Saturday, June 9, 2012

DIY Hair Clips

While in Anthropologie drooling over all the cute clothes that I can only dream of affording I stumbled upon these beautiful hair clips.



I fell in love. And as I looked at it a thought popped into my mind. Hey. I bet I could make this. 

Step 1. Choosing Your Shape. 
I like the flower idea so after a bit of googling and tweaking on paint I found myself the perfect template. 



If this isn't the template you want to use they are easy to find, just type in flower (or any other shape) template into google.

Step 2.  Fabric.
Find a good fabric, the thicker the better.  


($2.50 at Goodwill)

Step 3. Trace the template onto your piece of fabric.


And then cut your flower out.


Make sure to leave a little bit on the top. 


To make things easier use the little piece you left on the top to clip onto something like a clipboard or a book.

(Read Around the World in Eighty Days by the way)

Step 3. Decorate the Fabric.
Pick out some pretty beads and decide if you want enough to cover every inch of the fabric or leave some exposed. I plan on covering every inch. 
(You can buy beads at Michael's or online at Fusionbeads)

Now, you can use simple sewing thread to sew the beads onto the fabric but I would suggest (and what I will be using) is FireLine size 0.006 which can be bought at Michael's. 

Thread a needle and make sure the needle is small enough to fit through your smallest beads.

There are lots of ways to go about doing this so if you have figured out a way that works for you use it, but if you haven't I would suggest starting in the center and working your way out and around. 





The best way to do the petals is to outline them and then work inward. 


Step 4. Cutting off the extra fabric.

When you have finished beading the entire flower you can cut off the excess fabric at the top. 


Step 5. Clean up your hair clip. 

Looking at the back isn't very pretty so lets cover it up. Grab another piece of fabric, the same one you used before or a new one. This step it very important because not only does it cover the ugly back but it protects the thread from getting snagged and ripping which, if that happens, could destroy all of your work. 


Add a few dabs of super glue on the places were the thread begins for extra protection. 

Then thread your needle, this time with sewing thread and sew together the new piece of fabric with your beaded flower. Only make one stitch to start out with. 


Then cut out the new piece of fabric a little bigger than the beaded flower. (The single stitch holds the two pieces of fabric together so they don't slip and slide everywhere when you are cutting.)


Step 5. Sewing together.


Now begin hand sewing the two pieces together. 


When you're finished snip the ends and add a dab of glue to the knot.
(I used green thread for clarity but I would suggest using a color that blends in better with the fabric you choose.)

Step 6. Adding the clip.

Pick a clip that is the length of the template you used. Don't use a bobby pin! They aren't strong enough to hold the beads! Make sure that the clip is all metal and doesn't have anything already attached because the super glue won't stick to it. 


Apply a generous amount of glue to the clip. 


And stick the clip carefully on the fabric applying pressure for about a minute. 



Admire you work for a moment and then clip it into your hair! 


I hope you found this helpful!
Comment if you have any questions about the steps.