How to Make a Snail Ribbon Hair Clip

I saw a little girl wearing one of these in her hair, and thought..."I have to make that!".  I don't work with ribbon very much, but being a crafter, I had plenty of it laying around.  I don't know if I made this right, but I think it turned out well enough to pass on to the crafty community! =)

Here is what you will need to get started-

• 4 pieces of ribbon. 3 1/2" for the body, 2 1/2" to cover the clip, 1 3/4" for the antenna, and 21" for the shell
• wooden skewer or dowel rod and clips to make curly korker ribbon
• hot glue gun
• scissors
• lighter (not shown). This is used to seal the ends of the ribbon to prevent fraying
• snap hair clip

First seal all ends of the ribbons by placing them near the flame of the lighter.  Test this on a scrap piece first to get the hang of it (warning- do not do this with cotton ribbon. It will catch on fire. Only polyester- the silky kind).  The end of the ribbon will melt a little, giving it a nice sealed edge.  Next, we are going to make the korker ribbon for the shell.  Clip one end of the 21" ribbon to the end of the skewer and wrap in around in a spiral, securing it with another clip (as in the photo to the left).  Once your skewer or dowel is wrapped, place it on a cookie sheet or tin foil in a 275 degree oven for 20 minutes. 

While the korker ribbon bakes, we will make the rest of the clip.   The clip I saw the little girl wearing was an alligator clip.  I however didn't have one, so I had to improvise and use a snap clip.  I wanted to cover the front of the clip with ribbon for 2 reasons.  I thought it would look nicer, and I also needed a surface to glue the snail on to.  This is a little finicky, but it serves its purpose well.  I took plenty of pictures to better help explain my poor writing skills! =)

The first thing you want to do is unsnap the clip.  Place a thin bead of glue all around the top part of the clip, just do not put any on the middle part that snaps open.  Quickly put your 2 1/2" piece of ribbon on top of the glue before it sets, and smooth it out as you close the clip.  Open and close the clip after it cools to make sure the center didn't get glued shut.  Next, cut around the clip leaving a tiny bit of overhang.  Being careful not to burn yourself, pass the cut edges near the flame of the lighter (I find it easier to use a candle lighter).  You will see the edge of the ribbon shrink in a bit as it seals.  Do this around the entire clip.  We now have a blank clip all ready for a new snail to live on!

Let's make the snail body.  Take the 3 1/2" piece of ribbon and wind it around like in the picture below, making the tail narrower than the head.  Once you have it the way you like it, place a couple dabs of glue to hold it in place.  Make a slight bend in the body for the snail head, and glue it onto the clip.

What's a snail without antennas?  To make the antennas cut the edges off of the 1 3/4" ribbon and place them on a cookie sheet or aluminum foil.  We are going to run the lighter over them several times, allowing them to melt and shrink.  This will give them some more stability and keep them from becoming a frayed disaster.  Once your antennas are to your liking, place a dab of glue in the snails head.  Put both antennas into the glue and squeeze the head closed.

By this time, your korker ribbon should be done, or close to it.  Once it is done, remove it from the skewer.  The snail shell is made by winding the korker ribbon around in circles like a lollipop.  Start by rolling one end in and gluing it as you go.  Make sure to keep the curl in the ribbon tight.  Run a bead of glue along the edge of the circle you are forming, securing each ring to the next.  When you are done it should look like a ribbon lollipop (a great idea for another clip, right?!).  Place some glue along the snails back and on the clip above it, and glue the shell into place.  You now have a cool snail hair clip that any kid is sure to love!

The clips lay nicely against the head.  My sister was kind enough to model  for a photo.  I made 2 snail clips today.  One for my niece and one for my spoiled daughter of course.  They loved them!

Have fun making your own snail clips and be sure to post your pictures of them at the WhimWham Flickr Group!  Questions and comments are welcome as always! =)