DIY- Bows

Bows are the perfect accessory to liven up your hairstyle. They even look great attached to bags, clothes, or even presents! One bow could be anywhere up to £2 at a shop, which is ridiculously overpriced when you know how to make your own! Just follow these 5 simple steps, and you'll have yourself a cute new accessory in no time!

To make 1 medium sized bow (the one above is a large size, but I will mention about that later), you will need-

⋈ 10 by 20cm rectangle of fabric (8 by 16cm for small, 15 by 30cm for large). You can make this any size, as long as the rectangle is twice as long as it is high.

⋈ 1 small rectangle of matching fabric, about 1/3 of the height of the 1st fabric. (you can use the same fabric, or one that matches the 1st fabric, it really doesn't matter)

⋈ Needle and thread (you want the thread colour to match the fabrics.)

Step 1) Fold your larger piece of fabric length ways into 3, with the edges just overlapping. Then, do the same in the other direction.

Step 2) Using the needle and thread, sew a simple running stitch down the middle to hold the folded ends in place. Don't tie off the thread yet.

Step 3) Gently pull on the thread. This will gather the fabric, and create the basic shape of the bow. Wrap the thread around the centre of the bow to secure it, then tie it at the back (the back is the side where a raw edge is showing.). Cut off the excess thread.

Step 4) Take the smaller rectangle of fabric, and fold it into 3 like you did in step 1. Wrap it around the centre of the bow to hide the thread that you just wrapped around it.

Step 5) Make sure the ends of the centre piece are round the back of the bow, then secure using running stitch. Cut off the excess thread and fabric, then slide a bobby pin through the back. 

And there you have your finished bow! As I mentioned in the equipment list, you can make your bow any size you want!

The top bow used 15x30cm fabric, and the bottom bow used 8x16cm fabric. The middle one is the bow that I just showed you how to create.

Using a bobby pin or safety pin, you can wear these bows anywhere! I think they look great on the straps of bags, or on the belt hook of trousers, but use them however suits you best! One thing's for sure; they'll look cute wherever!