Please indulge me.  I fully realize that 99.9% – Okay, probably 100% – of my readers have absolutely no interest in this blog – DIY Bow Ties.

But…. I DIY something, and I want to blog about it.  It is no great thing, but there is a feeling of accomplishment that is filling my inner self, and I also want to be able to Pin it on Pinterest (Why?? I honestly do not know, but just maybe someone will need a bow tie for a costume, and I can share how I did it. – Though most people could figure it out themselves just like I did.)

Everyone who knows me KNOWS I am not crafty.  The phrase DIY can produce an anxiety attack to yours truly.  Oh, from time to time I try… But the pain and suffering along with the tension headaches followed by the less than pleasing results makes me want to pay cash dollars for whatever I need/want. (Or I have been known to beg Super Sister to come to my rescue.  Super Sister is the one that I am sure was making bows with her umbilical cord in Mother’s womb. – Honestly!  She can do any and everything.  Yes, I have a complex.)

This said – Hot Rod was having a birthday party – a Dr. Who Birthday party, and he wanted to provide red bow ties for his guest.  Seems Dr. Who is a BBC science fiction programme. (Love writing British.) The main character who is a nerdie time traveler called Dr. Who who saves the universe on a weekly basis.  (I might have this wrong.)   At times he wears a red bow tie.  We Googled and Googled bow ties, but could not find red bow ties for a party friendly price.  Then my puzzler got to working.  Maybe I could use grosgrain ribbon to make the bow ties – keep in mind this is party wear not Sunday-Go to-Meeting quality red bow ties.  “I think I can, I think I can, I think I can” – the phrase kept running through my mind.  Then I would think – “Are you crazy?”

I looked online at wikiHow.com/make-a-bow-tie.  They used cloth and elastic to make a bow tie.  That was okay, but I thought the ribbon would be easier – no sewing, turning, etc.  I shared my ideas with Ever-Lovin’ and he thought the plan doable.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained.  We headed to Hobby Lobby for ribbon, elastic, buttons, thread, and needles.  Yes, I even needed thread and needles.

We found the red grosgrain ribbon – two sizes.  While shopping for elastic, another idea came to mind.  Maybe we could use Velcro for the neckbands.  It was about the same price as the elastic, and I wouldn’t have to sew on buttons and cut the correct size slit in the elastic, so Plan B – Velcro for the neckbands.

Honestly, I am okay pleased with the results.  Please do not judge me too harshly.  I know most of you can do better, but at least I tried.

So, I am sharing my DIY How to Make a Bow Tie project with you.  Will you ever need this information?  (Probably not!  But…Maybe someday you will host a Dr. Who party and want to make red bow ties, or how about this?  Halloween is coming.  Surely there is a costume that needs a bow tie.  Of course, if you just need one bow tie, it would be cheaper to fork over cash dollars and save yourself.)

Let’s begin.  Use a twelve inch length of two inch wide grosgrain ribbon.

Sweet Mother of Pearl.  This might be the hardest part of the entire project – threading the needle.  Yes, it is hard to thread the needle especially with old eyes that are not focusing well.

Make a loop with the ribbon and stitch the ends together.  It doesn’t have to be pretty.  Just tack the ends together.

Fold and pinch together the ribbon in the center, and sew to hold in place. (Use the same needle and thread.)

This was a little more than an inch of grosgrain ribbon (7/8″ wide).

I am sure you know what to do.  Sew one end of the ribbon on the back of the bow.  Wrap the ribbon around the center of the bow, and then sew the other end of the small ribbon on the back.  Da – da-a-a-a!

The last step is to sew on the loops piece (about 18 inches) of Velcro.  (I thought the Velcro would be two sided – hooks and loops on the same piece.  The hooks and loops were two seperate strips.)  So…We used a long piece of the loops Velcro and sewed it to the bow tie.  Then we used a short piece of the hoops Velcro to secure the ribbon around each child’s neck.  (Just overlap it so it will fasten.)

 

Surprisingly enough, most of the boys enjoyed wearing the bow ties.

Okay, that is my craftiness for a while.

Thank you for indulging me.  You are the best!

Blessings to you and yours,