How to make pom poms and pom pom crowns

On Saturday I explained how to do Frida hair and how you could use flowers and natural plant material. The main problem with using fresh flowers and leaves is that the rarely last longer than one day. So the pom pom crown is a great way to create something that looks like a floral head-dress. By using lots of different colours and weights of yarn you get some of the effects of flowers. If you want the floral look create some different shades of green pom-poms.

Pom Pom crown in soft colours and neutrals
Pastel Pom Pom Crown

I suggest you make quite a few pom poms first and then arrange them almost like you might do a flower arrangement, using five the same, then adding three of a couple of others, and then one special one. Or just bring similar colours together with less of a contrasting colour. This sort of arrangement is probably rather an instinctive thing – just keep adding until you are happy with the look.

How to make small pom poms

Making pom poms is quite good fun and produces something very pretty. But before we do that would you like to watch another video? This one is a Ted Talk. 

Ingrid Fetell Lee argues that round things, bright pops of colour, symmetrical shapes, abundance and multiplicity, and a feeling of lightness or elevation all bring us joy. Confetti, balloons, smarties, rainbows, fireworks, bunches of flowers, bubbles – and pom poms!

What could be better than a pom pom crown?

  • You can get a tool to do this. I have a Clover pom-pom maker which I would recommend, though noticed something similar at a good price. 
  • clover pom pom maker
    Pom Pom maker

    When using these makers you can mix up the yarn by using it double to get a nice speckled effect, or use it in blocks which is also rather pretty. A tip is to use a stronger yarn for the tie (eg acrylic) in the same colour as your hair band as you can get a nice strong finish, and when you tie them to the hairband. Also you need nice sharp, small scissors.

  • You can also make one yourself from two cardboard rings, with a hole through the middle, and are best made with a bodkin as you need to take the yarn through the middle. These which tend to disintegrate each time you make one so are probably best for making just one, or a custom size
  • There is trim with small poms poms attatched
  • You can buy machine made ones in one colour or multi coloured, and attach these with glue or stitching
  • With the children I used the fork method which made nice, small pom poms. These are what I used to trim my white tray cloth huipil

Fork Method

  1. Using a small, slim fork, wind yarn around it making it fat and narrow, leaving space at the top and bottom of the tines
    Making small pom poms with a fork
    Wrap yarn round fork, tie, cut, fluff up
  2. Use strong thread (I used linen) to tie the band of yarn tightly around the middle, coming in between the second and third tine
  3. Tie tightly, slide off the fork and cut through the loop, taking care not to cut the thread tie.
  4. Fluff up and trim. Use the linen thread to sew it to fabric or your crown

I used the pom poms in various sizes and attached them to padded velvet Alice bands. I got these on Amazon for about £6 including postage. I got a pack of three including one in black, so I crocheted a cover for it in beige that blends with my hair.

Making the crown

The padded Alice band provides a bit of bulk, raising the pom pom flowers off your head a little, but this also works fine with a small plastic or covered Alice band, or even a ring of elastic. I think you could use braid with a bit of elastic at the back too, although I didn’t try it.

Put a selection of pom poms together. I made three using three different colour schemes. One is blues, white, pink and red. One is green, blue and pink. And my final one is pastel and light shades. I also included small, medium and large pom poms. Incidentally you can also include small knitted or crocheted items here. I had two crocheted fish made by a friend, and some granny squares, and the poms poms I cut off a Cambodian bag. You can also include fabric flowers.

Bright pom pom crown with pinks and green
Green and pink Pom Pom crown

When arranging them a good look concentrates the flowers just on one side, but of course “more is more” in this project so you can more or less cover the head band with the poms poms. They mainly sit on top of the Alice band, but you also need some coverage towards the front, and possibly also the back, so use the smaller pom poms for this purpose.

 

16 Responses

  1. Jay

    As children we used to make these starting with cutting circles of card. I never thought to use them as hair band decoration though. Might be nice, if slow, to try in silk yarn or strips.

    • fabrickated

      Good suggestion Jay. With my biggest pom pom maker I tried roughly cutting some left over linen fabric and used this to make fabric pom poms, with some success. I may do a post on it another time. Silk Sari strips might be very nice. I need to experiment more.

  2. Linde

    Like Jay I have only ever used double circles of card. I bought a plastic contraption but found it useless so I resorted back to the card.

  3. Joyce

    What a joyful post! ?. Ohhhh…I see a painting in the background, are you on to that fun too?
    I will be keeping my eye out for joyful objects, and I promise to add a few more into my everyday life. Thanks Kate, and have a great day!
    Joyce, from Sudbury ont.

    • fabrickated

      Ah yes – the half finished painting of the lake – well spotted Joyce. This is by our daughter Charlotte. I hope she finishes it on her next visit, but it is quite pretty sitting there unfinished.

  4. ceci

    We go to a nearby Renn Fair some summers and they sell flower crowns that seem to be on crocheted tape that tie in the back – very charming especially on the little girls.

    My eye was caught by the painting in the background, too, and your print mix top – clearly pompom crowns go with everything.

    ceci

  5. Vancouver Barbara

    I see how this could become addictive. Just one more, just one more… So much fun. Love yours – they suit you. And thanks for the link to the TED talk. I guess that’s why we like polka dots – they make us happy.

    • Vancouver Barbara

      After looking at a few videos on how to make pompoms, I see that more is better. Meaning, lots of yarn makes a fuller, fatter pompom. My question is: when making the fork pompoms how many times do you wrap the yarn to get a nice full one?

  6. Vancouver Barbara

    After looking at a few videos on how to make pompoms, I see that more is better. Meaning, lots of yarn makes a fuller, fatter pompom. My question is: when making the fork pompoms how many times do you wrap the yarn to get a nice full one?

  7. Sue

    I do love pom-poms but use the cardboard method as I don’t want another gadget. The fork method, however, has completely captivated me and I might try it today.

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