How to Seal Ribbon Ends
One of the elementary skills of tying baby hair bows is properly sealing ribbon ends. This is not an optional skill – unfinished ribbon ends fray leaving a stringy mess, and a ruined hair bow.
Happily, the solution is quite easy. In fact, you have two solutions for making beautiful hair bows:
1. Fray Check: For just a few dollars, you can purchase a bottle of Fray Check at your local craft store. Fray Check is a clear fluid much like runny glue, and is very easy to use. After you tie your hair bow, trim the ribbon ends as desired, and then put a drop of Fray Check on the end. Make sure the Fray Check covers the entire edge of the ribbon. It dries quickly, and doesn’t wash out. The treated portion of the ribbon will be a little stiff, but is otherwise unnoticeable.
I prefer using Fray check for several reasons.
It’s easy and takes little talent. Just cut the ribbon and seal. You do have to wait for it to dry though.
I can seal the ribbon no matter how long or short the ribbon tie is. I prefer to have all loops and no decorative loops in my hair bows. This means I am sealing ribbon ends that are right up against the center of my hair bow. Trying to heat seal those miniscule ribbon ends would be disastrous.
Fray Check works fabulously on ribbon cut for ribbon flower hair bows. It stabilizes as well as seals the edges – making it perfect for using an exposed cut edge in a ribbon hair bow.
You use very little Fray Check on a single baby hair bow. One bottle will last you many, many baby hair bows and headbands!
2. A Lighter – Heat Sealed Edges: I do prefer using a lighter for certain kinds of hair bows.
Whenever I use sheer ribbon in a baby hair bow, I always heat seal ribbon ends that show. Fray Check will be visible after it dries on Sheer Ribbons. For a cleaner look, carefully seal the ribbon edges with a lighter.
When I’m in a great hurry to make a hair bow and don’t want to wait for my ribbon ends to dry I will hurry and heat seal the ends. I sometimes do this with the Fire Cracker Hair Bow.
Heat Sealing works best with Ribbon Ends that are straight. Be very careful to not burn yourself, or start your ribbon on fire. You may want to take extra precautions to have cold water handy, just in case. Please use common sense – and don’t let baby near the flame or the lighter!
What Supplies Will I Need to Make Baby Headbands and Hairbows?
There are a few general supplies that you will need to have on hand to make baby headbands and bows. We will divide the supplies into two categories: Main Supplies & Materials.
Main Supplies includes:
Hot Glue Gun
Glue Sticks
Needle & Thread
A bow tying device (I prefer the Mini Bowdabra)
Hardware (such as barrettes and clips)
Scissors
Wire cutters
Fray Check or Lighter
Materials include:
Ribbon and/or
Trim
Headband fabric
Flowers
Accents & Embellishments
Generally, anything you need to make the bows and headbands we will consider supplies. You will need these on hand at all times. Anything you use to make into a bow or headband, we will call materials. I advise having a few of these on hand so you may make a bow and/or headband right when needed, without an emergency shopping trip. It may sound silly, but I have made many baby hair bows, clips, and baby headbands 5 minutes before we left the house for some party, appointment, church, etc. (After you’ve made baby hair bows and headbands for a few months – you’ll understand!)
I have two favorite tools in the supply list: my glue gun and Bowdabra.
If I had to admit a flaw, it would be that I’m a bit impatient. However, I’m also an extremely busy mother of 5 and don’t have unlimited time to spend creating hair accessories for my girls. About 10 minutes is my maximum allowed time, 5 minutes preferred, and 2-3 minutes is even better! So if I can glue instead of sew, I’m gluing. If you don’t have a glue gun on hand, I advise the investment. Nothing fancy here – just a small low temp glue gun will suffice. Make sure you get a bag of glue sticks.
The Bowdabra, while also a great time saver, is more of a skill enhancer. It’s a fabulous tool that will allow anyone who is so inclined into a great hair bow-creator. You will be able to tie multiple-looped hair bows with complete ease. There are other bow tying devices available, and I don’t mean to promote the Mini Bowdabra in anyway, but that’s what I have and use. If you have a similar device and it works – great! Save money and keep tying baby hair bows.
I remember the day I bought my Mini Bowdabra. I was buying yards of beautiful ribbon to make baby headbands and hair bows, and saw the Mini Bowdabra up on the top shelf. Hmmm, would it be worth $10 to try it? It came with a guarantee so I gave it a try. (I wanted to get it done faster!) I’ve never been sorry. Suddenly I wasn’t struggling to tie a pretty hair bow; I was tying really pretty hair bows very easily!
You will need a needle and thread to make baby headbands, and for a few bows, so keep one handy.
I also advise having a little supply of clips and barrettes on hand. They are inexpensive, and a pain to find at stores when in a hurry. In fact, I order my hair clips online. Many mothers prefer putting their hair bows and clips and using interchangeable baby headbands. I like having hair bows on clips so I can clip them to hats, skirts, and in all my girls ponytails (even my older girls love them!)
I advise a good sharp pair of scissors to cleanly trim ribbons. Also on the list is a pair of wire cutters. Use these to trim flower tops off plastic stems. Some flowers have a small wire inside, and you don’t want to knick or dull your nice scissors. You can also use them to cut wired ribbon.
