad]

Thank you both, Becauseisaid and Hickory! (-:

 

[teksquad]

Hi again, Everyone.

Just thought I'd follow up with the coach ribbons. She made each coach a smaller hair ribbon, and a ribbon to wear on their jackets or shirts. We found some pin bases and hair clips at Hobby Lobby, and she hot-glued the bows to these, as shown in the photo below: