March 07, 2011

Bow tie paper clips from fabric scraps

I had a couple little scraps left over from stiffened fabric projects, and after fiddling with them, I noticed they'd easily make tiny bows. Which I attached to paper clips because... I don't know why. These could work as bookmarks, on wedding invitations, Valentines, etc. Or attach the bows to hair clips for little girls or pencils for bridal shower games.

I used fabric scraps, stiffener, large paper clips, a scissors, an iron, twist ties (or wire), and a hot glue gun.

Apply stiffener to your scraps (learn more here) and iron them flat. Cut three pieces for each bow in roughly these sizes:
Bow: 4.5" x 0.75"
Tails: 3.5" x 0.75"
Center band: 1.5" x 0.25"

Form the longest strip into a loop, overlapping the ends generously. Then pinch down at the center to form a bow shape. The nifty thing about the stiffened fabric is that the edges won't fray, and it will keep its shape as you bend it around. If you don't like the bow you made, iron the fabric flat and start over.

Pinch the "tail" strip in the center the same way. Yank it around some and show it who's boss.

Then attach the bow to the tails using a piece of wire. I cut the green paper edges off twist ties I'd once pilfered from the grocery store. Worked great. Twist the wire tightly to secure it and clip off the excess.

Use the tiny remaining strip of fabric to attach the bow to the paper clip. Trim it as needed and wrap it around the bow and clip, and securing it with a bit of hot glue.

Trim the tails to the length you like.

67 comments:

  1. What a great idea! I have so many scraps laying around. Now I know what to do with them. Thanks!

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  2. That is a great idea! Thanks for sharing!

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  3. Cute! Gee, I just made some new pretty scraps. Alas, I don't have stiffener or a glue gun.

    Mum

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  4. Really cute! I'm happy to know about fabric stiffener too!

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  5. You are so stinkin' creative! These are fun!

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  6. ohhhhmygoodness, these are just stupid adorable. Such a great idea, thanks for sharing!

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  7. I really have a thing for bows, and I can't let go of my fabric scraps, so I LOVE these! great idea! ;D

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  8. Que lindos! Obrigada por compartilhar com o mundo!

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  9. These are adorable! Thanks for sharing!

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  10. How cute is this!! I love your ideas, Jess. x

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  11. You and the fabric stiffener - what next?? I love it.

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  12. Gorgeous - I have two little girls who LOVE hair accessories....brilliant idea. Thanks for sharing.

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  13. so.darn.cute.
    I think I have to make some.

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  14. cute! i wanna go get the clips and scrap now! thanks for the great idea

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  15. What an adorable idea! I can't wait to make some.

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  16. Super cute! What a great idea!! Thank you so much for sharing!!

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  17. Okay...these are BEYOND fabulous. I am in love, and my head is SPINNING with the possibilities.

    My head is also trying not to laugh at the word "stiffener", but I'm pretty sure I'll blame that on the influence of my husbands immature sense of humor.

    My fabric scraps and I are sending you our RESOUNDING thank you! And We can't wait to get started.

    Cute, cute, and more Cute!!

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  18. What an excellent idea! I'll have to tell my fellow crafter who is still looking for ideas for a Mother's Day stall.

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  19. C'est une super idée !!!
    Je retiens !
    Bisous
    Barbichounette

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  20. I love them. Tying a bow is an art form!

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  21. such a cute paper clip! my cats would be on these in a second. I'd be losing my place in whatever book I'm reading. thanks for the tutorial!

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  22. What a sweet idea! My 4 year old looked at them and proclaimed them, "so cute little bows."

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  23. Oh! These are adorable. But please don't use them as bookmarks! If you'd like to damage your own books, I guess you could go for it. Just don't use these in library books or you just might end up paying for the damages.

    I know that might seem silly, but they can really damage a book.

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  24. Are you a librarian, Chelsie? This is my private theory. :)

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  25. Oh my gosh-YES! My nightly reading time is my favorite time of the day. Incorporating favorite fabrics can only make it better. Thanks so much for this one- I'll be spreading the word.

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  26. So great! Thank you for sharing. (I just need to find me some stiffener...)

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  27. Jessica- I've been caught! I do work in a library. And recently spent a good amount of time pulling paper clips out of a book. The patron was charged the replacement fee for the item. It was pretty mangled from all the bending.

    But again- feel free to use them on your own books! I really do like them a lot!

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  28. This is the cutest idea! Thank you so much for posting the tutorial. I love that it gives me a way to use my scraps and I get cute new bookmarks at the same time. Awesome!

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  29. intresting idea! more of this :) your blog is very inspiring :)

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  30. You know what I like best about the bows? That you used the Constitution in the photo. :) I can't wait to get home and make some of these!

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  31. Ah ha! Chelsie, I knew it! :) You'll be relieved to know that I'm way too impatient to use paper clips as bookmarks anyhow. Trying to feed the page into the paper clip slot is 3 seconds of my life I'll never get back. I'd rather fold the corner of the page over.

    JUST KIDDING! I usually use a scrap of junk mail, a kleenex, or a brand new set of actual bookmarks I just got from a friend.

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  32. Thank you so much! Now I know what to do with the fish bowl full of scraps that I have. I love to read and use the local library for books. Now I will have plenty of bookmarks to use. I also like the idea of making ones on stiffin agent as one reader commented. I have everything right here on hand that I need to get started and a head start on Christmas gifts, planning on office sets for friends for Christmas this year, now can use fabric to cover pencils and not just paper. Thanks for all inspiration! I found you thru Craft magazine newsletter. You rock. joyfulgrandma

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  33. Love these! Great way to use up scraps

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  34. You made me do it... I ended up buying some fabric stiffener from my local craft shop and now I will _have_ to try all your stiff fabric projects to justify my purchase :D
    He he he...

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  35. This is such a great way to use fabric scraps. Soo adorable, I love it!

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  36. i made one last night and ditched my boring bookmark! i didn't have stiffener so i made it without it anyway, and it turned out soooo cute! it was quick, easy...instant gratification:) thanks for sharing!

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  37. Oh, my goodness, these are SO CUTE!

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  38. They are awesome!

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  39. They are really really really cute!

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  40. What a cute and creative idea!

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  41. i featured these on my blog today

    kimboscrafts.blogspot.com

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  42. His photos were copied by someone who is used to copy pictures without permission. See link:
    http://artevisionf.blogspot.com/2011/04/marca-pagina-cute.html

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  43. Love this idea! I shared it on my blog - orangepeanut.com

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  44. muy bonita idea felicitaciones desde Perú

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  45. loved this idea so much, had to make them...
    check it out on my blog The Mint's Tint

    thanks for the awesome idea, it was so easy too!

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  46. Loved making these. I linked this post on my blog: http://wanttogetcrafty.blogspot.com/2011/08/knee-surgery-crafts.html

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  47. Thank you for the excellent posts!

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  48. Such a cute idea! These would be a perfect way to tie the bags of some of my homemade food gifts. FYI I've posted a link to this on my site atmhttp://homemadeforfriends.com/2013/11/29/holiday-gift-decorating/

    Thanks Jessica!
    Melissa :)

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  49. You do amazing work. Thank you very much for sharing.

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