How to Create My Own Headbands

You can make your own headbands out of colorful pieces of fabric.

Headbands can easily convert a bad hair day into a good one by adding style and personality to your look. Headbands can be made out of a variety of fabrics in different colors, textures and patterns. Accessories such as flowers, rhinestones, bows and ties can be added to headbands to further personalize them. When creating headbands from scratch, the options are only as limited as your imagination. Focus on an easy fabric headband as a sewing project that has endless possibilities.

Things You'll Need

• 1 piece of fabric 2.5 inches wide
• 4.5 inches elastic
• Flexible tape measure
• Sewing machine
• Scissors
• Thread
• Sewing pins

Instructions

1. 

   Use flexible measuring tape to measure your head.

   Measure your head using your flexible measuring tape. Hold the beginning of the measuring tape behind and below your right ear and pull it over the top of your head to the same spot below your left ear. You will want to use a piece of fabric 1 inch longer than this measurement for your headband. The same length of elastic, 4.5 inches, will work for all adult headbands because of its stretchiness. For children, shorten the elastic 1 inch.

2. 

   Fold the long edges of the fabric and iron in place.

   Fold each long edge of the fabric 1/4 inch towards the back side of the fabric and iron in place.

3. 

   Cut the corners of the fabric.

   Fold the short edge on each end of the fabric 1/4 inch towards the back side of the fabric. Cut the corners of the fabric so that you can lay the short edge completely flat without it overlapping the long edge. Iron the short edges to keep them in place.

4. 

   Pin the long edges to keep them in place.

   Pin the long edges to keep them in place while sewing. Sew an 1/8 inch away from the edge of the fabric. When finished with one long edge, turn and sew the other long edge in the same way.

5. 

   Sew the elastic to the short edge 1/8 inch from the edge.

   Pin the elastic to the short edge approximately 1/2 inch away from the edge. The elastic will be attached to both short edges, creating a stretchy portion of the headband to keep it tight in place on the head. Sew the elastic to the short edge 1/8 inch from the edge. Repeat with other short edge and the other end of the elastic material.

6. 

   Hand stitch a small flower, bow or other accessory to the headband.

   Hand stitch a small flower, bow or other accessory to the headband, or use craft glue to attach any rhinestones or crystals to the headband.

7. Try on your headband to make sure it fits.

References

• I Swe, Do You: 10 Minute Fabric Headband Tutorial

Resources

• Sew Chique and Unique: Headband Sewing Tutorials