How To Make Hair Bows with Personalized Ribbon at Home

Wouldn’t it be great if you could use personalized ribbon to make hair bows from the comfort of your own home? You can, and it’s a fun way to get into the creative mode by yourself or with your kids.

Possibilities abound when you set out to learn how to make hair bows as a part of your next DIY endeavor. Use these projects to bond with your little ones and teach them new skills all at the same time.

Using personalized ribbon and this hair bow tutorial guide, you'll learn how to create six unique masterpieces your little one will love to both make and wear!

1. How to Make a Barrette Hair Bow

A benefit to using custom ribbon is that it comes with already-finished side edges. All that’s left when you want to make a custom hair bow is creating a few knots, nips and folds. Glue it together, and you’re ready to combine that new bow with your latest outfit.

Select a ribbon that’s ¾ inches in width and 3 inches long. Combine it with a 1-inch long and ¼-inch-wide ribbon.

Using the longer ribbon first, fold it in half, but with a quarter-inch overlap at the middle. Scrunch the middle area to create the bow appearance. Tie its middle with a small piece of thread to keep it from releasing.

Then, use the smaller 1-inch long piece of custom hair ribbon to wrap around the thread so that the thread is no longer visible. Voilà — you're done!

Making a hair bow that’s ready for immediate use really is this simple.

2. Double-Layered Custom Ribbon Bow

This fun custom hair bow project builds upon the simple bow from the previous section.

Create two simple ribbon bows using the instructions above. This time, tie both ribbons together at the middle with thread so that you achieve a double bow look.

Position a third 3-inches long, ¾ inches wide customizable ribbon underneath the two ribbons. Wrap another piece of thread around the entire creation and use this third ribbon as a flat back for the two bows to lay upon.

Glue a pair of french hair clips to the back and wear your new custom-made ribbon creation the next time you walk out the door.

3. Cheerleading Bow

Do you have a cheerleading daughter in the family? Bond with her by making a cheerleading bow from custom ribbon rolls during your next creative session. The result will give you a tied-sash bow that some folks call a boutique bow.

You’ll need a personalized ribbon of about 20 inches in length. Cut off each end at an angle and use a flame to harden the ends. This prevents the edges of your bow from becoming frayed.

Fold the ribbon into three sections to create the bow. One angled edge should appear at the bottom of the three folds, and the other will end up as the top edge. Pinch the middle and use thread to keep it tied in place.

Grab another, smaller customized ribbon piece and tie a middle knot. This smaller knotted ribbon should be long enough to tie around the threaded middle of the main bow. Wrap it around the middle and stitch the back to hold it in place.

4. Flowered Medallion Bow

For this one, you’ll need seven 8-inch by 1-inch personalized ribbon pieces, eight ¼-inch-thin ribbons and a silk or velvet flower to create this hair bow that looks like a flowered medallion.

Lay the seven bigger ribbons on a table, bring each end together and glue them in place so that you have seven bows. Use these bows to create a flower shape. Glue them all together at their middle areas as you connect them.

Attach the fabric flower directly in the middle with glue. At the back, stitch in the eight thinner ¼ inch ribbons so that they hang down, completing the flowered medallion appearance.

5. Yo-Yo Bow

This fabric-rounded bow is a creative (yet extremely simple) design you can make using a bit of fabric and personalized ribbon rolls.

First, cut out a circle from a piece of fabric. Your circle should be 10 inches or larger in diameter.

Then, thread the entire outer circumference of the circle with a needle and thread to create the yo-yo design. Next, use a personalized hair ribbon to scrunch and gather the yo-yo circle in the middle. You'll wind up with a one-of-a-kind rounded hair bow that is as cute as it was simple to make.

6. Curled Ribbon Bow

Also known as a corked bow, you’ll use a simple microwave method to create this curled ribbon bow masterpiece.

First, cut six long strips of personalized ribbon pieces. If you want to end up with 20-inch curled pieces, then try starting with 35- or 40-inch pieces. Don’t start too small because the pieces will become shortened as they curl.

Next, find a pencil that you no longer need. Don’t select a usable pencil because its surface will peel as you heat it inside the microwave. Wrap your first piece of ribbon around the pencil and secure it with stitching on the end that completes the wrapping exercise. The stitching keeps it from unraveling inside the microwave.

Then, place the pencil and ribbon inside your microwave and let it run for about 90 seconds. When you take it out and unwrap the ribbon, you’ll end up with a perfectly curled ribbon. Repeat this exercise for the other five ribbon strips.

Grab an unwrapped ribbon of about 10 inches in length. Fold it in half and stitch it or glue it together to create the middle piece of your hair bow. Lastly, stitch your six curled ribbons on the middle piece’s back, and you’ll see a beautiful curled hair bow come to life.

You might want to wrap a small piece of ¼-inch or ½-inch ribbon around the middle piece for a little extra flair.