One-Hour Wonders! for Rebel & Malice

When Melissa from Rebel & Malice asked for bloggers to share easy, one-hour projects to share in the days leading up to Christmas, I thought it was the perfect place to tutorialize (yes, of course that's a word!) the little fabric bows that I've been sewing up to match some of the recent additions to Miss P's wardrobe. I used woven cotton for these, and all you need is a small piece (scraps are perfect for this!) that measures 8.5" wide by 3.25" long.

Fold your fabric in half along the long edge with right sides facing and sew that long edge closed with a short straight stitch. I use a scant 1/4" seam allowance so I won't have to trim down the edge or lose too much fabric in the SA.

Turn the tube inside out, and press with the seam along the center. This will be the back/inside of your finished bow. Then, fold the short ends together with right sides facing. Sew along the short edge and finish this seam if you'd like.

Now you've got a fabric loop which is going to be the main portion of your bow. Turn it right sides out and press to get a nice crease along your edges. Pinch in the center to form the  bow shape, and you can use a dab of hot glue or a few hand stitches to tack it in place. Or, just hold it tight and wing it!

I use a glue gun to attach a small piece of 3/8" wide grosgrain ribbon for the bow center. I usually cut about 3-4" of ribbon and then just trim the excess. Use a small dot of glue to attach one end of the ribbon to the center back of the bow, and then tightly wrap the ribbon around to the front of the bow and then back to where you started.

Use another dot of glue to hold the end of the ribbon in place, and then trim off the excess. That's it - your bow is finished! I like to use my glue gun to attach the bow to a ribbon-lined hair clip or a headband, like this. If you want to add a little bling to the center, that's cute too. (I found these little red gems in the scrapbooking section of my local craft store.)

I've also used these little bows to fancy up the neckline of a dress, like this one shown below. Miss P wore this dress (pattern is the Cross Bow dress from Boo! Designs) to her grandpa's retirement dinner last month, and the bow was the perfect accessory!

I know I called this a one-hour project, but it's really much less if you're only making one. I recommend cutting out a few at a time and just making them assembly-line style. What will you do with yours??

 Thanks again to Melissa for having me, and I hope everyone has a happy and healthy holiday!