BOWS AND BANDANAS
Making Accessories
A little finishing touch can add personality to a freshly groomed dog, whether it's a colourful bandana or a handmade bow. Making your own accessories is also a way to choose colours and designs that suit your customers, manage costs and make use of leftover materials.
These two demonstrations show how to create simple grooming accessories using fabric and ribbon, with tips for preparing materials, working efficiently and getting more from what you purchase.
Bow Tie Making with Ribbon
You’ve never had so much fun with a hot glue gun! The beautiful possibilities are endless.
This demonstration shows how to assemble a decorative ribbon bow using separate loops and tails, a rubber band and hot glue. The ribbon is folded, shaped and layered to create a fuller bow, before the centre is wrapped to conceal the fastening and complete the design.
Key points
Choose ribbon with enough structure to hold its shape.
The bow is assembled from two matching upper pieces and a separate tail piece.
Folding and pinching the ribbon creates the shape of the bow.
A rubber band is incorporated into the back as the fastening.
Hot glue can pass through sheer ribbon, so take care to protect your fingers.
The demonstration includes trimming and heat-sealing ribbon ends to finish the bow.
Making Bandanas
Remember those funny zigzag scissors from school? Yup? Well that’s all you need in order to make bandanas - plus some cool fabric from the bargain bin or your Mum’s habdab closet!
Learn how to make your own grooming bandanas using fabric and pinking shears. This demonstration covers choosing affordable materials, folding and cutting fabric in batches, and producing different bandana sizes for dogs ranging from tiny toy breeds to larger, heavily coated dogs.
Key points
Pinking shears create a decorative edge and help reduce fraying without sewing, although they won't prevent it entirely.
Fabric choice matters. Cotton or cotton-blend materials are generally easier to handle than slippery fabrics.
Folding and cutting several layers at once can save time when preparing bandanas in larger quantities.
The demonstration shows how to create small and large bandanas from the same fabric, reducing waste.
Smaller offcuts may be useful for extra-small bandanas or other accessories, including bows.
The tutorial also explores the cost of fabric and why making accessories in batches can be worthwhile for a busy grooming business.
A Note on Fit and Safety
Finishing accessories should be comfortable, lightweight and appropriate for the individual dog. Bandanas must not restrict movement or breathing, and bows should be attached without pulling on the coat or irritating the skin.
Check that fastenings are secure, particularly when using handmade accessories with glued components. Avoid accessories that a dog is likely to chew or swallow, and advise owners to remove them if they become loose, damaged or uncomfortable. Neck accessories should be removed when dogs are unsupervised, particularly if they could become caught on furniture, crates or other objects.
Bonus Quick Bows
Taylan and guest Annie Nolan show us these cute ties - so quick, easy and super stylish.
Pinwheel Bows
Necktie Bows
Traditional Bows
