Four ideas for equestrian short stirrup horse show hair bows

 Although there still may be some remnants of snow on the ground, spring is almost here. And with spring comes outdoor sports and horse shows.  Don't spend a ton of money on horse show bows for your little ones.  You can easily make them quickly and easily.  The following tutorials guide you through the easy steps.

Four ideas for horse show bows

Short stirrup hair bow #1

Locket horse show hair bow

Patriotic Horse show hair  bow

Blue ribbon leadline horse show hair bows

How to make the cutest short stirrup horse show hair bows in minutes

 

If you have priced horse show hair bows recently you will know that they can be very costly.  Did you know, however, that will just a small amount of ribbon you can create your own short stirrup hair bows in minutes for much less? Embellish the hair bows with a small charm or alternately a ribbon knot added to the center of the bow. 

 

Materials:

 

Bowdabra bow maker

Bowdabra hair bow tool and ruler

Ribbon of choice 1 ½”, 7/8” wide

Charm or bead

Alligator clip, French clip, or hair tie

Bowdabra bow wire

Hot glue gun and hot glue sticks

Lighter to seal the ends of the ribbon

Horse show hair bows in minutes

Instructions:

 

First, cut an 18” piece of bow wire, fold it in half and insert it into the Bowdabra. You will have a loop on one side and two wires on the other.

Next, cut a 15” piece of 7/8” wide ribbon. Fold the ends in half and cut at an angle to dovetail the ends. Use a lighter to lightly go over the ends to seal from fraying. (You may use clear nail polish if desired) Fold in half to find the center and insert into the Bowdabra guiding the tails downward.

Repeat the above step with another complementary color of ribbon for a second tail.  Dovetail the ends on this ribbon and insert it into the Bowdabra.

Make the main bow

Now, cut an 18 ½” piece of 1 ½” ribbon. (I prefer a wired ribbon for this bow since it can be arranged easier.) Seal the ends with the lighter. Fold in half to find the center and insert the right side down into the Bowdabra. Bring the right end over and insert the tail end into the Bowdabra.

 

Next, bring the other tail end over and under the first loop forming an X, and insert the end in the Bowdabra.

Push the bottom center into the Bowdabra, then push the top down into the Bowdabra as well.  You have made the Boutique style bow.

Scrunch everything down with the Bowdabra wand.

To finish, insert the two loose wires through the loop, and while the bow is still in Bowdabra pull tight. Remove from the Bowdabra, turn it to the back, and tie a knot. Adjust the bow and tails.

 

Using the wires from the back, bring the bottom wire back around to the front and insert a bead or charm through.  Bring the wires back to the back of the bow and tie a knot making sure the charm is centered on the front of the bow. You can alternately glue a ribbon knot to the center.

Using a hot glue gun attach an alligator clip or a French clip to the back.  If you would like to use a ponytail elastic, use the bow wire to tie it on.  Cut off any excess wires.

Repeat all the steps for a second hair bow and you will be all set for the show circuit!

 

 

 

 

 

How to make adorable patriotic horse show hair bows

So horse show season is in full swing and with the fourth of July coming up soon what could be better than some patriotic horse show hair bows?

The current style for little competitors is to wear two braids and huge bows with long tails in each braid.  These patriotic horse show hair bows would be perfect for all the upcoming shows. They would even be perfect to wear them separately on the Fourth of July holiday! 

• ·      Mini Bowdabra
• ·      Hair bow tool and ruler
• ·      1 ½” wide patriotic grosgrain ribbon
• ·      7/8” wide white satin ribbon
• ·      ½” wide white ribbon with sparkle stars
• ·      18” Bowdabra bow wire
• ·      Charm or bead
• ·      Ribbon covered alligator clip
• ·      Hot glue gun and hot glue sticks
• ·      Lighter to seal the ends from fraying (You may substitute clear nail polish if desired)

1.    Gather your supplies.

2.    Cut 18” bow wire, fold in half and insert into the Bowdabra. You will have a loop on one side and two wires on the other.

3. Cut a 15” piece of 7/8” wide satin ribbon. Fold the ends in half and cut at an angle to dovetail. Use a lighter to lightly go over the ends to seal from fraying. (You may use clear nail polish if desired) Fold in half to find the center and insert into the Bowdabra guiding the tails downward.

4. Cut a 15” piece of 1/4” wide white ribbon with sparkle stars, and seal the ends with the lighter or nail polish as before. Fold in half to find the center and insert into the Bowdabra. Guide the ends down as you did before.

5. Cut an 18 ½” piece of Patriotic printed wire edge ribbon. Seal the ends with the lighter. Fold in half to find the center and insert into the Bowdabra wrong side up. Bring the right end over and insert the tail end into the Bowdabra. (See photo)

6. Bring the other tail end over and under the first loop forming an X and insert the end in the Bowdabra.

7. Push down both pieces of ribbon into the Bowdabra forming the bow.  Scrunch down with the Bowdabra wand.

8. Insert the two loose wires through the loop and while the bow is still in Bowdabra and pull tight. Remove from the Bowdabra, turn to the back and tie a knot. Adjust the bow and tails.

