As you all know, Annabel is blessed with a ton of gorgeous hair, but you know what they say: mo’ hair, mo’ problems. In Annabel’s case, it’s that her hair gets everywhere. Like, in her food. In her finger paints at school. In her face, her eyes, her everything. So even though she prefers her hair down “like a princess,” I usually insist on it being at least partly up and out of her face. And THAT leads to the “MAKE IT MORE BEAUTIFUL” requirement from Annabel. Evvvvverything alllllways has to be more beautiful.
I have a ton of felt left over from Annie’s birthday party prep, so I decided to try to do something with it. Remembering Annie’s “make it beautiful” decree, I thought it would be fun to make some cute hair ties for her. I wasn’t sure what to do, but got inspired by my cookie cutters! Random, right? But I thought they’d make good stencils for some cute hair bows and clips for Annie. These are really easy to make if you know how to sew (either by hand or with a machine, I did both to make these) and use a hot glue gun. The best part is, depending on how fast these are, you can whip them out in 20 minutes. That’s really all the time I have for anything that doesn’t involve feeding/changing/driving a kid somewhere!
To make these, you need:
Felt or another cotton fabric
Cookie cutters/stencils
Scissors
Fabric marking pencil or pen
Pins/needle/thread
Scissors
Stuffing
Glue gun
Hair ties/clips/headband
Trace your shape on the back of the material. To make this bow, I just traced two triangles and overlapped them in the middle to make the middle part of the bow.
Make sure you cut out two of whatever shape you go with, and any other pieces of fabric you might need. I cut a small strip of white felt to wrap around the middle of my bow, for both looks and function (I’ll explain in a minute).
Sew your two pieces together. I sewed most of these clips with the stitches showing because I liked how it looked – it’s up to you. Make sure you leave an opening for the stuffing!
You don’t need to overstuff – just enough to fill it out and keep the shape. Once you’ve filled it, sew the hole closed.
I used the glue gun to add the white detail at the middle. This was not only decorative, it also helped me attach the bow to the hair accessory I wanted to use. I could slip a headband through, or attach an alligator clip:
Have fun with it! I have a bunch of cookie cutter shapes, so I also made a flower and a few hearts.
A scrap of felt glued over a hair rubber band makes super-cute hair ties.
Or, you can hot-glue an alligator clip and felt onto the back of another shape – the felt not only helps secure the clip, it makes it easier for the clip to grab and hold hair.
Annie has certified all of these as “so beautiful” so my work here is done.
Although, maybe not…she just told me she wants a clip with an airplane on it. Of course, I don’t have an airplane cookie cutter, so this should be fun to figure out!
Have fun and if you have any questions, let me know!
ella says:
You are the best mom!!
If you want some hair inspiration for little girls, check out the CuteGirlsHairstyles website!! I even use some of the styles on me every now and then!!
Jordan says:
so cute! I especially love the bow.
Tammy C. says:
Super cute! You can google an airplane silhouette and print out a pattern. You’re getting super crafty with the sewing machine! I’ve not progressed past grocery bags and pillows.
Paula says:
You. Rock!
Sue says:
Heather,,you are absolutely amazing with the things that you can do!!!! These hair clips are beautiful!
Erin says:
My mom always referred to the hair half up-half down look as “princess style.” Not sure why, but that’s still how I think of it. Even without anything “beautiful” in it. If that keeps her hair up enough, feel free to try!
designhermomma says:
I am pretty much the opposite of crafty. I mean, I love it – and therefore I’m thankful places like etsy exist. These are so fun…
Molly says:
So pretty! I’m always so impressed that Annie lets you put her hair in braids, etc. My daughter has nice thick hair like Annie but we have to keep it between chin and shoulder length because she will not all so much as a barrett in it. My younger daughter is of course dying for bows and ponytails but as luck would have it, she’s the kid whose hair has been incredibly slow to come in.
Jordan says:
At 21 years old, I’m the same way as your daughter. I have very very thick hair (my hair stylist/colorist refers to it as a horse’s mane). I am super tender headed so I’ve usually kept it at chin length, though right now it’s to my shoulders (*hoping* I can let it grow out a teeensy bit).
I’d love to pull it up and do cute things with it, but after awhile it just hurts my head! Even barrettes and headbands hurt it too much.
Kitty Deschanel says:
Heather, you need to open an Etsy shop for all your crafty creations!
Heather says:
You think?? I’ve had a few other people say that, but I wouldn’t know what to charge for something like this!
Shelly says:
You are an amazing mom!
Kristen says:
I adore the heart hair ties on her pig tails!
Wendy says:
They are lovely. I was just going to suggest an Etsy shop too
Julie M. says:
Can anybody sew? I’ve never done it. Did you use a needle and thread, or a machine? These are so cute and much more affordable than buying them on Etsy, I’m sure.
Heather says:
Yes, anybody can sew! I used a needle and thread on some of these, and a machine on others. If you google “youtube how to hand-sew” you will find TONS of tutorials. My grandmother taught me when I was a child, and I had to take a home-ec class in middle school, but I still look at the basic tutorials for refreshers and new tips. You can definitely do it!!