Thursday, April 2, 2009

Reversible Flower Girl Hair Slides Tutorial

I love to make simple hair accessories for my girls from scraps of fabric leftover from sewing projects. They make great birthday favors, present toppers and little gifts for friends and family too. This summer a friends daughter is the flower girl in a wedding and I agreed to whip her up some slides for her up do. One of the fabrics that the bride is using to punch up things a bit is a turquoise gingham. This fabric is the sash on the flower girls dress. So I thought it would be sweet to make some reversible flowers for the child's hair. I also have an overwhelming urge to make a zillion of the flowers for the little girl to drop as she walks down the aisle instead of real petals. The pattern and color almost makes me swoon at the thought!


If you would like to make some for your child you will need: 2 scraps of coordinating fabric, a shape template, disappearing fabric marker, sharp scissors, fusible web for applique and bobby pins.
I use a brand of webbing called Trans-Web. It is basically tiny little glue dots that you iron on. I like it for this project because it does not add weight to the flowers .
Step 1. Iron your fabric scraps so that they are wrinkle free.
Step 2. Cut a piece of Trans-Web off the roll slightly smaller than your fabric scraps. Then following the directions on the Trans-Web or whatever double sided fusible web you choose iron it to the wrong side of your 1st piece of fabric. Step 3. Peel off the clear backing exposing the glue
Step 4. Now place this fabric with it's glue side down on the wrong side of your second piece of fabric. Making a fabric sandwich with the good sides of the fabric showing. Iron the two pieces together following the directions on the package .
Step 5. I like to trim the scraps down at this point so that I only have fabric that is bonded together.
Step 6. Trace around your flower template using a disappearing fabric marker. Test the marker on a scrap to make sure it will indeed disappear. I find that on all cotton fabric the marker disappears quickly but on poly-cotton blends it can take a couple hours.

Step 7 & 8. Using very sharp scissors cut the flower out. To make the holes for the bobby pin to go through I use a very sharp and pointy pair of cuticle scissors. I have also used a brad hole punch from my scrap booking supplies and a toothpick. The scissors and the toothpick work the best. Punch two small holes near the center of the flower with the tip of the scissors. Step 9. Thread the tips of the bobby pin through the two holes you just made.

There are many shapes you could use instead of flowers. Just about anything that can be viewed in silhouette would be perfect for these. butterflies, dragon flies, rabbits and of course lots of different shaped flowers. Have fun!

Here are the templates that I have recently used.



I gave these butterfly slides away at Easter time to all the little girls in my family and some friends too. They would make lovely gift toppers or party favors.

Miss Ella would not hold still for this photo. Butterfly slide holding back her sparse bangs!

11 comments:

  1. this is a wonderful idea! simple, QUICK, and adorable! high fives to you! thank you SO much for sharing :)

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  2. So darling! My older girl would love this! My younger girl would too, but she recently cut her hair too short for such doodads.

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  3. Sarah, Don't let that stop you! My Ella who has no hair wears one to hold back her bangs. They look very sweet that way and are fantastic to make to match outfits if you sew :)

    Thank you to everyone! I would love to see what you make. S~

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  4. awww so simply sweet.
    i don't know where i can get this trans web in kuala lumpur, malaysia because i've nvr seen it before in any craft/fabric shop. i guess i have to search harder. do u have any suggestion where i can get it online maybe?

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  5. these are soooooooooooooooooo cute!
    Sure I am gonna make them for my girls....

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  6. many many thanks for this great tuto !
    I made it
    I'll put pictures tomorrow
    sincerely

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  7. Great tutorial! love it, thanks for sharing

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