DIY Fabric Knot Hair Bows & Hairstyle Ideas!

This post is sponsored by Nickelodeon……however, all opinions and tutorials are mine and mine alone.

I don’t know if I’ve ever mentioned it here on the blog….but when I was a little girl, I LOVED doing hair!  My “specialty” was french braiding, and starting when I was in 2nd grade, I would french braid all my friends’ hair on the long bus ride to school every morning.  We lived out in the country and our bus ride was at least 45-60 minutes long and I did that for YEARS…..so let me tell ya, I braided miles and miles of hair! :)  My two daughters, Ellie and Chloe, both love doing hair too and oftentimes ask if they can sit behind me and add braids and pony tails and hair bows to my hair.  Their technique needs a little tweaking (umm….OUCH!), but it’s fun to see what they come up with!

I was just recently introduced to a cute children’s show on Nick Jr, called Sunny Day, which is about a spunky salon owner named Sunny and her friends Rox and Blair, who help her solve problems/dilemmas in their town—all while creating new hairstyles and having fun with hair!  The concept is unique….and my girls (especially Chloe) really love it!  Plus they have extra videos with hair style tutorials called “Style Files”, created on real life models, which are fun for my girls to watch and try to recreate!  You can watch Sunny Day weekdays on Nickelodeon!

I was invited to participate in coming up with a Sunny Day inspired project, and I knew my girls would be all in, so I said, SURE!!  The show is very bright and happy, with tons of color and music…..so I knew I wanted to create something along those lines.  And because my girls can never have enough hair accessories, I made these really easy Fabric Knot Hair Bows, that are so darling in their hair!  But, I also decided to take some pictures of a few simple hairstyles that we use now and then, that also work really well with these Fabric Knot Hair Bows….just in case any of you need some new ideas, as well as pictures to see how they’re created! (More on that down below…)

When I showed Chloe her first Sunny Day episode….she immediately ran and grabbed her box of hair supplies and her mannequin head, and got right to work!

(If you have kids who like to do hair….don’t buy the toy styling heads.  That hair is so hard to brush through and becomes a tangled mess.  I get my girls these mannequin heads that they sell for beauty school….which has real hair on it. It’s so much easier to brush and style!)

While Chloe was working on her hairstyles and gaining inspiration from Sunny Day, I began trying out different ways to add these cute Knot Hair Bows to her hair…..just like Sunny and her friends were doing on the show!

Here’s a quick preview of the styles I came up with (which I’ll share down below)…to use these happy bows.

Just for fun, I wanted to see what it looked like if I put several of these hair bows in Chloe’s hair….and surprisingly, I actually kinda liked how it turned out!  I love me some color…..so it was fun to see them all in her hair, in these divided sections!

This rope braid is something that I put in my girls hair ALL the time and constantly get asked how I do it….so I’ll be sure and teach you that down below, in case you’ve been curious how it’s done!

These piggy buns are a fun one that we do a lot to keep the hair off Chloe’s neck in the hot summer months….but I’m loving how it looks with these hair bows attached!

I’m so glad I made this many hair bows….but am thinking that I need so many more colors!

These spunky little messy buns are something we haven’t been able to do for a while (because Chloe donated her hair about a year ago)….but is also a fun way to use these knotted hair bows!

And lastly…..the classic piggy tails.  Simple and cute!

It’s fair to say we love doing hair around here…..so this new Sunny Day show fits right in with us!

Okay, so let me show you how to make these super easy Hair Bows real quick!!

SUPPLIES for Fabric Knot Hair Bows:

• Cotton fabric, any color
• Hair elastic
• Hair Bow Template —> HERE
• Sewing Supplies (here’s a list of my favorite sewing supplies, in case you need a few ideas)

***Check out my Sewing Terms 101 post, for additional help.

Print off and cut out the template linked up above.  Cut 2 pieces of fabric from your pattern piece.

