How to Make Bowdabra Barrettes

Turn plain barrettes into art with a Bowdabra.

The Bowdabra tool is a plastic platform with a plastic divider in the center. The plastic divider has two slits running lengthwise and widthwise, creating a narrow plus sign in the center of the tool. These features, along with the ruler guide on the platform itself, help you make dense, even, decorative bows for any decorative purpose. The miniature Bowdabra is perfect for creating barrette bows. It's also smaller and easier to store than its full-size cousin.

Things You'll Need

• Scissors
• Bowdabra wire
• Mini Bowdabra bow maker
• 1/4-inch-wide ribbon: any color or style
• Mini barrette backs

Instructions

1. Cut an 18-inch piece of Bowdabra ribbon wire and fold it in half. Slip the wire down into the long slit down the center of the Bowdabra tool. You should see the fold sticking out of one end of the tool and the loose ends sticking out of the other.

2. Unroll a 6-inch piece of 1/4-inch-wide ribbon. Use any color, design or style of ribbon you like. Bend the unrolled ribbon into a 3-inch loop. Do not cut it from the ribbon spool; this ensures you don't waste any ribbon.

3. Slip the end of the loop down into the short slit at the center of the tool. The 3-inch loop should be on the left side of the central divider.

4. Unroll another 6-inch length of ribbon on the right side of the divider. Bend the ribbon to the left and slip it down into the short center slit, leaving 1/8 inch of the ribbon on the right of the divider. Bend the ribbon into a 3-inch loop and slide the base of the loop down into the center slit.

5. Continue creating loops this way until you have a very dense bow. Gently lift the loose ends of the Bowdabra wire and slip them through the folded end. Pull the wire tight and gently lift the bow and wire from the tool.

6. Wrap the excess wire around the top bars in a mini-barrette, securing the bow to the barrette. Knot the ends of the wire together, trim away the excess and fluff out the bow to hide the barrette.

References

• Bowdabra Blog: Hair Bow Tutorial
• Bowdabra: Basic Bow Making