How to Headband: Favorite Accessories Part One

For years I have been wearing headbands and ribbons in my hair. They are great for mornings when my wardrobe needs a little pick me up. Or bad hair days. Up until now I have been using unfinished fabric scraps which require several bobby pins to stay in my hair. Today I decided to come up with an alternative. No more bobby pins.

To make a headband of your own, you'll need a fabric scrap and a piece of elastic long enough to wrap around your head.

 The width will be determined by the width of elastic you are using. Mine was 1" wide. The headband will be folded in half, and have 1/2" seam allowances on both sides. So I cut my fabric 3" x 46" for my headband to be long enough to tie at the nape of my neck with extra length at the ends (see the photo).

After cutting your fabric, measure the length of elastic needed to wrap around your head. I cut my elastic 21" long. You will not need elastic for the ends.

Now grab your iron and ironing board. Lay your fabric right side down and fold over the outer edge 1/2" and press. Repeat along the other side so you have a folded edge on each side.

Fold the end up 1/2" and press. Repeat. Do the same on the other end for a finished edge.

 With the fabric still laying right side down, center the piece of elastic on the right-hand side of the fabric so that you have the elastic in the middle of the headband piece. Again, you will not need elastic in the ties, so for mine I had about 7" without elastic on each end.
Now fold the fabric in half so that the finished edges are on top of each other. Press and pin in place.

Last step! Simply top-stitch along the perimeter of the headband, close to the edge. Make sure to sew the elastic in place. You will have one long strip of fabric to tie in a double knot or small bow at the nape of your neck.

The elastic holds the headband securely without it being too tight. For varying widths, use different widths of elastic. You can also embellish your headbands for an unexpected touch of whimsy.