Place your 2 pieces together with RIGHT sides together and sew all the way around, using a 1/4 inch seam allowance….leaving about a 2 inch opening along one side.

Trim away about 1/8 inch of excess fabric around the curve at both ends.

Turn right side out through the opening, tucking in the raw opening 1/4 inch.  Press flat.  (Don’t bother sewing it closed.  Once you tie it in a knot, it will stay closed and secure and won’t be a problem.  You can hand-stitch it closed if you want to….but I didn’t.)

Slide your hair elastic down around the middle of the fabric.

Then tie the two ends of your fabric strip together just one time, manipulating the fabric ends to be sure they lay flat and facing upward and you’re pulling it tight..

And that’s it.  Now make a whole bunch more, because yep, you’re going to want them! :)

Okay, now onto these quick hair tutorials.  This first one, is one I get asked about ALL THE TIME.  It seems way more complicated than it really is…..but once you get the hang of it, it’s a fun one!

Side Rope Braid Hair Tutorial

Grab your section of hair that you want to turn into a rope.  (Placing a rubber band at the base helps keep the hair in place…..but you don’t have to add one.)

Divide your section of hair into 2 equal pieces.

Now, this is VERY IMPORTANT.  Twist each section individually, but in the same direction.  So, if you look closely, I am twisting both sections of hair to the right, or clockwise.  (I had Chloe hold one of the sections so I could hold the camera….but I normally do this by twisting one section per hand.)

Now, this second step is also VERY IMPORTANT.  Twist those two sections together in the OPPOSITE direction.  So if you look closely, you can see that I twisted them together to the left, or counter-clockwise.

As you work your way down the braid, continue twisting both individual sections to the right and then keep twisting them together to the left.

Keep braiding on down the same way…

Once you reach the end….add an elastic, and that’s it!  Let the rope go….and it won’t unwind. Magical!!!

***You can use this same method and braid the entire head of hair, several little ones, or even create a “french braid” across the crown of the head, etc.  It’s a fun one, once you get the hang of it! :)

Rope Braid into Piggy Buns Hair Tutorial

This tutorial piggy backs off of the previous rope braid tutorial.  Once you add the rope braid, then divide the rest of the hair in half and put into piggy tails, making sure to add the braid to one of the piggy tails.  Once it’s secure, you can take the rubber band of the end of the braid and let the hair blend in with the piggy tail.

Now, grab the end of the piggy tail and begin twisting it into one piece.

Then begin twisting the hair around the base of the piggy tail, keeping it twisted and snug.

Tuck the ends the best you can…

…and then use one of your hair bows to secure the bun in place.

Repeat on the other side! (It’s okay if you have more ends of hair sticking out.  Messy buns are also very cute!)

Divided Sections Hair Tutorial

Begin by dividing the hair in half along the scalp.  I always divide off to one side along the top of the head and them more towards the middle as I get to the back of the head….because that’s just I prefer on my girls, but dividing straight down the middle works too.

Now work on the right side of the head first and divide the hair up at the top part down to the top of the ear.

Add one of the air bow elastics to this section of hair, keeping the knot of the bow facing forward.

Divide the remaining hair on the right side in half….

…nd then pull this section into another elastic.

Add a 3rd hair bow elastic to the remaining hair on this right side of the head.

Repeat on the left side of the head.  And done!

Half Pull Through Piggy Buns Hair Tutorial

These are pretty simple….but sometimes confuse people.  All you do to create these is wrap your hair bow elastic around again again until your about to wrap it around the very last time.

But as you’re pulling the hair through…..don’t pull it all the way out.

Grab the bobble of hair and pull and tighten it….spreading the hair out as you pull on it, creating a messier look.

And that’s it!

Now be sure and check out the Sunny Day site for full episodes, games, and plenty of hair tutorials that you can watch and try out yourself! Keep Smilin’. Keep Stylin’!

Enjoy!

-Ashley