Tutorial ~ Fabric Pinwheel Hair Clip

by Destri on April 18, 2011

Pinwheel Hair Clips

I made a bunch of these Pinwheel Hair Clips last summer and everywhere we went people loved them – they just scream “Summer!”.  I meant to get the tutorial up then, but then we moved…twice, and then it got cold.  It just didn’t seem fitting to post them until it warmed up again.  I love that you can make them any size, and they are a no-sew project.  I know you love those :)

Pinwheel Hair Clip

It is just a fun and easy hair clip that anyone can make, and are perfect for using up fabric scraps.  Follow me after the jump and I will show you how!

Fabric Pinwheel Hair Clip Tutorial

Supplies:

  • fabric scraps
  • heat n bond (double-sided like you would use for applique)
  • iron
  • scissors
  • buttons or brads
  • hair clips
  • felt
  • fabric glue or hot glue
  • fray check sealer

Assembly:

From your fabric cut two pieces of fabric and one piece of heat n bond the same size.  I actually used charm pack pieces for mine.

Now iron the heat n bond to the wrong side of one fabric piece, let cool and remove, and then place the wrong side onto the back of the first piece and iron.

Cut the piece down to size.  For smaller hair pieces, I just cut 2 x 2 inch squares.  For a bigger hair piece 3 x 3 is a good size. Just make sure you have a perfect square.

For the sake of the tutorial, I left mine big.  After you have the square cut you will run a thin bit of fray check around every side and let dry.

And then cut a slit at every corner towards the center that is the same length.  You don’t want to cut all the way through the center, and depending on how big the hair piece you make will depend on how much you will leave.  Just be sure to leave enough room in the center to fasten the corners.

If you are using a brad you will follow these steps for fastening.  First, fold one tip on each triangle that will be folded down over a little and cut a tiny slit like shown in the first picture. Then fold the square in half and cut a slit in the center.  Then starting with one of the corners, slip on the brad, and then add the rest,

finally going through the back and press out the brad to secure.

If you are using a button just pull the corners down to form the pinwheel and then sew to the center, then sew on the button.

Now trim any little corners peaking out from under the button or brad.

Now cut a piece of felt that is small enough to not be seen from the front.  Attach with fabric glue or hot glue.

For the type of clip to use, you can use just about any except the kind I have crossed out.  I put some on the ones I made last year, and the way you bend them to put on seemed to pull then from the pinwheel.  So any alligator type would work.  For this tutorial I used the one shown.

I just attached it by cutting a smaller piece of felt, and gluing it over the top part of the clip onto the other piece of felt.

For the smaller ones I skipped the felt and just glued ribbon onto a clip and then glued that directly to the pinwheel.  Do what works for you!

You’re finished!  Easy peesy :) .

I have added some to bobby pins too.  These that I used had a base where I could glue the pinwheel to (found at Hobby Lobby), but really I think regular bobby pins would work too.

Now, bring on spring!  Perfect hair accessory for a summer dress, no?

Let me know if you have any questions, and if you make any!

You will find all the Hair Accessory Tutorials here.

Have a happy Monday everyone and thanks for stopping by :)

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{ 58 comments… read them below or add one }

Jen April 18, 2011 at 10:37 am

How cute…I bet my nieces would love a couple pin-wheel hair clips!

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Jessica at Me Sew Crazy April 18, 2011 at 11:17 am

How very cute and clever! I love it!!!

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Aubrey April 18, 2011 at 1:31 pm

Cute Destri! Look who’s making the cute bows now! I love how simple it is.

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Heidi April 18, 2011 at 2:13 pm

So sweet. I’ll definately have to try.

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lorchick @ ON{thelaundry}LINE April 18, 2011 at 2:20 pm

LOVE. JUST LOVE. So much.

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Tricia April 18, 2011 at 2:59 pm

These are adorable. Thanks for the tutorial.

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Vanessa April 18, 2011 at 5:38 pm

What an awesome idea! Thanks for sharing!

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Marisa April 18, 2011 at 7:31 pm

SO cute! Hmm. I’d look silly wearing one of these, right? I should stick to making them for my daughter, right? Bummer.

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Sue August 18, 2011 at 3:16 pm

Marisa,
What do you care about what other people think of what you wear in your hair? Speaking as a 67 year old great grandma…I will be wearing them because they make me feel good just as they do my grand and great grand daughters. I have always been different than other folks though…it is more fun that way. I encourage you to enjoy your life too.

