My mom was a crafty lady, and SUCH a seamstress. I definitely inherited my craftiness and creativity from her, as well as my goofy love for holidays. She passed away nine years ago, but my sisters and I try to keep her fun traditions and quirks alive in our own way. For that reason I thought I would feature a classic Sally Westover craft as my first ever tutorial (!) here in the blogosphere: Halloween Firecracker Hairbows!
My mom started off making her three girls bows like this with red, white, and blue ribbons for the Fourth of July (hence the “firecracker” nickname), and people loved them so much that all three of us ended up with Firecracker Hairbows for every holiday, and we wore them proudly . . . . and we still do.
Yes, that’s right, we wore them to college classes, we wore them to teach in our classrooms, and we wear them now as moms. Someday our kids will be very embarrassed by us.
One year my mom and I even made them in our school colors for my entire drill team and we all wore them with our uniforms when we were performing at football games.
These bows are so cute, versatile, and EASY! For this tutorial I decided to use some of the fabulous Halloween fabric that I recently found at Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores. In all honesty, they are cuter with ribbons, but using scraps was cheaper and easier, since I already had them.
Ready to make your own Halloween Firecracker Hairbows? Seriously, you will be done by the time you finish reading this blog post!
1. Gather up hair elastics and the fabric or ribbon that you plan to use.
2. Prepare by cutting the ribbon or fabric strips to your desired length. I used pinking shears just because I thought they made the bows look fun.
3. Tie the ribbon or fabric strip in a knot around the elastic. Repeat over and over.
Yes, it is THAT easy! So go make some for a festive lady in your life, although I’m sure none of them will be as cute as my adorable model! My little girl is 5 months old and bald as can be, so I’m pretty lucky to have found such an adorable little model—especially since she has that fabulous Halloween-appropriate red hair! What a doll!
If you loved this Halloween post then you may also enjoy these posts:
30+ Halloween Kid Craft Ideas
Spooky Halloween Marshmallow Dippers
The Halloween Goblin: A Halloween Tradition
50 Kid-Friendly Halloween Food Ideas
Don’t forget to also follow along on my Pinterest Halloween board for Halloween inspiration from all over the web!
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Kristy Call says
September 17, 2012 at 9:53 pmFirst of all that little red head is scrumptious! And those hair bows are seriously darling!
Steph @ The Silly Pearl says
September 17, 2012 at 10:16 pmSo cute…both the hair bows and your little girl!
Heidi @ Mom's Crafty Space says
September 18, 2012 at 12:02 amThese are SO adorable! I’ve seen these lots of times, but I never realized how simple they were to make. Definitely going on my list of homemade gifts for my nieces this year. Thanks for sharing!
Ashley says
September 18, 2012 at 9:53 amHow cute! Now I just need to get my daughter’s hair a little longer! So excited about pigtails!
taradara says
September 19, 2012 at 2:19 amSo cute! Makes me wish I had a girl … hmmm … maybe I’ll make them for myself…
Jennifer says
September 19, 2012 at 2:21 amThose are super cute! I wish my little girl had enough hair for pig tails!
Kristen @ Celebrate Every Day With Me says
September 19, 2012 at 7:48 pmCute bows! They’re so versatile. I will have to make them for my daughter. 🙂
Summer says
September 20, 2012 at 5:04 pmSo cute! I just love easy quick crafts like this. thanks so much for sharing!
Anna @ Bean Bug Crafts says
September 26, 2012 at 2:09 pmSuper CUTE! I may have to do this and add them to clips for my little ones little pig tails! Love it though. Thanks for sharing, found your post on Pinterest!
Lisa Hall says
October 24, 2012 at 5:34 amOh goodness! I LOVE these!
Have to make some for my Grandgirls!
Phyllis Strickland says
April 26, 2013 at 8:16 amIf you don’t have a little girl to make these for, they would also make great “bows” for gift packages and bags!!!! That’s what I plan to do.
sarah says
April 26, 2013 at 10:24 amOh my gosh, Phyllis! What a great idea!!! Love it!
Holly B says
June 19, 2013 at 5:37 pmNow, I know what to do with the Halloween fabric I bought to make a wreath that didn’t work out! Thanks!!!
Tracy King says
October 17, 2013 at 5:31 amI love these!! Such an easy way to look more festive. I also love that your mom started it all and that you did and still do wear them proudly!!!
Robin Siciliano says
October 20, 2013 at 11:46 amWhat wonderful ideas on your blog!! Easy, fun, creative…… So happy I found this site. We are making some easy Halloween t-shirts and Firecracker Hairbows today!! Thanks!!!
Sarah says
October 20, 2013 at 1:54 pmYAY!!! Thanks for letting me know! This made my day!