How To Make Dog Bows:
Ruffled On Barrette

It's simple to make a ruffled dog bow on a barrette!

We showed Comet the Layered Bow Jo made and he gave us a look that said, “Not in my fur!”

Guess we’ll give it to a doggie that appreciates it...

Can't find ribbon to match the clothes you made your doggie? Why not make your own ribbon? All you need is scrap fabric to match or material from old clothes or piece of cloth bought at the store that is wide and long enough. Note that the ribbon used in the bow shown below was made from an old plaid shirt.

RUFFLED BOW ON BARRETTE

MATERIALS

• Ribbon: About 14 inches (35 cm) long and 1 inch (2.5 cm) wide
• Needle and Thread
• Metal or plastic barrette
• Straight pins or a pen for marking

ESIMATED COST

• USD 1.50 or less

INSTRUCTIONS

RIBBON PREPARATION

• Cut your ribbon ends at matching angles so you have two points
• Use pen or a pin to mark the ribbon an inch (2.5 cm) from each point
• Between those first marks, make four marks at 2-inch (5 cm) intervals
• For each mark, take about 6 inches (15 cm) of double thread and sew a line
• Sew back across and leave the thread ends loose
• We used blue thread to demonstrate. You can use thread that matches your ribbon

RUFFLES

• Start with one end. Pull your first thread tight
• The ribbon should bunch up
• Add a needle to this thread and wrap around the bunched area twice
• Then take the needle and thread and weave under the barrette and over the bunched area a few times
• You can take your needle through the bunched area a few times as well. Just make sure you are not getting the thread around the clasp or spring
• When done, secure your thread and cut off
• Continue with the next threads, folding up the ribbon in between each time
• You should now have six ruffles and two pointy ends
• Adjust the spacing of the ruffles along the barrette and glue on central ornamentation

Here's a picture of the same bow as above with a different ornament in the middle. Jo found it amazing that it was so easy to learn how to make dog bows. It's much less complicated than it looks, isn't it?

• You can use thinner ribbon and space things a little more closely, say 1 3 /4 inches (45mm), or use wider ribbon and put spacing at 2.5 inches (60mm) intervals
• Your ribbon could be shorter or longer so you have between four and ten ruffles on the barrette
• The whole idea is to keep your
  measurements symmetrical and the
  final effect should look good.