One of my favorite things about my job is being able to create super cute bows with amazing ribbon and today, I am going to share yet another hair bow with you and this bow is one of my favorites! This cute bow is found on The Ribbon Retreat’s TOTT Hair Bow Instructions, on our fabulous YouTube Channel, AND…now, right here on our blog too, which makes this stunning little bow available to you in three different locations! How awesome is that?!? Regardless of how you learn best…a written tutorial, a video tutorial, or a printable PDF, this fun bow is available just for you!
These bows are fun and easy to make and one all the ladies in your house are sure to love! The Inside Out Bow is big, full and fabulous! And, like I mentioned above it is one of our amazing TOTT Bows that can be found in PDF form HERE and on our YouTube Channel HERE! Would you like to see all of our adorable TOTT Bows and all of the video tutorials on our YouTube Channel? You can find them all HERE or our entire video tutorial selection/YouTube Channel HERE!
I love this Inside Out Bow and can’t wait for you to make one of our own…so, let’s get started!
Supplies needed for the Inside Out Hair Bow:
The Ribbon Retreat Hair Bow Maker
Ribbon
-I used 7/8″ Grosgrain Ribbon
Barrettes & Clips
Cutting Mat
Scissors
Hi-Temp Glue Gun
Glue Sticks
Needle & Thread
Lighter (for sealing ribbon ends)
Before we get making this fun bow, let’s talk about some basic bow making rules or better yet…tips to help you achieve gorgeous and professional looking hair bows!
Hair Bow Making Tips
When making hair bows, it is best to use the right size of ribbon for the right size of hair bow. For example, using a 3/8” ribbon to make a 5” bow, may not work well.
The following is to give you a general idea of what size ribbon works best for what size bow.
Using The Hair Bow Maker
There are two lines on the Hair Bow Maker. The longer line is the center line. The second, shorter line is the ½” line. When you have the Hair Bow Maker in front of you, this line should be to the RIGHT of the center line. The first set of holes from the center of the bow maker will make a 2” bow. Move each dowel over one and you will have a 3” bow. Move each dowel over two and you will have a 4” bow, etc.
The bow maker will make bows over 6 inches in width. If you want to make a 2 ½”, 3 ½”, 4 ½”, or 5 ½” bow, then the dowel on the right needs to be moved ½” to the right. For example, if you want a 3 ½” bow, then place the left dowel in the 2nd hole and the right dowel in the 3rd hole. You would use the ½” line as the Center Point for this bow.
Ribbon Length Formula
This formula is a recommendation only. If you find that you don’t have enough, or too much ribbon, make adjustments to the numbers below.
(Width of Bow) x (# of Loops + 2.5) ***The extra 2.5 is for allowances.
Example: For a 4” four-loop bow, your formula would be: 4 x (4 + 2.5) = 26” of ribbon
When making an Inside Out Hair Bow, do not tighten the ribbon around the dowels. You’ll want to leave it a TINY bit loose. Otherwise the effect of the bow will be ruined. If you find it to be too difficult to make all 4 loops at once, then simply make TWO 2-Loop Bows and stack them together side by side.
Now that we have a couple of tips and our ribbon length figured out, let’s get started! This Inside Out Hair Bow will be demonstrated on the 4” setting of the Hair Bow Maker using 1 1/2″ Red Grosgrain Ribbon.
*Please note that my right hand is never used/seen in the pictures below, because I am holding the camera with that hand so the wording in the instructions is sometimes a little different from what my left hand is doing in the pictures.
How To Make An Inside Out Hair Bow
1. Place the ribbon in the FRONT of the right dowel and in BACK of the left dowel as shown. Make sure there is some excess ribbon to the right.
2. With your LEFT hand, bring the ribbon around the LEFT dowel towards the center and then grab it with your RIGHT hand and twist it up as shown. While your right hand is twisting up on the ribbon, hold the middle of the ribbon together with your LEFT hand. Remember not to pull too tightly.
3. With your RIGHT hand, take the ribbon around the back of the RIGHT dowel and then continue to the front, this time grabbing with the LEFT hand and twisting it up again in the middle as shown. (Hold the middle of the bow together with your RIGHT hand.)
*FOR A 2-LOOP BOW, GO TO STEP 6.
4. Repeat Step 2.
TIP: Use an alligator clip to hold the center of the bow together if it’s too difficult to hold it together with your fingers.
5. Repeat Step 3.
Take note of how the bow looks at this point. The loops are “scrunched” together.
6. With your LEFT hand holding the ribbon together in the center, grab your needle and thread with your RIGHT hand. With the needle at the back of the bow, bring it through the middle of the bow. To make sure you have the center, point your needle downwards so that you can check it with the center line of the Hair Bow Maker.
7. Remove the bow from the Hair Bow Maker by sliding it up over the top of the dowels. The bow may relax a little bit, and that’s okay. Pull the needle and thread through until the knot stops at the back. Take the thread over the top of the bow. Let go of the needle and just hang onto the thread.
8. With your LEFT hand, bend back the top fold by about a quarter of an inch. DO NOT tighten the thread yet.
9. With your RIGHT hand, bend the bottom three ribbon seams under slightly.
10. Take the thread all the way around the center of the bow and tighten ONCE.
11. While holding the bow tightly in the middle, shape your bow by spreading out the loops; tighten the thread again. Just keep taking the thread around the center of the bow again and again, tightening each time it goes around. Continue doing this until you no longer have any “give” to the thread.
12. Turn the bow to the back and take up a few stitches. Cut the thread.
13. Trim the tails and seal the ends. Use your fingers to fluff up the loops. You can either leave this as a simple Inside-Out Bow by adding a knotted or flat center and a clip to the back–or embellish and enhance as desired. For a different look, you can also turn this hair bow over.
**If you are interested in learning how to create the “By Hand” Method of this fun bow, click HERE!
Don’t you love this fun bow? I love how the ribbon lays in the loops. This fun bow looks so cute in that vibrant red ribbon, but it will also look amazing in any other color or print of ribbon that you choose like that awesome dark blue perfect for all of your 4th of July festivities!
Bows, bows, bows…I just can’t get enough bows! In case you are in the same category…here are a few of the other incredibly cute TOTT Hair Bows we have added to the blog for you to quickly fall in love with and add to your collection of adorable hair bows!
The Ribbon Retreat has a wonderful selection of ribbon for all of your bow making needs! You can choose bold and bright or soft and subtle colors, polka dots, stripes, chevron, flowers, dinosaurs, mustaches, glittery and so SO much more! We also carry fun resins, buttons, gems and more gorgeous embellishments to make your hair accessories one of a kind! Make sure to visit our one stop crafty shop HERE!
Happy Creating & Happy Hair Bows!
2 Comments
It is my Desire, to find buy some nice “Adult Hair Bow’s.” [is it also acceptable, for Adult Babies.? ]
may I ask of the Price, and Mailing cost for, them..? 6″ x 2″ Bow’s, 4″ x 1.5 ” Bow’s;
how do you set the fastener’s.. ? to the P.O. Box in Idaho fall’s, Idaho. 83403-3634.
thank’s Becca
Hi Rebecca! Thank you for your comment and questions. We don’t actually sell any of the bows that we make. You can purchase the supplies to make any and all of our hair bows at The Ribbon Retreat. Our ribbon and hardware vary in price but our prices are amazing and you can get enough supplies in one purchase to make multiple bows! You can find our ribbon and hardware HERE! Thank you and have a wonderful day! Michelle 🙂