Headband tutorial

Since so many of you asked how I made these headbands I thought it high time I tried my hand at a tutorial. I'll attempt to teach you how to make them with pictures and words. My words can get kinda confusing so bear with me.




First off you'll need fabric, 3/4 inch wide elastic, a cutting mat, rotary cutter and straight edge. You'll also use an iron, ironing board and sewing machine.




Cut 2 19 inch x 4 inch strips of fabric. These will make the front and back of your headband. I used matching fabric but you can use coordinating fabric and have an reversible headband. Hmmm . . . wonder why I didn't think of that before now.

You'll also cut 2 2inch x 6inch strips of the same fabric. Or not. I mean go crazy. Use whatever fabric your little heart desires. I'm not the headband police.

While your at it also cut a 3 inch length of elastic.

Oh, and ya know these measurements are what works for us. Maybe you have smaller heads. Maybe you have bigger heads. These work for the girls (ages 8 and 6) and work for me too (age 36 thank you very much!) but you may need to play around with the measurements to see what works for you.




Now go to your iron and thank your lucky stars that your ironing board doesn't look like mine. You'd think I'd make a cute little cover for it but I just don't follow patterns well and haven't managed to take the time to figure out how to make one on my own.

Anywho, take your 19 inch long strip and fold it in half and iron it at the crease.







Now, one at a time, line the folded strip up on your cutting mat with the folded crease at the bottom. Double check and make sure the folded crease is at the bottom. Go ahead . . . I'll wait.



Good. Now using your straight edge line it up from the bottom right hand point up and over 1 inch in on the top. Then make the cut with your rotary cutter.

This is how you get the nice wide portion of the headband that goes at the top of the head and the narrow part down by the nape of your neck.





Do the exact same for the other side.




Now go back to your ironing board (I'll spare you another glimpse of mine), open up the fold and iron back nice and straight. Also, iron about 1/4 of an inch in on each end on each strip.

Then, with the rights sides of the fabric together, line the two strips up on on top of each other and pin together.





Sew each long side using 1/4 inch seam allowance.




Now you have to turn this right-side-out. I get it started with my hands and then use an unsharpened pencil to help me finish the job. The first time it can be tricky but you'll get the hang of it.





Just keep turning it right-side-out until it looks like this.




Then iron it nice and flat.




Top stitch along each length to give a nice finished look. I'd guess that it is about 1/8 of an inch in from the outer edge.




Ok. Remember the 2 inch x 6 inch strips of fabric? Now it's time to make a sleeve for the elastic.




Place them right sides together and sew along the two long sides using your 1/4 inch seam allowance.





Then you'll turn it right-side-out just like you did on the main headband portion.





No need to iron this one all pretty though because it will be all scrunchy here in a minute anyway.




Place the elastic in and have it just about even with one edge of the sleeve.



See how it is just about even?


Now this whole contraption fits into the end of the headband thinger-ma-bob you made a minute ago.









Now sew it securely with your sewing machine. I go back and forth 5 or 6 times to be sure that it is a good and strong connection.



Then you do the same for the other side. However, you'll have to shimmy the fabric sleeve down to find the end of the elastic. Don't get frustrated. Just work at it for a few seconds and you'll have it.

Sew the other side like you did the first and viola!!





Your headband is complete!




Once you have one under your belt then you'll be able to whip these out in record speed. Hey, I know!!! Let's have a race? Wanna??

-dana