DIY Mosaic Headband

Replicate mosaic art on a headband by using the same materials artists employ.

If you love the striking, intricate qualities of mosaic artwork, you can recreate the style in your own crafts. With the appropriate supplies, you can fashion materials in a mosaic pattern to ornament everything from home decor to fashion accessories. A mosaic headband is an ideal project for recreating this artistic style to include in your wardrobe. With thoughtful planning, you can piece a mosaic together that is both high art and high fashion.

Things You'll Need

• Mosaic pieces (silk, leather, notions, colored glass, ceramic tile, mirror pieces or crystals)
• Scissors
• Hammer
• Newspaper
• Rigid headband
• Hot glue

Instructions

Selecting and Preparing Mosaic Pieces

1. Cut pieces of silk material into small mosaic components with scissors. Get silk swatches from a fabric store, or buy short lengths of ribbon to cut into dime-sized segments. Select at least three colors of material with the same composition and texture (satin, grosgrain or cloth).

2. Cut colored or metallic leather into small pieces. Use thin leather so you can cut it easily with standard craft scissors.

3. Select sewing notions, such as buttons, to arrange in a mosaic. Choose pieces that have a flat backside.

4. Acquire traditional mosaic components such as small pieces of colored glass, ceramic tile or mirrored pieces. Break pieces with a hammer on a newspaper-covered surface if you cannot find pieces small enough for your headband.

5. Select flat-back crystals as your mosaic material. Choose crystals the same size and shape, but that vary in color. Alternatively, choose crystals from the same color family that are the same shape, but vary in size.

Assembling the Headband

1. Lay all of your mosaic pieces face up on your work surface. Arrange the pieces in various combinations to test mosaic pattern ideas before you apply them to the headband. Sketch a design with pencil and paper, if that helps you visualize the design.

2. Secure the headband between two objects so both hands are free to glue and apply pieces. For example, slide two large books together to hold the headband upright.

3. Apply a peppercorn-sized bead of hot glue to the backside of a mosaic piece.

4. Press it into place on the headband. Place pieces side by side with as little overlapping as possible. Overlapping is not characteristic of mosaic art. Apply pieces as close to the long edges of the headband as you can without going over the edge. Mosaics have a strict border.

Tips & Warnings

• Mosaic components are available in craft stores. Select pieces that vary minimally, so that the focus of the headband is on the mosaic arrangement, not the variance amongst the pieces. For example, use five different colors of grosgrain ribbon, three shades of metallic leather, round pearlescent buttons in four different colors, small pieces of mercury glass in different shades, or round crystals in many shades of blue that vary in diameter.

• Wear safety goggles if you must break pieces of mirror or glass for your headband. Work in a garage or outside, if possible, so that stray shards of material are less likely to end up where someone might step on them. Avoid applying sharp shards of glass or mirror so that the headband does not snag your hair or skin. File sharp edges with a nail file, if necessary.