DIY Hairpins are Fun and Easy
Make Them for Every Outfit, Friend and Relative

Before we jump in and start making our DIY Hairpins, we'll first review some of the techniques you've already learned (If needed, please review the techniques in How to Make Hairpins ) and then we'll cover some new tips and techniques that wouldn't fit in the previous web page "How to Make Hairpins"

• When choosing a hairpin or clip, consider hair type, the size and weight of your beads and the amount of physical activity in which the wearer might engage.

• When choosing stringing material, consider the weight of your beads and the diameter of the holes in them.

• If possible, after you have completed string your beads (or need to change wires) weave the end of stringing material(wire, thread, fishing line, etc) back through your last few beads or under previous wire loops to help secure them in place. (see pictures below)
  
  
  
  
  

  DIY Hairpins
  Additional Techniques to Finish Your Jewelry
  These pictures demonstrate a finishing technique where the end wire is passed back through the beads or under previously made wire loops.

  • In addition to, or if you cannot weave your stringing material back through/under previous beads or wire, tie ends into an Overhand, Square or Surgeon's Knot and fix with a drop of glue.E600 works best. It dries flexible where Super Glue can be brittle and may cause fine wires to crack.

  • Before finishing your project, make sure wire ends are cut off and any rough areas are filed smooth or covered with a smooth layer of clear nail polish or glue.
    
    

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    DIY Hairpins
    Beads and a Bobbie Pin

    This is an easy one!

    • Choose a bobbie pin and stringing material that works for your situation. (This is where I like the 38 gauge gold or silver wire)
    • String your beads.
    • Secure strung beads to bobbie pin prongs by wrapping a flexible wire that holds its shape. Knotting and/or gluing usually aren't necessary if your wire will hold its shape. These may tangle in the hair.
    • Finish off rough ends. Try to weave them back under a few end loops. Cut the wire as closely as possible and file if necessary.

      Note: Large DIY Hairpins can be scattered throughout the hair.
      Smaller beads or clusters of beads look beautiful placed close to each other in small group of 3 or 5.
      (Groups of odd numbers are usually more pleasing to the eye.)
      
      

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      DIY Hairpins
      Cluster on Perforated Disk

      • Use a very flexible stringing material, one that can be tied in knots.

      • Top drilled pendant style beads or beads strung as pendants, work well with perforated disks. The wire will be well hidden.

      • String the wire through a hole in the perforated disk, then through the hole in the top drilled pendant style bead and back through the the same hole in the disk.

      • For the bead strung as a pendant
        - bring your wire up through the disk,
        - through the center hole of of a bead,
        - through a second very small bead (seed bead or 2mm metal bead)
        - back through the 1st bead again
        - Back through the perforated disk.

      • You can string a bead through its center hole but the wires may show in your final piece of hair jewelry. (Sometimes visible wires can add an extra dimention to your design.) If your bead is large, you may not want to go back through the same hole that you started but use a hole a few millimeters away for a more firm hold.

      • Continue in this "sewing" manner until the disk is covered. (If necessary, it is O.K. to use more than one string. Just be careful not to have too many loose, knotted ends that need to be concealed in the underside of the disk.

      • If you are gluing, use a glue similar to E6000. The backside of the perforated disk is concave (curved inward). This needs to come in full contact with the surface upon which it is being glued. (Leave the ends of your stringing material long enough, that when rolled up and tucked under the disk, it will fill the area.

      • If you don't have enough wire to fill the cavity, add another filling material to fill the area. Tie or glue this securely in place and then glue the disk onto the flat part of the bobbie pin. Take care that the glue does not seep through and spoil your beads.
        

      • Cut off loose ends that may still be visible and file any rough areas to smooth.
        
        

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        DIY Hairpins
        Pinch Clips
        The above 4 Pictures

        These Pinch Clips, purchased at a supermarket, come in many sizes and colors and firmly hold the hair. You can match your hair or your outfit. You can make a big splash or adorn your hair with lots of little stars.And it's so easy.

        Notice the open clip (second row, second picture) and the two large openings in the center.

        Remember, if it has a hole in it, you can string beads onto it.
        
        

        
        

        DIY Hairpins
        Pinch Clips
        Step 1 & 2

        • String your beads onto a wire or thread.
        • Form a loop, join the two ends and pass both through one of the holes in the clip, into the claw part of the hair clip.
        • Take one of the wires and bring it back and up through the second hole, as seen in the second picture (above, right).
          
          
          
          
          
          
          

          DIY Hairpins
          Pinch Clips
          Final Step and Finished Product

          • String your beads on to this second wire and loop the wire around and back through the same hole that it came through. See picture above, left. (So you could see the holes more clearly, I looped the second wire without beads - for demonstration purposes only. Don't forget to add yours!)
          • On the underside of the clip, reweave your wired under the existing wire loops and/or tie them in a knot and glue.
            
