Learn how to sew these adorable fabric hair bows. They’re easy, require only a few materials and make great for gifting.
Have you ever seen something and thought ‘Man I could totally make that!’ or ‘I’d love to learn how to make that’. Yeah, that’s me all of the time. Especially when I spotted these adorable and trendy fabric hairbows floating around on Etsy. Mind you, I don’t even have a daughter. God decided to bless me with a son instead. Yet, I still wanted to make them.
So, I justified buying a sewing machine and learned how to sew a fabric hair bow all in the name of gifting (until I can have a daughter at least). And make excellent gifts, they do! These hair bows are so girly and feminine. You can also select any fabric you want, making them fun as well. I would even say they are a difficulty level 2. Seriously, the easiest things to make, yet they look so professional when finished.
How to Sew a Fabric Hairbow – Supplies Needed
To sew these hairbows, you will need just a couple of tools. Obviously one is a sewing machine. I recently did a tutorial on how to sew reusable bowl covers using the Singer Tradition 2277 I purchased last year. I think this is a great sewing machine for anyone who is just learning to sew. It covers all of the basics.
Other than a sewing machine, you will need the following
- Fabric of Choice – Half a yard will do just fine unless you plan on making a ton of bows.
- Thread
- Sewing Scissors
- Alligator Hair Clips
- Hot Glue Gun & Glue Sticks
- Knitting Needle
Instructions for How to Sew a Fabric Hair Bow
To begin, start by creating a template for the hair bow cutout. I did this on some thicker construction paper and then added tape to make it more durable and resistant to tearing. The cutout will measure 19 1/2 inches in length, 5 1/2 inches in width, and will have two lines at each end meeting at a point that will measure 3 inches per line.
After that, make sure your fabric is washed and ironed. Then you want to trace that template you just made onto the wrong side of the fabric using either a fabric marker or a pencil and cut it out.
Next, fold the fabric in half as seen above and pin together. You will stitch round the outside of the bow, leaving a 2 inch gap in the middle to turn the bow right side out through.
After sewing the fabric, use the knitting needle to turn the bowl right side out. Use a pin to pull the corners of the bow tails out. Then, iron the fabric so everything is nice and straight before tying.
To tie the bow, hold the fabric like an M with the two longer ends of the tail facing out.
Cross the right loop over the left loop and pull through. Adjust the loops to be even and do the same with the tails. Make sure it looks good with no unevenness.
The next part is totally optional. You can either secure the clip with hit glue or choose to just clamp it to the fabric without hot glue. Either way works. I like it unglued better because you can switch the direction of the clip.
These fabric hair bows are so simple to make, yet they look like you purchased them from a boutique. If you’re new to sewing, I highly recommend giving this tutorial a show as the end results are so satisfying. Happy sewing!