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annie April 18, 2011 at 7:34 pm

Wow, it really looks nice. Thank you so much for the tutorial.

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Sarah April 18, 2011 at 8:33 pm

If only I had that fabulous curly hair – I would wear these too! … But my daughter will be wearing one of these.

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Starla April 18, 2011 at 9:01 pm

just so sweet!

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Steph at Modern Parents Messy Kids April 18, 2011 at 9:43 pm

Darling!

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KJ@letsgoflyakite April 19, 2011 at 3:46 am

Absolutely adorable.

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Deanna April 19, 2011 at 4:40 am

These are adorable! Makes me wish I could get away with wearing them in my hair! BUT, I do have two daughters! Thanks for sharing, I shared the link with some friends too! :)

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whatever DeeDee Wants April 19, 2011 at 5:56 am

Too cute. I don’t have a little girl but I have some nieces who would love these.

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Brandi April 19, 2011 at 6:44 am

TFS these are so cute!

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Nettie April 19, 2011 at 7:04 am

LOVE< LOVE your tute on the darling pinwheels for little girls' hair.
Our grandchildren get all dressed up for the 4th of July parade in their town every year, so these would be way cute made up in red, white and blue also.
Thanks for sharing your talents with us out in "blog land"
Happy Easter too….
Nettie

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Jess @ Peanut to Princess April 19, 2011 at 2:07 pm

I just love these, and I know my daughter will too! I have some perfect brads to use and think I’ll whip some up tonight…thanks for the super cute tutorial!

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Wendi April 19, 2011 at 2:17 pm

Just too cute… Wendi

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Lorie April 19, 2011 at 7:28 pm

I LOVE your blog! I can’t believe it took me this long to find it!

I am sharing your Easter bunny suckers on my blog tomorrow and featuring these cute pinwheel hair clips over on Tip Junkie’s homemade site on Thursday!

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Kim April 19, 2011 at 7:35 pm

Super duper cute! I love these.

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Amy April 20, 2011 at 12:10 pm

My daughter loves pinwheels! Thanks

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Lindsey April 20, 2011 at 9:13 pm

Made these today and LOVE them!!!! I’m not talented in hand sewing and it was hard for me to get the buttons on with the layers. I think I will try these with a brad tomorrow. Thanks for the wonderful tutorial!!!

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Destri April 20, 2011 at 9:40 pm

Did you try sewing a stitch through the corners you brought in first, and then adding the button? That seemed to be the easiest for me. The first one I did I didn’t do that and I kept missing a corner. See if that helps :)

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Miranda April 21, 2011 at 1:09 pm

Oh my goodness Destri, this is so cute. I am amazed at your cleverness! What a fun spring accessory this will make for my Z-cakes!

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Terri April 21, 2011 at 3:07 pm

So sweet!! Thanks for sharing the tutorial!

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Sara April 21, 2011 at 9:42 pm

Ahhh! so cute, they do scream “SUMMER!” to me! thanks for posting! Love ‘em!

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Sky @ Capital B April 26, 2011 at 9:24 pm

So. Stinkin’. Cute! Pinwheels have got to be one of my favorite things ever and I love the idea of making them into a hair accessory! Thanks for a great tutorial :)

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Andrea April 28, 2011 at 12:47 pm

I know I’m 16 and 1/2… But I would still wear one of these! They are so darn cute! :D

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Michele May 5, 2011 at 5:18 pm

Just found this through the Fabric Bows and more site….super cute! I am getting off this computer right now to make some! You have a new fan! Question did you stiffen the pinwheels after making them or did you leave them as is? Thanks for the great idea! My little Em is going to look super cute with this in this summer!

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Destri May 12, 2011 at 6:33 am

Hi Michele, sorry for the delayed reply! I actually thought mine had plenty of stiffness, but I used heavy heat -n- bond, not light. I should mention that, thanks for asking :) Will you send me a pic? I love ‘em!

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Kristy May 11, 2011 at 8:42 am

I love these! I made them and posted them on my new blog and just love your idea! So crafty and easy and I agree they are perfect for summer! Thanks for the tutorial!

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Anne May 11, 2011 at 6:02 pm

Great tutorial! I am posting the ones I made tomorrow and linking back to here! Thanks so much!

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Nina June 2, 2011 at 8:29 am

Love it! I just made two and am addicted! they are so easy!

