How to Make Homemade Barrettes
A friend of my daughter’s always has the cutest barrettes in her hair. One day, I complimented them to her mother, Colleen, who said they were home-made. Since I enjoy crafts, I thought it would be a fun activity to make some for Izzie (to anticipate the day that she actually grows some hair! haha!).
Materials
- Two-prong Metal, Curl Clips
- Ribbon
- Glue gun with glue
- Optional: Buttons, small flowers, beads, etc.
How to Make Ribbon Barrettes
The basic barrette:
1. Place hot glue on the underside of the first 1.5″ of ribbon. Quickly place the ribbon in-between the two sides of the clip, glue side up. (tip: I use a baby comb to place under the ribbon before gluing so the glue doesn’t burn my fingers. I remove the comb once the ribbon sandwhiches the clip, in order to press the ribbon flat with my fingers. Glue should be soft, but NOT cool.)
2. Before the glue cools, place more glue on the top side of the clip and fold the ribbon over the end of the clip, pressing the ribbon sandwiching the metal clip firmly together.
3. Place more glue on each of the two outter sides of the end of the clips, quickly wrapping the ribbon tightly around the end of the clip, pressing the ribbon to the clip until cool.
4. Cut the ribbon before the bottom prongs separate, and seal the ribbon with a very small bit of glue. (option: wrap the ribbon around the underside of the clip for a more polished look. However, this may cause the clip to more easily slide out of the hair. It also uses more ribbon, costing more money without looking any different once placed in the hair)
5. Gently remove any excess glue.
For a barrette with a bow:
1. Follow the above steps.
2. Cut a length of ribbon slightly less than twice the length of the clip. (tip: try using different patterns and colors of ribbon for contrast)
3. Place a small amount of glue on one end of the ribbon and attach it to the other end of the ribbon to form a loop. If the ribbon is single sided, the finished side should face out.
4. Place a small amount of glue of the inner seam of the loop, and press the opposing side to it.
5. If using fabric knot at the center of bow: Using a separate piece of ribbon, tie a small knot. On the underside of the bow, place a small amount of glue on the underside of the center of the bow (on the seam), and quickly wrap the knot around. Glue again to place the other side of the knot.
6. On the underside of the bow, place a small amount of glue and press the bow firmly to the center of the ribbon wrapped barrette.
7. If using a button, bead, or flower at the center of the bow: Place small amount of glue at the center of the top of the bow and press decorative piece on top. (tip: use the extra buttons from old shirts instead of buying new ones)
8. Gently remove any excess glue.
Why MAKE instead of BUY?
Its easy to buy these in the store. They are very popular and can be bought at Target, Walmart, or Amazon.com for $5 – $10. But, not only is this a fun activity that you can do with the kids on a rainy day, but you can save lots of money. Plus, if you make your own, you can have barrettes to match every outfit!
I bought 5 small spools of ribbon in the dollar bin at Target (all five ribbons in one package for $1!) and the clips at a local Beauty4U (hair product discount store). Ribbon is easy to find – in addition to Target, Michael’s and Joann Fabrics sell cute ribbons starting at $0.99. The clips were much harder to find. I went to every store imaginable before finding them at Beauty4U, costing $1.29 for 12 clips.
What do you think? Have you ever made your own barrettes?
April 29th, 2010 10:36 am
How cute….I tried to make homemade scrunchies before….some turned out and some didn’t.
If it’s any consolation, Izzie will have hair at some point….just look at Mary….you can tell her age by looking at how much hair she has or doesn’t have
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April 30th, 2010 7:30 pm
L-O-V-E love it! So cute. Now I’m going to have to bring her wardrobe to Jo Ann Fabrics so she can have all matching barrettes.. Not to brag, but my kid’s go hair
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October 21st, 2011 9:46 am
Wow what memories this brings back. Very cute Jocie. When our little girl (she just turned 27 Saturday while in S.Korea with the Air Force) was in elementary school I used to make all her hair gear. I still have loads of ribbon left over that never got made into barrettes. I’m waiting for a grandbaby girl {wink} so I can make her some.
Back in the eighties balloons were popular on barrettes too. They were wired on to the metal barrettes. That might be something fun to try. They were adorable too.
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