How to Make a Ballet Bunbender

Whether you are a ballerina by heart or by trade, make a ballet bunbender. Bunbenders are used to quickly form a tightly, knotted bun similar to the buns used by ballerinas. Instead of taking time to ensure that all the individual hairs are accounted for, place your ponytail inside the bunbender and let it do the hard work for you. All you have to do is twist, pull and roll the hair and you have made a perfect ballerina bun.

Things You'll Need

• 1/8-inch bendable plastic sheet
• Utility knife
• Fabric shears
• Needle
• Thread
• Hot glue gun

Instructions

1. Make the bendable plastic core. Cut a one-eighth-inch bendable plastic sheet to 12-by-1-inch dimensions, using a utility knife.

2. Make the fabric exterior. Cut two pieces of fabric to 18-by-2-inch dimensions, using fabric shears. Add 6-inches to the actual length to adjust for the seam and to add ruffles to the fabric exterior. Add 1-inch to the actual width to adjust for the seams. Fabric shears make a clean cut and prevent the edges of the fabric from fraying.

3. Place the wrong side of the two pieces of fabric outwards. Insert thread into the eye of the needle. Pull the thread to a 3-foot-length. Cut the thread. Tie the ends of the thread together and make three knots. Match the color of the thread to the base color of the fabric.

4. Insert the needle into the fabric and stitch the top and bottom edges of the fabric together, using a needle and thread. Do not sew the ends of the fabric together.

5. Flip the fabric right-side-out. Insert the plastic core into the end of the fabric exterior. Push the plastic core through the inside of the fabric exterior. Glue the ends of the plastic core together, using a hot glue gun. Let the glue dry for 20 seconds.

6. Pull the open ends of the fabric exterior together. Sew the ends together, using thread and a needle. Push the fabric together to make a ruffled texture.

7. Insert a moistened pony tail into the bunbender. Twist the ends of the bubender and pull the pony tail away from the head. Roll the ends of the bunbender towards the head and twist the ponytail to make a tight bun. Bend the ends of the bunbender together to secure the bun.

Tips & Warnings

• Warm the hot glue gun for 3 minutes.

• The nozzles of hot glue guns are extremely hot and burn skin on contact.