Curly/korker Hair Bows

Save yourself some money buying those boutique bows and make them at home yourself. They're easy! I promise!

Step 1: Supplies

Gather your supplies. For this bow I used:

1/4" ribbon
1/4" wooden dowels
small binder clips
hair clip
glue gun
strong thread

If you want to use wider or narrower ribbon, you may want to experiment with different sized dowels. Grosgrain ribbon can also be used and looks really cute. I generally use upholstery thread, but you could even use dental floss if you want.

Step 2: Wrap your dowel with ribbon

Secure your ribbon to one end of the dowel with a binder clip. Wrap it in a spiral until the entire dowel is covered. Secure the other end with a second clip. If you run out of ribbon somewhere in the middle, just add another length and secure with an additional clip.

Step 3: Baking your ribbon

The more ribbon you curl, the fuller the bow will be. These eleven dowels will make two medium full bows. For small girls you may want to make teeny bows, so this would make several.

Continue wrapping dowels until you have several. Set them on a cookie sheet and bake at 250 degrees for about twenty minutes. Let them cool completely.

Step 4: Unwrap

Pull of the clips and gently unwrap your ribbon.

Step 5: Cutting

Your ribbons may look a little wonky on the ends. Trim off any weird pieces.

Cut the ribbons into desired length. These pieces are about four inches long and since I want the bows fairly full, I've used six dowels worth of ribbon.

ETA: Depending on the type of ribbon you use, you may need to seal the ends to prevent fraying. Acrylic ribbon can be sealed by holding the cut end near a flame briefly until it melts very slightly, or dab the ends with Fray Check. Some ribbons may be just fine if you cut at a 45 degree angle.

Step 6: Tying

Center your little bundle of ribbon on a piece of thread long enough to work with. Twelve inches is more than enough. Kind of mix them up a bit so the colors don't clump together too much.

Gather the thread tightly and tie a good, secure knot. Wrap it around one more time and tie it again.

Step 7: Finishing

Glue your hair clip to the bundle. You may want to line the clip with ribbon first, but with a full bow like this, I don't find it terribly necessary.

Once the glue has set, flip it over and trim the ends if you'd like to clean it up a bit.

Now go make a little girl happy!

Comments

[cardumen]

Thanks a lot!! These instructions have been very helpful for me. Well, I'm just trying out to make them and do hope they work out well for me. :)

[judywhite1]

Thank you so much!!! I've been buying hairbows for my little granddaughter for months now....but I am a crafter and it had crossed my mind...maybe I could make....but I had
no idea how easy it is.
Thank you thank you....you've opened a new crafting avenue for me!

[Jessie Marie]

I have to try to make one of these!! Awesome instructable!

[teacherspet1]

Wondering if there was a tip or a step I am leaving out My korkers look really pretty, however, the ribbons get all stuck into each other after I'm finished How do you keep them to stay separated and fluffy? Help!! Thanks!!

[annamezz]

Thank you!! Wish I found this site a few weeks ago-I have spent close to 100.00 on these from E-bay-had no idea they were so simple to do!! Thanks!!

[carowade]

When baking the ribbons, do you preheat the oven?

[tatianam]

Muy buen post, quisiera saber si se desarman los rizos en caso de mojarse, muchas gracias

[CookieMonstah123]

NO Creo Porke si Le Kema Las Orillas De El Liston No Se Iva DEsacer!

[aklouse]

Thank you so much. I am going to make these for my daughters dance class for their tap shoes. They will look adorable with them on there!!

[sirena80]

OMG NEVER THOUGHT THEY WERE THIS EASY TO MAKE . WILL DEFINATELY TRY MAKING SOME FOR HALLOWEEN. I HAVE A QUESTION IF I'M USING GROSSGRAIN RIBBON ARE THE TIMES IN THE OVEN THE SAME ARE THE INSTRUCTIONS THE SAME? THANKS SO MUCH FOR PEOPLE LIKE YOU !

[Mickiswing]

Yup, the times are the same for grosgrain ribbon too. Good luck!

[AllyBolton]

Are these bows good for cheerleading tryouts? like i mean can they with stand tumbling jumps and other really fast moving things? if so plz tell me!

[Mickiswing]

I think they'd be great to cheerleading! They really are very durable, especially if you take care to make sure the bow is really anchored to the clip. Our bows have withstood a lot of activity and are still holding strong.

[stephanie.hayes]

how do you get the curls to stay?

[Mickiswing]

Hey Stephanie!

The baking of the ribbon sets the curls. It's similar to using a curling iron on your hair - the heat sets it in.

[marsneedsrabbits]

Thank you so much! You've made a wonderful tutorial. My little one has been asking for pretty bows to wear lately and I had been putting off buying them because they are so darned expensive. I have everything to make these tomorrow.

[Mickiswing]

I sent a msg to your email address as well, but here you go again, just in case. 

I wouldn't recommend using the microwave for curling your ribbons as the microwave heats unevenly.  There is a certain point at which the ribbon will just start melting. 

