The Bow Tie: Because Little Boys Need Tutorials Too!

Because I have a daughter and a son, I know how super easy it is to shop and make things for girls, and how frustrating it can be to shop and try to come up with something to make for boys. I have made the Crazy girl skirts and headbands and hats. Every time we go to the fabric store I have to resist buying some unnecessary supplies to make her something (just yesterday I had to put back some tangerine chiffon, teal and white gingham trim and some white fold over elastic. I had a great skirt in mind!) But boys are different.  It's hard to think of creative, quick things to make boys. Luckily my boy doesn't really care. He never asks me to make him anything and he doesn't care that I make his sister like 84 skirts before I make him 1 "something." Really as long as the Sweet boy has his blue shorts with the stripes down the side and some sort of baseball themed shirt, he's fine. Oh, and his running shoes. Can't forget the (stinkin') running shoes! But I decided to make him something anyway, and with Easter coming up, maybe it's something quick and easy you can make your boy too!

Supplies:

1. Felt. Any color.

2. Hot Glue

3. Scissors

4. Peel and stick velcro

Here we go!

First you need to cut 3 pieces from your felt. Now being the amazing tutorial writer that I am, I did not measure these pieces (sorry friends). But I can tell you that 1 piece needs to fit around your boy's neck (that's the long skinny piece on the right). The next piece (in the middle) is your bow tie piece, so make it as thick as you want the tie to be. The last piece is your center, and that just needs to be big enough to wrap around the bow tie. Wow, that was confusing. Next time I write up a tutorial I'll measure things, ok? Ok.

Now, take your bow tie piece and hot glue the ends together, creating a tube.

Take your tube and flatten it so your seem is in the center. Pinch the middle and and put a little glue in the center to hold it together.

Flip your bow tie over so the backside is facing you. Get your long skinny neck piece and glue it to the back. Then take your center piece and glue that to the back. It will kind of look like an elephant (said my 4 year old)

Now wrap your center around your bow tie. Put some glue along the way. When you get to the back just cut off any excess.

Okay, here's the cool part (or I think it's cool) simply peel off your "peel and stick" velcro and stick it to your felt! I love to sew, but I also love things I don't have to sew! So this made my little day!

Awww!!! Now make your Sweet boy put on a collard shirt and strap this on him!

Then try to get both Sweet boy and Crazy girl to take a picture together. FAIL.

So just let Crazy girl take her own picture. She's really camera shy. (You can't see it in this photo, mainly because it is lost in her mane somewhere, but I also made the girl a little felt bow hair clip. Simply follow all the directions and then glue it on a clip. Easy.)

I was having so much fun with my felt and my glue gun, I then made this big bow for the Crazy girl. We LOVED it. It's made a little differently, but isn't it cute?!

She really did like it. Oh Crazy.

So go make something for your boy! And if you have any other boy tutorials I would LOVE to know about them!!