Adjustable Strap Bow Tie Tutorial

So many times, our posts are all about fun and frilly hair accessories for the little girls in our lives. Which means that unfortunately our poor little fellas sometimes may feel a little bit left out…but not today! Today Cherie is sharing a fun project just for those little fellas that is so cute and will make them look mighty refined and very handsome! Join Cherie as she shows us how to create a wonderful Ribbon Bow Tie perfect for all of those special events, church goings or for family picture opts. Enjoy!

There are so many fun things to make for girls, but today is more about boys!  I have 3 boys and 1 girl, and I love that I get to make fancy dresses and bows for just one girl and easy bow ties for my boys.  Today I’m going to show you how to make an adjustable strap bow tie with RIBBON that’s so so easy!  This should really only take about 15 minutes to make!

Supplies Needed:

• 1 1/2″ Ribbon
• 7/8″ Ribbon
• Bow Tie Hardware
• Glue Gun
• Wire or a Needle and Thread
• Lighter

Start by cutting your 1 1/2″ ribbon to about 20″ and seal the ends with a lighter.  This is for the bow tie.

The reason I cut the ribbon to 20″ is so that I could wrap it around itself 2 1/2 times.  This makes the bow tie have enough structure without having to use interfacing.  The actual length of the bow tie is 4″.

After the ribbon is wrapped around itself, pinch it and secure it with wire or a needle and thread. Use a 1 1/2″ strip of 7/8″ ribbon to cover the wire.  Glue it to the back.

Put the bow tie to the side for a bit and lets work on the strap. Cut a piece of the 7/8″ ribbon to 18″ and seal both ends.  Slide the hook piece of the bow tie hardware and glue the end down to secure it in place.

Now slide the other pieces of the hardware onto the ribbon in this order: slider then the eye.  As you can see the ribbon is going through the top slit of the slider and the eye is facing up.

Fold the ribbon over and take the end through the bottom slit of the slider and glue it in place.  It looks tricky but it’s not I promise!

Now you have an adjustable strap! So easy!

Slide the strap to the smallest you want it to adjust to and glue the bow tie on the part of the ribbon that’s not doubled over.

That’s really all it takes to make this bow tie!  The hardware seems like it’s going to be tricky, but it’s not!

The reason this bow tie is so easy is because it’s made with ribbon instead of fabric.  There are so many more steps to this if you use fabric.  The Ribbon Retreat has so many fun ribbons, I would never personally want to go to all that extra work!

Because it’s so dang fun to match little kids, I made my daughter a little matching headband with 3 Frayed Shabby Chiffon Flowers and some Fold Over Elastic.
Next time you have a special event make your own bows and bow ties!  Much cuter and much cheaper!

Thank you Cherie for sharing such a fun project for BOYS! I love, love, love how easy this bow tie is and how many fun designs, prints or colors of ribbon you could use to create multiple bow ties for your little guy! Match him with your little girl’s outfits, a wedding party, etc. With these quick and easy directions and a little time out of your day, you could quickly make enough bow ties for your little guy to wear all year long!

Do you need more fabulous projects for your little guy? Make sure to check out all of our boy inspired projects HERE. Here are a few of those All About Boys projects you will find…

The Ribbon Retreat has a wide selection of ribbon and so much more perfect for bow ties galore! Make sure to visit our online store to see all of your options for boy inspired ribbon, holiday, plaid, spaceships, plus more right HERE!

Happy Creating & Happy Bow Ties!