About the service
I have been sewing hair bows and doing ribbon work for years, and school pairs are the heart of it. A pair is cut from one length of ribbon, and the width, the loop count and the finished height are measured against a ruler, so the two bows look the same on a child who turns her head. Satin gives a smooth shine and a softer loop, grosgrain is firmer and creases far less, so I usually suggest grosgrain for a uniform and satin for a dress or a photo session. Large loops get a thin interfacing or a tulle insert inside, which is why the bow still stands up after a full school day instead of folding flat in a bag.
The fastening is chosen for the age and the hair. It can be a wide soft elastic, an alligator clip with closed, fabric covered edges, or a headband. For toddlers I use no small beads, no rhinestones and no stiff pins at all: a soft elastic or a clip with enclosed edges, and every part is stitched down rather than glued. I do not make long hanging ribbon ties around a small child neck, and I will say so if I am asked for them. Synthetic ribbon is heat sealed along every cut and the end is turned into the seam, so it cannot fray and cannot leave a sharp edge against the skin.
Beyond bows I dress a room: chair sashes and chair bows, ribbon arches and draping, ribbons, rosettes and loops for gift boxes, hampers and baskets. Colour is matched to the uniform, to the dress or to the palette of the event, from a photograph or from a fabric sample. A class order is sewn in one tone from one roll, and I keep the leftover so a late addition matches the first batch exactly.
What the work includes:
— school bows in matched pairs on elastic, clip or headband;
— a big ceremonial bow for the first day and a quiet everyday version;
— a class batch in one tone, with a top up sewn later from the same roll;
— chair bows, sashes, ribbon arches and draping for a hall;
— ribbons, rosettes and box loops for gifts, hampers and baskets;
— colour matching from a photo or a fabric swatch;
— sealed edges, stitched hardware, and a care note on washing by hand, pressing through a cloth and storing the bow padded with paper so the loops keep their shape;
— timing: a pair in three to five days, a class batch or a hall in seven to fourteen.
The fastening is chosen for the age and the hair. It can be a wide soft elastic, an alligator clip with closed, fabric covered edges, or a headband. For toddlers I use no small beads, no rhinestones and no stiff pins at all: a soft elastic or a clip with enclosed edges, and every part is stitched down rather than glued. I do not make long hanging ribbon ties around a small child neck, and I will say so if I am asked for them. Synthetic ribbon is heat sealed along every cut and the end is turned into the seam, so it cannot fray and cannot leave a sharp edge against the skin.
Beyond bows I dress a room: chair sashes and chair bows, ribbon arches and draping, ribbons, rosettes and loops for gift boxes, hampers and baskets. Colour is matched to the uniform, to the dress or to the palette of the event, from a photograph or from a fabric sample. A class order is sewn in one tone from one roll, and I keep the leftover so a late addition matches the first batch exactly.
What the work includes:
— school bows in matched pairs on elastic, clip or headband;
— a big ceremonial bow for the first day and a quiet everyday version;
— a class batch in one tone, with a top up sewn later from the same roll;
— chair bows, sashes, ribbon arches and draping for a hall;
— ribbons, rosettes and box loops for gifts, hampers and baskets;
— colour matching from a photo or a fabric swatch;
— sealed edges, stitched hardware, and a care note on washing by hand, pressing through a cloth and storing the bow padded with paper so the loops keep their shape;
— timing: a pair in three to five days, a class batch or a hall in seven to fourteen.