One thing that is mandatory is Fray Check! You absolutely must treat all ribbon ends so that they do not fray. A fraying ribbon end will eventually tatter your beautiful baby hair bow. There are other ways to treat ribbon ends, and if you prefer them, great – keep tying. Although I use a lighter to seal sheer ribbon ends, I prefer Fray Check because it’s very easy to use, and quite often I seal ribbons ends that are trimmed right up against the hair bow.
Now that you have all your baby headband and hair bow supplies on hand, you are ready to design and create hair bows and headbands! Have Fun!
Ribbons and Trims and More!
There are literally hundreds of choices of ribbons and trims – choosing which to use to tie hair bows can be absolutely mind boggling!
Knowing what kind of ribbon work best as hair bows will help to save a lot of frustration. Use the following guide to help you decide which ribbons to try:
Acetate Ribbon: This ribbon is usually in the floral department. While it makes a nice bow for floral arrangements, it may not work as nicely for baby hair bows. It is stiff and almost paper-like.
Double Sided Ribbon: Also called Double Faced Ribbon, it is finished on both sides. Plain double faced ribbons work great in bows with more than 3 loops, because they will not be as bulky.
Grosgrain Ribbon: French for “course texture”, this ribbon is woven with small cotton cords resulting in textured ridges. This is a very popular ribbon for bows and is available in many widths, solid colors, and patterns.
This is a great ribbon choice for “everyday” casual hair bows. The course texture makes it easier to handle, shape nicely, and is a great ribbon to use when learning to tie hair bows. Grosgrain ribbon is usually stiff, and tight folds in the ribbon will result in marks. I advise using one piece of practice ribbon over and over to learn a certain style of hair bow, and then using a new fresh piece of ribbon for the final hair bow.
Smaller widths of the ribbon (1/4” – 3/8”) are perfect for use in Korker hair bows, or you may also use the narrower ribbons to weave into baby headbands. These woven headbands are perfect for girls of all ages!
One Sided Ribbon: Also called Single Faced Ribbon, it is finished just on one side. Sometimes printed ribbon is very dark on one side, and white on the other. I don’t like the way the bow looks with white patches peeking out underneath, so I prefer to layer single faced printed ribbon with double faced ribbon. The effect is quite pretty.
The same applies with ribbons that have embroidered patterns on one side, and unsightly threads on the back. Don’t avoid them, layer them.
Satin Ribbon: Available in single and double-sided, satin ribbon is beautiful, usually made from polyester, and is woven like satin. Satin Ribbon 1/8” – ¼” wide can be used in Korker hair bows. The 1/8” makes a very pretty woven headband for babies and girls.
Satin Ribbons make very pretty hair bows, and are a good choice when making a dressy or formal hair bow. Pairing Satin Ribbon with Sheer Ribbon makes a gorgeous hair bow.
Satin Ribbon is available in prints, interwoven with sheer ribbons, and also with feathered or picot edges. These are fun details to incorporate into your hair bows and headbands.
Sheer Ribbon: Organdy, Organza, and Tulle are sheer ribbons. They are fabulous in baby hair bows. They hold their shape very nicely, and are easy to manipulate. These are great choices for learning to tie bows.
Sheer Ribbon is available in plain colors, prints, interwoven with Satin Ribbon, and embellished with accents. It is a very fun ribbon to use in your hair bows!
While Fray Check works on all ribbon types, I like to use a lighter to seal the edges of sheer ribbon. The Fray Check tends to show a little on the sheer ribbon ends, but a carefully heat sealed edge looks very professional.
Sheer ribbon is great to use when making Rosettes, layering with Satin Ribbons in hair bows, and making ribbon flowers.
Make sure you experiment with Tulle. If you don’t mind cutting your own strips, tulle is a very inexpensive option. Tulle is also available with glitter embellishments, sequins, and even prints. It’s also great to use because it doesn’t need to be finished!
Trims: Don’t get stuck in the ribbon aisle! There are so many gorgeous and interesting trims available to use in hair bows and headbands! I love to use trims in the ribbon headband style, the ribbon weave headband, the Butterfly Bow, or in the Loopy Bow, or to embellish my bows and clips. Using trims in your bows is a blast!
Wired Ribbon: Some ribbon comes with a thin wire woven into the edges. This is very helpful for decorative bows or floral arrangements, but it isn’t conducive to baby hair bows. If you see a ribbon you like that is wired, you can still use it.
You can remove the wire from the ribbon: Cut the ribbon in the desired length for your hair bow. Carefully push the corner of a cut edge back, exposing the wire. Try to expose about ½” of wire. Tightly grasp it with your thumb and forefinger and hold it tight. Using your other hand, firmly hold on to the opposite end of the ribbon and pull the ribbon away from the wire. This method avoids putting too much strain on the wire, which may break if pulled too tightly. If the wire does break, you can carefully poke the broken wire out of the side of the ribbon, and continue removing the wire.
If you are feeling very thrifty, you can roll the wire and save it for making a Loopy Ribbon hair bow, which requires a wire just this size, and just about 1 yard in length!
Enjoy experimenting with different kinds of ribbons, trims, and many other beautiful things you can find in the craft store. Or you may find a beautiful trim or flower or button around your house that inspires you.
Bow creating is a form of art – have fun!