            

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            DIY Hairpins
            Rose Quarts Barrette
            Picture 1
            

            This simple barrette needs only a few loops to attach it to your bobbie pin or hair clip.

            • String your beads on a flexible wire to your desired length.
            • Leave about 1.5 inches extra wire at one end.
            • Leave about 4 or 5 inches extra wire at the other end.
              
              
              
              

              DIY Hairpins
              Rose Quarts Barrette
              Pictures 2a & 2b
              

              • Securely wrap and tie the longer wire around the front end of the pin.
              • Lay the string of beads along the hairpin and securely wrap/attach the shorter wire to the back end of the hairpin.
                
                
                
                

                

                DIY Hairpins
                Rose Quarts Barrette
                Pictures 3, 4 & 5
                

                • Take the longer wire at the front of the bobbie pin, pull it between the two prongs of the hairpin (or under the top prong (the part of thne pin to which the beads are attached).
                • Move down 2 or 3 beads, bring the longer wire up, loop over a space between two beads and then again between the 2 prongs of the bobbie pin.
                • Continue until you reach the end. This should take about 3 loops depending on your hair clip length.
                • Bring this longer wire back through a few of the firmly wrapped loops to secure it in place. If necessary you could tie a knot or add glue, but here it is important to keep the wrapped wire as smooth as possible so it doesn't tangle or pull the hair.
                  
                  
                  
                  

                  DIY Hairpins
                  Rose Quarts Barrette
                  Pictures 6a & 6b
                  

                  • Finish off your ends as described earlier.
                  • An additional technique some like, would be to use a drop of nail polish, instead of glue, to secure your wires and knots.

                    (If you used fishing line, do not use nail polish or Super Glue. The nail polish and Super Glue will make fishing line and elastic cord brittle and prone to breakage)
                    
                    

                    
                    

                    

                    DIY Hairpins
                    Rose Finished Products
                    

                    Picture 7 and 8 and the picture of the hairpin with the raised beads are finished products of beaded hairpins where limited loops (or none as in the raised beaded hairpin)are needed to securely attach the beads to the pin.
                    
                    

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                    DIY Hairpins
                    Multiple Beads in a Row or A Curved Base
                    

                    The technique used here differs just slightly from that used to create the Rose Quartz Barrette above.

                    When you want several beads in a row or your base barrette has a curved surface, it may be necessary to firmly attach each bead or row of beads to the barrette.
                    
                    

                    

                    
                    

                    DIY Hairpins
                    Multiple Beads in a Row or A Curved Base
                    Plain Barrette
                    

                    Notice, in the plain barrette, that there are three curved bars. Each time, after you have added your bead or beads, bring your wire down and under the top bar, hold firmly then bring back up for more beads.

                    It is important to avoid interfering with any part of the barrette's clasping mechanism or the area between the second and third curved bar. This will increase the wear on the wire and prevent the barrette from closing properly.

                    
                    

                    DIY Hairpins
                    Multiple Beads in a Row or A Curved Base
                    Picture 1 & 2

                    I am using 1 bead per row so the wires can be seen more clearly. To have multiple beads per row, simply string 2 or 3 beads on to the wire before looping the wire under the bar.

                    • Tie your wire, in a square knot, to the hole at the end of the barrette. Keep one end short, about 2 to 3 inches long and the other end long enough to complete all your beading. A too long wore will kink or tangle and a too short cord will make it difficult to securely finish off your DIY hairpin. Start just a little on the long side, to be safe, and trim it shorter later on, if necessary.
                    • I strung the first bead with both ends of the wire, each entering at opposite sides of the bead and crossing in the center of the bead.
                    • Tie the two ends together in a square knot or retie the short end of the wire to the end hole with an overhand knot.
                      
                      
                      
                      
                      
                      
                      

                      DIY Hairpins
                      Multiple Beads in a Row or A Curved Base
                      Picture 3, 4 5 & 6

                      Picture 3 shows the bead firmly attached and directly on top of the end hole, covering the two knots that you just made.

                      • Loop the longer wire under the bar and string your second bead or row of beads and loop under again.
                      • Continuing until the top of the barrette is completely filled.

                        

                        DIY Hairpins
                        Multiple Beads in a Row or A Curved Base
                        Picture 7

                        • Tie the wire to the hole in the front of the barrette.It may help to go back through the bead the opposite direction and tie again to the opposite side of the front hole to secure and center this last bead.
                        • If you have enough left, weave this wire under the loops you've created when attaching the beads to the barrette, back toward the end (or where you started)
                          

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