DIY: 6 Steps on How to Create a Bow

By Lizbeth Kariuki

Shear top: Mr. Price Jeggings: New York company Strappy heels: Alfani

I was recently invited to a party where the theme was to bow-ties or Ankara prints. I really wanted to wear a bow-tie since I never have. Now, the only bow’s I own can be found on my hair accessories, and I had an extremely short time to go searching for a bow-tie to purchase.
That’s where my spirit for creativity kicked in and I decided to make a bow for myself and a friend of mine. I loved the final result, and I thought I would share how to make one with you. As much as it was meant to be a bow-tie originally, I soon came to realize it can really be an accessory for anything – hair bands, bracelets and any other trinket.

STEP 1: Pick a piece of fabric that you would like to use. You could even cut out the fabric from a piece of clothing that you do not wear anymore. The key thing is to pick a print that you would love, or pick a basic neutral color that can go with anything you wear, i.e. black or white. The size of the cloth depends on how big you want to make the bow. My piece was about 15cmx20cm, and this measurement is what I used to direct the rest of my tutorial.

STEP 2: About 3cm off the edge of the fabric, cut off a piece of fabric. The fabric will serve to hold the middle of the bow. NOTE: You can decide to use a different colored fabric to hold the middle of the bow.

STEP 3: From the left and right sides of the fabric fold in about 3cm each and sow them in place.

STEP 4: Fold in about 2cm from the top and bottom and sow in place. Repeat step 3 and step 4 for the thin strip of fabric cut off in step 2.

STEP 6: Cut off any unwanted hanging threads, and with the thin strip of fabric, wrap it around the bow. Sow in place, and it should come together.

FINAL RESULT: This is how the bow's came together. To keep it in place as a bow-tie I used a safety pin.You can also use a large rubber band.