Cut the ribbon. The first step for making bows is to cut the right length of ribbon. For a baby bow, use 12 inches of 1" wide ribbon. For a bow for an older child or adult, use wider ribbon. 12 inches of ribbon will make a 2 inch bow; for a larger bow, cut a longer length of ribbon. For example, 18 inches of ribbon will make a 3 inch wide bow, while 30 inches of ribbon will make a large, 5 inch bow.

Tie the bow. With the piece of ribbon, tie a small bow like you would when tying a shoelace. You can even tie multiple bows and attach them to the same clip for a fuller look.

Prepare the bow for the clip. The first thing you need to do for making hair bows is neatly cut the ends of the ribbon. Adjust the loops of the bow you’ve tied so that both are the same size. Then trim the ribbon ends. You can cut them straight across, use special crinkle or zig zag scissors or cut them in a simple "V" shape. Then, use fray check to keep the ends of the ribbon from fraying. Now plug in your hot glue gun. Be very careful, because hot glue guns get hot enough to burn you.

Attach the bow to the clip. Baby hair bows are cute hair accessories for little girls. For a baby’s bow, use a small piece of Velcro, and attach your bow using hot glue to one side of the Velcro. You can glue the bow onto a variety of clips or barrettes available at most craft stores for toddler hair bows. Be careful when using hot glue, because the metal tip gets very hot. Also, don’t use so much glue that it runs off the edges of the Velcro or hair clip. You can also sew a hair bow to an elastic tie to use the bow at the end of a braid to make nice hair accessories for girls of any age.

To make a more complicated bow, you can tie it using two different colors of ribbon in the same bow, or lace over ribbon to make a fancy bow to match a party dress. You can buy lengths of many widths to match the width of the ribbon you’ve chosen. You can make bows in every color and pattern to match an outfit perfectly.