How to make a festive butterfly hair bow with Bowdabra

Cinco de Mayo is coming up and if you are thinking about having a fiesta you will love this festive butterfly hair bow.  Create this beautiful hair bow in minutes with some velvet or velour ribbon, or printed felt in your favorite bright color.
The festive butterfly hair is fun for Cinco de Mayo parties, however, it is perfect any time of the year!
So let’s get started…

Festive butterfly hair bow

Materials:
Bowdabra mini Bowmaker
Bowdabra bow wire
2 ½” wide velvet, velour ribbon, or optionally printed felt works great
White pipe cleaner
Butterfly pattern
Scissors
Disappearing marker
5/8” yellow grosgrain ribbon (For smaller butterfly 3/8" or 1/4" ribbon)
Hot glue gun and hot glue sticks
Two red rhinestones (or small beads if using the bow wire for antennas)
If using the Bow wire for antennas use a small paintbrush to twist the wire for the curl.
Alligator hair clip

Instructions:

1. First, download the butterfly pattern. Trace each piece on to the velour ribbon and cut out. For smaller butterfly shrink the patter to 3/4 size.

2. Next, Cut a piece of Bowdabra bow wire 18” long. Fold it in half and insert into the Mini Bowdabra.  You will have a loop on one side and two loose wires at the other side, which will be your slipknot.

3. Now, insert the bottom downward facing wing piece into the Mini Bowdabra pinching in a mountain fold. Then, insert the top wing piece pinching in the same way you did the bottom wings.

4. Scrunch down with the Bowdabra wand.

Create the butterfly

5. Insert the two loose wires through the loop and pull tight while the butterfly is still in the Bowdabra. Take it out of the Bowdabra and separate the ends.  Turn it to the back and tie a knot and clip off the excess wire.  Adjust your butterfly’s wings.

6. Take a 6” piece of pipe cleaner and fold it in half. Use the hot glue gun to glue it to the center back of the butterfly. To make the antennas with the Bowdabra bow wire, trim the bow wire ends to 2 1/2" long.  Add a tiny bit of glue to each end and thread a small bead through.  Clip the excess.  Then, using the end of a paintbrush twist the wire around into a springy curl.  Adjust the antennae on each side.

Finishing the hair clip

7. Attach an alligator clip, which is covered with ribbon to the back with some hot glue. (You can buy them already covered at the craft store)

8. Finally, cut a piece of 5/8” grosgrain ribbon and glue to the center back over the open alligator clip. Then continue to bring it to the front and glue it to where you started on the back. This way the alligator clip is extra secure.

9. Curl the pipe cleaner antenna and glue a rhinestone on the ends. Or optionally for the Bow wire antenna follow the instructions in step number 6.

We hope you enjoyed this festive butterfly hair bow tutorial.  We love comments and suggestions!

Easy to make a unique autumn loopy hair bow

Make this unique autumn loopy hair bow so quick and easy that you won’t want to stop at one!  And using the hair bow tool and ruler it’s so easy to make the loops perfect every time!

Thanksgiving is right around the corner and wouldn’t this autumn loopy hair bow look perfect as you dress for Thanksgiving dinner?  There is lots of cute autumn colored printed ribbons in the stores right now and most are even on sale.  So this autumn loopy hair bow is very inexpensive to create.

So let’s get started!

Materials:

34 inches of 1 ½” wide sheer printed wired ribbon in autumn tones.

Felt leaf or other autumn felt motif

Bowdabra mini bow maker with hair bow tool and ruler attachment

Bowdabra bow wire

Alligator hair clip

Hot glue gun and hot glue sticks

Scissors

Ruler

Instructions:

1.     Gather your supplies.  Cut a piece of Bowdabra bow wire 18” long, fold in half and insert into the Bowdabra.  You will have a loop on one side and two loose wires on the other.

2.     Now cut the ribbon 34 inches long and then use a lighter to run lightly over the ends to seal them.  My printed ribbon has a wrong and a right side so in this case you will need to twist as you make the loops.