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Yen June 9, 2011 at 7:04 am

I can’t find Heat n Bond anywhere here so I made do with what I had. I made one and will most probably make more. It’s so easy and pretty! :-)

http://notesonnurturing.blogspot.com/2011/06/pinwheels.html

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Misty June 9, 2011 at 3:38 pm

I just made one!!! It is so adorable and is a project that gives instant craft gratification. Thank you!!

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Ashley July 2, 2011 at 3:13 pm

I loved your tutorial! Thanks so much! Super easy to follow :) I made 4th of July pinwheels if you want to see

http://www.oneordinaryday.com/2011/07/02/holiday-apparel/

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jamie slay July 5, 2011 at 7:18 am

I love this! I thought it was paper at first. What a great idea.

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Shandra Gray July 18, 2011 at 8:35 pm

These are my absolute FAVORITE! I love your designs!

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Destri July 21, 2011 at 5:14 am

Thanks so much Shandra!

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georgia stewart July 27, 2011 at 11:06 am

that is so cute , thanks for sharing this i have wanted to make a pin wheel hair goodie for a whiel , it is darling …

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Heidi July 28, 2011 at 3:15 pm

LOVE THIS! We well have to make some of these for my girls! Thanks for sharing!

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dalonna July 28, 2011 at 5:08 pm

so sweet and simple i love them ….. I think its the perfect summer day project for me and my girls (all of them-ages 16,7,and 5) they will have fun making them and love adding thier own creations to their hair accessory “mass” collection.

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Shelly Baksh July 29, 2011 at 10:19 am

LOVE this! I just made one. My first attempt with fusing material. So cute. Thank you for the darling idea and excellent tutorial. I used a green swirly pattern one one side and pink on the other. Super fun.

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Carrie Murray July 30, 2011 at 7:54 am

I just made a 3″ size for my 6 YO daughter and put it on an elastic headband. So, so, cute and VERY easy! I think I will increase the size a little on my next try. Thank you for the tutorial!

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Fionaann August 6, 2011 at 5:00 am

I love this idea and was wondering where you bought your “heat & bond” I live in Ireland and am having difficulty getting a heat and bond that is double sided.

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Destri August 6, 2011 at 7:47 am

Hi Fionaann, I used the lighter version of this, which you can see at the bottom of the page, but I think this heavier stuff would work great for bigger pinwheels.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000Y0083K/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_1?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B001145BDU&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0MNEBGS65AFQ11X90PF8

Let me know how it goes!

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Diane Szlucha August 18, 2011 at 8:17 am

I love these and I am so sorry that these were just put in my mail from another site. I will be doing a few for the granddaughters to be starting school with and then will have to wait to get more done for the springtime and next summer. It will be my winter time project when I am done with Christmas items.

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Angie Huettl September 11, 2011 at 9:46 am

I will have to see if I can get some done before Octoberfest! That is less than 2 weeks away!

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Destri September 12, 2011 at 6:41 pm

Oh Angie, you just ruined my night for a moment, I love Octoberfest but moved from our favorite fest…and then I remembered we will be there in Oct! Here’s hoping it’s going on then. They are so fun!

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Sarah carathers October 13, 2011 at 2:38 pm

These are so cute I actually went out to buy the stuff to make them..I have a question about the heat bond does It need to be double sided?my second piece of material wouldn’t stick!

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Destri October 13, 2011 at 3:30 pm

Sarah,
It does have to be double sided like you would use for applique for the fabric to stick to both sides. I have never used a heat n bond that isn’t, but I am betting it is out there. It would probably be labeled as interfacing. Just a thought, is there a paper backing you can peel off? If there is then it should be double sided. Let me know!

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Devorah T October 16, 2011 at 3:41 pm

Hey Destri, Wondering if you would be interested in crafting some pinwheels (unfinished, no clip or pin on back) for my Brooklyn NY boutique? Email me if you’re interested….Thanks, Dev

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Taylor January 14, 2012 at 3:40 pm

“Sew” lovely!

Many blessings!

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Ellen January 27, 2012 at 8:48 am

Hi there…thx for the tutorial —I used this to make my own pinwheel art…

http://shimmerandtulle.blogspot.com/2012/01/midnight-crafting.html

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Destri January 29, 2012 at 8:47 pm

I love it! Thanks so much for letting me know!

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Tartankiwi February 20, 2012 at 5:06 pm

These are such fun! I have just made a couple and they’re great. Thanks!

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