Do-It-Yourself Headbands

Headbands are an accessory that can add a lot of flare to an outfit.

A headbands is an accessory that can be used to hold your hair back while at the same time making a fashion statement that reflects your unique sense of style. By making your headbands yourself, you can customize their size, shape, color and overall flair in a way that reflects your distinct style and also saves you some money.

Things You'll Need

• Measuring tape
• Ruler
• 4 1/2-inch wide stretch jersey fabric
• Matching thread
• Sewing machine
• Iron

Instructions

1. Measure the circumference of your head where you want your headband to sit. This measurement will generally be taken from the base of your skull and around the front part of the top of your head. Subtract 3 inches from this measurement. For example, if your head is 22 inches in circumference, subtract 3 inches, to get 19 inches. Use this measurement to cut a length of fabric to make your headband. In this instance, you will need a 19 inch long piece of stretchy fabric. Test the stretch of your fabric against the circumference of your head before you sew your headband together to make sure that it fits snuggly and will stay in place.

2. Use a ball point needle in your sewing machine to make sure that you don't tear the fabric. Set your sewing machine to a straight stretch stitch to ensure that the headband fabric will still stretch after it has been sewn. The stretch stitch setting is often signified by the letter "S" and/or three lines side-by-side.

3. Measure a 1/4-inch seam allowance along both long edges of the stretchy fabric. Using a pencil, mark the seam with a straight line, on the wrong side of the fabric. Fold the fabric in half so that the wrong side is facing out, and align the long edges of the fabric together.

4. Sew the long edges of the fabric together using the marked line as your guide. Your fabric will now be a tube shape. Turn the fabric tube inside-out so that the right side of the fabric is facing you.

5. Flatten the fabric tube and align the seam so that it is in the center of one of the flattened sides of the tube. Iron the fabric to keep the tube flat.

6. Push 1/2 inch of the fabric, at both open ends, back into the tube so that each end has a finished edge. Iron the ends to keep the edges folded inside.

7. Fold the fabric tube in half so that the side with the long seam is visible and the two short ends are together. Align the short edges of the fabric with each other. Measure a 1/4-inch seam allowance along the short edge and mark it with a pencil line. Using the stretch stitch on your sewing machine, stitch the short edges of the fabric tube together, using the pencil line as your guide.

8. Turn the headband right side out so that all of the seams are on the inside of the band.

Tips & Warnings

• You can stitch on appliques, flowers and jewels to further customize your headband.