DIY Denim Bow

Hellooo! In my last post, I updated a pair of old jeans for summer (check it out: Old Jeans to New Shorts). In this post I'm going to be using the extra fabric from those jeans to make... drum roll please.... Denim Bows! I won't lie to you, I thought this was going to be really difficult and I was pretty nervous getting started. But everyone started somewhere right? Even with my basic sewing skills I managed to make not one, but two pretty decent looking bows! If you want to try it, keep reading! (I made sure to add a lot of pictures, hopefully it helps!)

Materials:

- Denim fabric (or other fabrics if you want to make a different kind of bow)

- Shears for cutting fabric

- Needle and thread

- Bobby pin (if you want to wear your bow in your hair) 

 For those of you who kept your material from my last DIY, just cut that pant leg so you can open it up. Then cut a small, rectangular section off that you will be using for your bow. Keep in mind that the length of your finished bow will be half of the length of your material and the width of your finished bow will be the a little bit smaller than the width of fabric you originally cut. Okay! Let's make this bow!

1. With your rectangular piece of fabric, hem the edges along the length of the material. It doesn't have to be perfect but it does have to be able to hold the edges down. Check out my pics:







<------ This is what it should kind of look like when you're done! You can also trim the excess thread as we go along.

2. After your done hemming, you want to sew the two "width" sides together to make sort of a mini cuff. Don't sew it through to the other side!

            

3. Now get prepared to cinch the middle part of your bow, this is when you'll start to see the bow shape through the folds/creases. Fold your bow to your desired shape and crease lines. In mine, I just made one crease in the middle. To do this, you have to make 3 zig-zag folds on the width of the bow. Once you get that, through the very middle, pull your needle and thread through to hold it in place. Then wrap the thread around the middle of your bow a few times, pull your needle and thread through a spot on the back side of your bow and tie a knot. Good job! 

                  

                    front

back

4. You will need to cut another piece small of fabric to wrap around the middle of your bow and hide the thread. This piece should be long enough so that it over laps a little in the back. 

              

5. On the back of your bow, sew this middle piece in place. And.... you're done!

 

I decided that I wanted to be able to wear this in my hair, so I looped a bobby pin through the back of the middle piece. You can use different kinds of pins and secure them permanently with super glue or a hot glue gun if you'd like. I only had a booby pin but it still worked out okay!

***Sorry, I was having a little too much fun with the camera!***

What I've learned:

- Double knot the ends of your threads. The material I used had a little bit of "stretch" to it and one of my knots slipped through at the beginning.

- It's okay it your denim has frayed edges, it gives the bow an edgy look.

- If you're first bow doesn't come out the way you wanted, try again! I like my second attempt a lot more!

My second attempt:

I decided to make another, bigger bow! With this one, I was able to make two creases in the middle (mainly because it was bigger and easier to work with). I also flipped the middle piece around to show the what would be the inside of your jeans and I think it gives it a cool look! What do you think?

          

Please post comments and/or subscribe! I would love to hear from you!

Alison <3