bow holder

I’m swinging by this Saturday night to show off a little weekend crafting. I’m trying to knock out all the little projects that are left for the baby’s room in small chunks instead of subjecting myself to a tortuous sewing marathon. That’s pretty much my approach to life in general these days, just taking what I can in small chunks.

I had to leave Target after *only* getting what was on my list the other day out of sheer exhaustion. *GASP* Can you imagine?! I didn’t even have the energy to browse the baby section or the accessories! I was winded after just 15 minutes. Shockingly, I managed to keep the bill to under $50 that time, which NEVER happens. Target owns me.

So my small chunk today was to knock out a fun little craft that serves as wall decor and a bow holder for all those adorable little bows baby girl will undoubtedly collect as she grows older. My collection right now is pretty pathetic, but I can’t wait to fill this whole thing up. Yes, I am unashamedly in love with bows on baby girls (but I draw the line when the bow is so large it makes the baby look like a helicopter).

Love! I was inspired by this tutorial for a bow holder made from a picture frame and by this simple tutorial for wall art made from fabric scraps and quilt hoops. I needed something to go above the dresser/changing table and love how this incorporates the fabrics I’m using and the function of a bow holder.

What you need:

1 18×27 Quilt Hoop ($9.95 at Hancock Fabrics)
1 yard fabric (main fabric uses)
3 yards ribbon OR  1/4 yard (or scrap) of accent fabric
hot glue gun

I’ve also kissed and made up with my Olfa Rotary Cutter and found it to be pretty helpful for this project.

If you’re going the ribbon route, you can just skip this step. If you’re like me, though, and want to use an accent fabric, you need to do the following.

Cut 2 3 inch wide strips the width of your fabric. (I think my fabric was 54ish inches wide, if yours is substantially shorter, make adjustments accordingly.)

Fold each strip right side together, lengthwise and press.

Sew up the side with a 1/4 inch seam allowance, leave both ends open.

Then cut 20 inches off each strip, leaving one a little shorter than the other and giving 4 in total. Then turn each one right side out and press with the seam in the middle.

Before you start putting it together, make sure your main fabric is pressed and looking nice, then lay your main fabric over the top of the inner circle of the quilting hoop, lining the pattern up how you’d like. Don’t worry, you can still make small adjustments from here. Once you’ve got that positioned, lay the ribbon or the strips of fabric where you’d like them. I just eyeballed it. Then press your outer loop over the fabric laid on top of the inner loop.

Flip it over and pull the fabric and ribbon/strips tight. Then trim your fabric leaving about an inch of fabric around the edge.

Add a bead of hot glue, a few inches at a time, around the inside of the hoop, pull the fabric over and adhere. Once you’ve glued all the main fabric, fold over the ribbon/strips (making sure to adjust the tension one last time) and glue down.

Flip it over, admire and hang on the wall. Add adorable bows and say “Awwww!”

Oops! I’ve already shown you more of the nursery than I wanted to. I’m holding out on giving you more until the grand reveal… you know, unless I come up with any more fun crafts between now and then.