3.     Next insert the ribbon into the Bowdabra wrong side up.  Make a loop at the 2 ½” mark and insert into the Bowdabra.  Now twist so that the wrong side is facing up, bring it across and then make a matching loop on the other side. Make sure your loop is facing the right side.

4.     Now continue making loops and twisting using the ruler to match your loops until you have three loops on each side.

5.     So now you will use the Bowdabra wand to scrunch down the bow. 

6.     In the next step, insert the two loose wires through the loop and pull tight while the bow is still in the Bowdabra.  Finally, remove from the Bowdabra, turn to the back, separate the wires and tie a knot.  Fluff out and arrange the loops. And clip the wires short.

7.     Lastly, Use the glue gun to add a felt motif to the front of the autumn loop hair bow.  In the same way add a ribbon covered alligator clip to the back.

Bowdabra bow makers help you make bows quickly and easily and  are available online, at most craft stores, and Walmart.

How to easily make an adorable turkey hair bow

Wouldn’t this adorable turkey hair bow look so cute on your favorite little girl?  Actually it will look just as adorable on adults as well as kids.  Autumn is in full swing and we are all getting ready for the upcoming holidays.  And this Thanksgiving you will be the hit of the day when you wear your turkey hair bow!  This hair turkey hair bow makes a great gift and is a great moneymaker at those autumn craft shows. Check out Bowdabra blog for more free craft tutorials.  You can easily purchase any Bowdabra supplies at your local craft store, Walmart and online.

Materials:

·      Mini Bowdabra bow maker

·      Hair bow tool and ruler

·      Bowdabra bow wire

·      22 inches 1 ½” wide orange grosgrain ribbon

·      Several colors 3/8” wide grosgrain ribbon (red, yellow, rust)

·      Small dowel pieces

·      Wooden clothespins (optional)

·      Lighter

·      Scissors

·      Ruler

·      Alligator clip, covered with ribbon

·      Hot glue gun and hot glue sticks

·      Felt turkey shape (available in craft stores

Instructions:

1.     Make the korker ribbon. Wind the 3/8” grosgrain ribbon around a dowel and hold at the ends with wooden clothespins. (You can alternately tie the ribbon at the ends) Place on a cookie sheet lined with foil. Heat in the oven at 275 degrees for 20 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before removing.

2.     First place the ruler on the mini Bowdabra.  Next, cut a piece of Bowdabra bow wire 18” long, fold in half and then insert into the Bowdabra.  You will have a loop on one side and two loose wires on the other side.

 Make the bow

3.     Now, cut a piece of 1 ½” wide grosgrain ribbon 22” inches long and use a lighter to run lightly across the ends to stop it from fraying. (You can alternately use nail polish or a commercial fray stop glue)  Now, fold the ribbon in half to find the center and insert into the Bowdabra.

4.     First, bring the right end over the Bowdabra and under the ribbon and insert the end into the Bowdabra.

5.     Next, take the opposite end and bring it over the first ribbon, then under and insert the end into the Bowdabra.  It will look like an X.

6.     Now press the first loop down into the Bowdabra and follow with the second loop.  When you do this you have made your boutique style bow.  Next you will add the korker ribbon pieces.

7.     For the korker pieces, cut them to about 4” long and insert each korker piece into the Bowdabra one at a time. 

Finishing your bow

8.     Scrunch down with the Bowdabra wand.  To finish, insert the two loose wires through the loop and pull tight while the bow is still in the Bowdabra.  Finally, remove the bow, separate the wires, turn to the back and tie a knot.  Repeat with a second knot.

9.     For the purpose of making the turkey hair bow, you need to remove the body from the turkey felt piece, since the feathers are represented by the korker and bow.

10. Now turn the bow to the front and use the hot glue gun to attach the turkey.  Make sure before you glue that the korker pieces are all evenly spaced.

Add the clip 

11. Attach an alligator clip to the back with some more hot glue.  In order to make sure the clip stays in place use the excess wire to tie in the center as well.  Clip all the wires short. 

The Bowdabra bow maker makes it easy to make the bow and you can find all the supplies at your local craft store, Walmart or online.