I’m a total child of the 80s. I spent all of fourth grade running a little back room ribbon barrette factory. I’ve thought for a while now that it was way past time for those ribbon barrettes to make a comeback. And I’m not above using the popularity of FROZEN to make it happen.
Step one in my evil ribbon barrette comeback master plan? Score some super cute FROZEN dresses while you’re out shopping. They’re glittery and have twirly tulle skirts. You’ll basically be begging your little people to wear something else for a change once they get their hands on these. Now, on to the barrettes….Ribbon barrettes are totally easy to make. I did make them when I was 9 years old, after all. All you need are a pack of split barrettes and 1/8″ ribbon in whatever colors you want to use. The secret to a successful ribbon barrette is using two colors. I tried a few different ways and the two color/double ribbon method is superior. Trust me. Just take the two colors you want to use and cut about 2.5′ of each. Lay the ribbons on top of each other and start at the clasp end of the barrette. Hold the ribbon in place under the clasp and just weave the ribbon back and forth through the center. If you need to start a little further down the barrette you can-just push the ribbon back up once you get a few passes done. You can also tie the two pieces of ribbon together if that helps. As you weave the ribbon will alternate colors if you’re doing it correctly. Take your time and straighten the ribbon as you go if it flips over. It’s a little tricky to get started, but once you’ve woven the ribbon a few times it gets easy. Once you’ve gotten the barrette almost covered you can squeeze up the ribbon to give yourself a little more room to work. When you’re finished just smooth the ribbon back out. Finish off the barrette by tying the ribbon in a knot in the back. Pull one side of the ribbon over to the other side to create the streamers.
An easy way to add a little extra color to your barrettes is by tying on additional streamers. The more streamers the merrier. Don’t forget to burn the edges of the ribbon to keep it from fraying. A little hot glue and a decorative snowflake brad were all it took to embellish my Elsa inspired barrettes. I used snips to trim off the prongs on the brad and just glued it in place.
In an attempt to emulate the rosemaling design from Anna’s clothing, I used a heart and green squiggle brad. Just as with the snowflake, I snipped off the prongs and hot glued on the heart. The squiggle was a little too thin and delicate for hot glue, so I switched to crazy glue to hold it in place.
Now go forth and make 80s style ribbon barrettes a thing again!
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