project: little-house-inspired bow

I don't usually wear bows in my hair. In fact, I don't like to mess with my hair too much. But while watching an episode of Little House on the Prairie, I saw something that made me want to try a bow. Ma Ingalls goes to the theater with Pa, and her hair is all pulled up. Underneath the updo, she has a large-ish pink bow. It was perfection, and I had to create a version for myself!

To make it easy to craft and wear, my bow is made of wool felt, and I've attached it to a hair comb. Consider this a place to start, because I know that you could (and many already have) make this in lots of ways.



To make your own pretty bow hair comb, you'll need:
Wool felt
Embroidery floss
A hair comb (the kind I'm using can be found with jewelry findings)



Cut the wool felt into strips at the following approximate sizes (these can be adjusted to your liking, depending on how big you want your bow to be):

1.25 x 8 inches
1.25 x 5 inches (with angled or notched ends)
.75 x 2.5 inches



Stitch the long strip into a loop as shown. For mine, I added some stitching along the sides of the smallest strip...it's just there to look pretty!



Layer the three elements as shown: notched strip, loop, small stitched strip.




Wrap the stitched strip around the other two pieces, and pull it in to create little tucks in the bow. The two ends should overlap a bit in the back. Hold it tight, or pin it.



Sew the small strip together in the back, catching some layers of the rest of the bow, if possible.



Stitch the comb onto the back of the bow, wrapping it around the bar and through the teeth, then back through the felt.



And here's how I wore mine:




I pulled my hair into a high bun, then slid the comb in right underneath it. Looking at the photos, it's a little more like Pebbles from the Flintstones, but I suppose if my hair was a bit lower it would be closer to Ma Ingalls! Still, it's one of my favorite hair accessories that I've ever made!

More colors may be required...