[IAguirre]

I really love this bows, but how can I attach a ponytail holder to them?

[Mickiswing]

It's not too hard.  Before you get to step 6 where you start tying your bow with thread, I would thread a needle, two strands of thread and knot it really well.  Instead of just tying, I would bring the needle up and down through the stack of ribbons a few times.  Then push your needle through the middle of a ponytail holder, wrap the thread around once or twice, then back through the holder again.  Repeat until it feels secure. 

I hope that helps!  Good luck!

[IAguirre]

Thank you so much. I also have another question, I made one the other day but its not as round looking as yours. Mine seems to look a little droopy, how can I make it be puffy and round looking. Thanks a million.

[Mickiswing]

I couldn't say for sure without seeing a picture.  But I would guess that either you need to add a few more ribbons to the cluster to puff it up a bit. 

[jazitup]

This is absolutely wonderful.  I've been paying a fortune for tiney little bows such as these and I so wanted to make my own using colors I love!  This is PERFECT.  Thanks so much for sharing!

[kragen]

Thank you for the help on the bows. I have made some but some are out of my range. I went to hairbowstogo to get some that I could not do myself. Great website and thanks again I have learned a lot

[mrskanga]

This is just so fantastic! I am an Aussie mum, and we just can't get korkers here. I have bought a few Gymboree ones from eBay but of course they cost a fortune to get here, so to be able to make my own for my little girl is really great! Could you please tell me how long are the lengths of dowling that you use?

[Mickiswing]

I'm glad I could help! The dowels I used were 15". These particular ones were bought pre-cut in a package from the craft store, but it doesn't take much to buy a few full length dowels and cut them down to the size you want. Good luck!

[Mama2Luvu]

Your bows are absolutely adorable. I'm on my way out to buy supplies. I always thought you HAD to use grosgrain ribbon, no? What kind of ribbon have you used in this bow? Also, do I need to presoak the ribbon in water first? Thank you so much.

[Mickiswing]

You don't have to use grosgrain. This is just the regular satin ribbon you can buy for super cheap. Both kinds will work. There's no need to presoak the ribbon first, the oven will do the trick! I'm glad you like the bows. Good luck!

[rubi.garcia]

Can I use the microwave? and what temperature? please answer me [e-mail]

[ardonskids]

Thank you for this! I've just been wondering how to make ribbon curly! I tried a small curling iron... I even wrapped them around things with starch and nothing! I tried this and it worked perfectly! I tied my ribbons around an elastic hair band and it looked super cute! I'll try the clips next! Thanks again!

[Belle01]

I can't wait to try making these. I think my daughters are going to have a great deal of fun picking out the colors they like.

[codeeshannon]

Thank you so much. I always thought you bought the ribbon already curly. Anyway thank you so much for the instructions. I cant wait to make them

[melinda.kroon]

AAHHHHH! so excited to make these! It's going to save me alot of money buying those expensive ones from Gymboree and it looks like fun! going to try it out tonight!!! thanks sooo much for the amazing instructions!

[glen79]

Thank you so much! I have being looking like a crazy in all stores for the curly ribbons, now that I know how to do it I'm going to start to do my girls bows. Hope you have more tips like this.

[traviesa87]

Super cute!!! I wish I would've known this info "back in the day", we would get our bows custom-made for cheerleading, but now I realize they really poked our eyes out with the amount they charged. I will not make the same mistakes with my little one, thank goodness for the Internet and clever people like you. Kudos and Thanks! :)

[amandalen]

Thank you so much for posting these. I went out today to buy all the supplies I can't wait to make them. I do have a question. Where did you find the clips and are those the only clips you have tried these bows on..(the one's in the instructions?)

[grosgrain ribbon]

Hi this is a great project. I usually use 3/8" Schiff grosgrain ribbon. Schiff seems to hold the curls better than most brands I have tried. It's also pretty cheap I get my Schiff grosgrain ribbon here http://www.houseofribbon.com/proddetail.php?prod=SGGSIZECOLOR . I get the dowels from walmart and cut them.

[Mickiswing]

You're welcome!

I usually buy my clips (like the ones in the photos) at the craft store. They're usually near the beading section.

I have also used ribbon covered alligator clips. You can buy boxes or small pkgs of alligator clips at most beauty supply stores. I use the instructions here to cover them: (you may have to sign up to access the forum, but it's free and very helpful!) http://www.hipgirlclips.com/store/index.php?main_page=document_general_info&cPath=31&products_id=1457

I hope that answered your question, but let me know if you need anything else!
Thanks!

[tshorty04]

I am getting ready to make some bows got the stuff today..you are great giving instructions with pics and all.The only place I found that was useful=]
Thanks

[dhina7]

WOW, you enspired me.. awesome awesome!!!

[tish8usa]

I have been trying to figure out how to make the ribbon curl forever. Thanks millions, my 3 yr old princess needs more curly bows and I no longer feel like giving Gymboree my money ;-) Thanks Again!