9. Using the wires from the back, bring back around to the front and insert a bead or charm of your choice through one of the wires.  Bring the wires back to the back of the bow and tie a knot making sure the charm is centered on the front of the bow. Cut off any excess. Add an alligator clip, small elastic, or French clip to the back of the bow.  Repeat all the steps for a second bow.

How to make a festive butterfly hair bow with Bowdabra

Cinco de Mayo is coming up and if you are thinking about having a fiesta you will love this festive butterfly hair bow.  Create this beautiful hair bow in minutes with some velvet or velour ribbon, or printed felt in your favorite bright color.
The festive butterfly hair is fun for Cinco de Mayo parties, however, it is perfect any time of the year!
So let’s get started…

Festive butterfly hair bow

Materials:
Bowdabra mini Bowmaker
Bowdabra bow wire
2 ½” wide velvet, velour ribbon, or optionally printed felt works great
White pipe cleaner
Butterfly pattern
Scissors
Disappearing marker
5/8” yellow grosgrain ribbon (For smaller butterfly 3/8" or 1/4" ribbon)
Hot glue gun and hot glue sticks
Two red rhinestones (or small beads if using the bow wire for antennas)
If using the Bow wire for antennas use a small paintbrush to twist the wire for the curl.
Alligator hair clip

Instructions:

1. First, download the butterfly pattern. Trace each piece on to the velour ribbon and cut out. For smaller butterfly shrink the patter to 3/4 size.

2. Next, Cut a piece of Bowdabra bow wire 18” long. Fold it in half and insert into the Mini Bowdabra.  You will have a loop on one side and two loose wires at the other side, which will be your slipknot.

3. Now, insert the bottom downward facing wing piece into the Mini Bowdabra pinching in a mountain fold. Then, insert the top wing piece pinching in the same way you did the bottom wings.

4. Scrunch down with the Bowdabra wand.

Create the butterfly

5. Insert the two loose wires through the loop and pull tight while the butterfly is still in the Bowdabra. Take it out of the Bowdabra and separate the ends.  Turn it to the back and tie a knot and clip off the excess wire.  Adjust your butterfly’s wings.

6. Take a 6” piece of pipe cleaner and fold it in half. Use the hot glue gun to glue it to the center back of the butterfly. To make the antennas with the Bowdabra bow wire, trim the bow wire ends to 2 1/2" long.  Add a tiny bit of glue to each end and thread a small bead through.  Clip the excess.  Then, using the end of a paintbrush twist the wire around into a springy curl.  Adjust the antennae on each side.

Finishing the hair clip

7. Attach an alligator clip, which is covered with ribbon to the back with some hot glue. (You can buy them already covered at the craft store)

8. Finally, cut a piece of 5/8” grosgrain ribbon and glue to the center back over the open alligator clip. Then continue to bring it to the front and glue it to where you started on the back. This way the alligator clip is extra secure.

9. Curl the pipe cleaner antenna and glue a rhinestone on the ends. Or optionally for the Bow wire antenna follow the instructions in step number 6.

We hope you enjoyed this festive butterfly hair bow tutorial.  We love comments and suggestions!

Easy how to make - Super simple 4-leaf clover hair bow

Everyone will love this super simple 4-leaf clover hair bow.  It’s so easy to make with simple supplies you may already have on hand.  And this cute little 4-leaf clover hair bow is so inexpensive you may want to make several for a group or gifts. 

4-leaf clover hair bow

Materials:

Dark green sparkle stiffened felt sheet (you can make several out of one sheet)

Bowdabra Mini Bow Maker

Bowdabra Bow Wire

Four green teardrop cabochons

Alligator clip

Hot glue gun and hot glue sticks

Clover pattern

Scissors

Chalk pencil to mark on dark felt

Optional clover ribbon to cover alligator clip

Instructions:

1.     First, download and print the clover pattern.  Transfer the pattern on to the stiffened felt.  Repeat for a second piece.  (You will need two)

2.     Next, cut out the two pattern pieces.

3.     Now, cut a piece of Bowdabra bow wire about 18” long.  Fold the wire in half and insert into the Bowdabra.  You will have a loop on one side and two loose wires on the other.  Tuck the ends under to keep out of the way while you make your hair bow.

4.     Insert one of the felt pattern pieces into the Bowdabra in the center. Then, insert the other pattern piece.  Scrunch down with the Bowdabra wand.

Finishing your hair bow

5.     Now, insert the two loose wires through the loop and pull tight while the bow is still in the Bowdabra.  Remove from the Bowdabra, turn to the back, separate the ends and tie a knot.  At this point, you can arrange the leaves of the clover.  Set aside.

6.     Arrange the teardrop cabochons around the center of the clover and use a hot glue gun to attach. 

7.     If you want you can use some thin St. Patrick’s Day ribbon and some glue to cover the alligator clip.  Glue to the back of the clover. Glue the alligator clip to the back of the 4-leaf clover hair bow.

Since this hair bow is flashy but so inexpensive it is a great project for Girl Scout and other youth groups.  If you don’t wish to use a glue gun you can, however, substitute glue dots. 

This is fun for St. Patrick's Day and you can wear it as a hair bow, or simply clip it on your collar or lapel.  Please visit Make it easy crafts again for more fun and easy crafts.