Strut Your Mutt: Bow Tie DIY

Last weekend we had the pleasure of participating in the Strut Your Mutt event hosted by Best Friends Animal Society. At our table our lovely BC ladies had a fun DIY set up for all ages: bow ties! These bow ties were so versatile that they doubled as hair bows, bow ties, and of course collar bow ties for our wonderful pup friends. 

Today we wanted to share how to make some bow ties for all who couldn't make it out to the event.

You'll need: 

1. 4" x 9" cut of your chosen fabric

2. 1.5" x 2.5" cut of the same fabric (or a different pattern for contrast)

3. Thin elastic band 

4. Metal hair clips

5. Needle 

6. Scissors

7. Thread of any color

How cute are these animal inspired swatches!

Step 1: Place your 4" x 9" piece pattern side down. Fold the top over till it reaches the middle of the swatch.

Step 2: Fold the bottom over to reach the middle (it can overlap the top fold a little bit). Next fold the right side over to meet the middle, continue this with the left side. 

* Your bow should now look like this with both sides folded towards the middle.

Step 3: Prep your needle and thread through about 10" of thread. Make sure to knot the end!

Step 4: Pinch the bow from the top and bottom towards the middle to create your bow shape

Step 5: Sew straight through the center of your bow, make sure to get all the folds you've created. After a few times through the center, knot off your thread and snip off the excess. 

Step 6: Our next step is a repeat of our first few steps, this time we'll be applying the same folds to our smaller 1.5" x 2.5" swatch. Place the fabric, swatch side down and fold both top and bottom towards the middle. Instead of folding towards the middle, now fold the swatch into a loop. Sew the ends of the swatch to keep the loop together.

Step 7: Take your bow and scrunch one end to fit through your newly made loop. Wiggle it towards the middle and tada, your bow is made!

Step 8: These are a few options for your newly made bows. One option is to use the elastic band to create a second loop. This loop size can be adjusted to fit depending on your pups collar thickness. Secondly a hair clip can be clipped through the back loop of the bow to create a hair bow. 

Step 9: Enjoy your new bow!

Hopefully you enjoyed our crafts-for-a-cause DIY. We'd love to see your bows if you make them! Post to Twitter or Instagram and use the hashtag  #bclovesmutts.