Tuesday, September 16, 2008

BY REQUEST! A HAIRCLIP TUTORIAL



When my vast readership speaks, I listen. How could I not? With all these people crowding around here trying to get a peek at what I have to say, there's liable to be a riot if I don't respond. So when one fifth of my readership (one person) requested a hairclip tutorial, I just had to oblige. Kat, this one's for you!

Since I have never written a tutorial before (and since my to-do list is 20 miles long), I decided to keep it simple and go out into the vast resource that is blogland and find a tutorial that uses the same technique that I use to create the hairclips. Why reinvent the wheel when your children need clean underwear and holiday card season is fast approaching? So basically, I'm cheating. But you still get the info, so we all win!

So before we head over to the borrowed tutorial, there are some instructions that I need to give here first. 

Supplies for one clip:
Alligator hair clip (these are the pinchy kind that you press the end and they open up)
Grosgrain ribbon (3/8" width)
Scissors
Glue gun and glue sticks (I have tried other glue trying to be fancy, but hot glue works best)
Felt in three coordinating colors
One Button
Embroidery thread in coordinating color
A square of wax or parchment paper (this is used to pinch between the clip so when you're gluing the glue doesn't stick the clip closed)

To create the felt flower, simply cut out three different flower shapes out of three coordinating colored felt. The largest should be about 2" in diameter, the middle 1 1/2" and the smallest about 1". Once they are cut out, stack them on top of each other, center a button on top of the stack and sew on the button in a contrasting piece of embroidery thread. Then you can embellish with the thread if you want to. It only takes a minute to make a few stitches and add a little detail. 

Now put the flower aside and head on over to The Green Wife for her ribbon covered hairclip tutorial but stop before she adds the ribbon bow. You won't need the ribbon bow, you have that adorable flower that you just created. 


Oh, and after you glue the first side (see above photo), insert the square of wax paper between the clip prongs so that you don't glue the clip shut. You'll thank me later. OK, then come back here!


Now your clip should look like this, only it should still have your little square of wax paper between the clips. Now all you have to do is glue on your felt flower, let that dry a minute, remove the wax paper and you're done!


Then your little angel can stuff a cupcake in her mouth like she hasn't eaten in weeks and she'll still look cute doing it! No one will even notice that she was so ravenous that she didn't even bother to remove the doggie cupcake pick. They'll be too busy oohing and aahing over the adorable felt hairclip. See - it's multi-purpose!

Thank you The Green Wife for creating a wonderful tutorial so that I didn't have to.♥

7 comments:

LeAnn said...

Hey Jo-Ann, you can add one more reader to your list! I mostly lurk because of that crazy babe-in-arms syndrome.

Thanks for sharing your brilliant ideas with us!

Anonymous said...

Great tutorial! I will link it on my next links list, if that is OK with you!

Anonymous said...

Oh my! I am seeing Christmas gift for my soon to be 3 year old!
Thanks for sharing the tutorial.

Suzy said...

I love the clips! However, do you have any idea how to get clips (any clips) to stay in very fine, silky 3 1/2 year old hair? When I find a clip that will stay in I'll be making and buying clips galore!

PUMPKIN PETUNIA said...

Suzy, I know that some hairclips are made with no-slip pads to help them stay in. I haven't tried the pads because my girls have thick hair, but I have heard they work.

I don't know for sure, but to me, the pads just look like the non-slip drawer liners cut into little strips. Maybe you could try that. Buy a pack of non-slip drawer liners, cut a little strip off and glue it to the inside of a clip and see if it works.

Report back if you try it!

Anonymous said...

Thanks!!!

Anonymous said...

Hi! I'm Abbie from www.thegreenwife.com. Your clips are cute!

For non-slip clips, you can use the drawer liner stuff. When I made them non-slip, though, I would just cut a strip from the hook side of a piece of velcro. It did the trick! :)