Hey everybody! Today I thought I would share the process of how I made a cloth headband. I got this pretty blue fabric in the middle of last summer with the sole purpose of making a headband, and now I'm finally making it--almost a year later. I'm pretty bad about sitting on plans for a long time before actually doing them. I don't know why, but that's usually the way it works out for a lot of things, especially craft type things. Anyway, let's get out our fabric and scissors and get on with it!
For reference, the cloth I used was about 21 inches long and 18 inches wide. I didn't measure it before hand, so I'm not sure of the exact measurements, but you get the idea. It was a pre-cut piece of fabric that I just thought was pretty and bought. I think the length turned out to be pretty good.
To start things off, I cut two strips about 1 and a quarter inches wide and set them aside. I cut the remaining fabric into roughly one-inch strips. It's good to make the two first strips wider since they'll be what ties the headband together, and the braid will end up being wider than the strips used in it.
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| The left two are headband ties, and the right two are used in the braid |
It's okay, and maybe even good, to be a little rough and/or sloppy with the cutting of the fabric depending on what you're going for. I wanted mine to look a little textured, so it was good if the cutting left jagged edges like these:
When the thin strips were all cut out, I divided them into three groups. Without trying, it ended up that I cut 15 thin strips, so I was able to make three even sets with 5 strips each. To get an even braid, make sure the number of strips is divisible by three. The fabric had a very distinct gradient from dark blue to light blue, so to get a more even, overall blue, I flipped some of the strips within each set.
Now it kinda looks like we've got three blue octopuses! I lined up the strips and sewed each set of five on one end to keep them together throughout the braiding.
Once each set was sewn, I tied a rubber band around all of them.
I also banded each set of five to make it easier to keep track of each set. I started out without them banded, and it got confusing and strips were going where they weren't supposed to, and it was a bit of a mess. Tape the sewn ends to a table or have someone hold it, and braid it like you would a normal three-stand braid. Remove the individual sets' rubber bands, and tie one around all the strips at the end.
If you braid really tightly, the braid will be really thick and stand off your head more. To make a wider, flatter braid, tug at the braid on the edges to loosen it up and make it more voluminous--like you would your own hair.
I cut off the uneven end to make all the strips even. I removed the rubber band, and then I sewed the strips together. I sewed through all of them and then around them, and then through them a couple more times, to make it as secure as possible.
I removed the rubber band on the beginning end and sewed through it a few times. I didn't bother sewing around it because each set had already been sewn together, and each set just needed to be attached to the other. On the other end, there needed to be a lot more securing.
To finish the headband, I tied the wider strips to the ends of the braids. I flipped the strips so that the lighter end of one strip was tied on one end of the braid, and the darker end of the other strip was tied to the other end of the braid. I pulled the knot as tight as possible and double knotted it, but if you feel like it needs more securing, you can sew the ties on as well. I didn't.
EDIT: You will want to sew the ties on. On the second wear, one end of the ties fell off. I'm going to have to sew it on. I will also secure the other end by sewing it.
Now we're done!
So what do you think?
I really like it. I didn't want to take it off after taking the pictures, but I had classes to go to, and it didn't go with my outfit. I'm looking forward to wearing it with an outfit that does work with it! And it feels like it will stay in place pretty well. I have some headbands that really don't like staying on, so this makes me happy :) I think the texture of the cloth gives it some grip, while the other headbands are made of really smooth material that just wants to slip off my head.
This didn't take much time, really. Definitely under two hours, maybe even under one if I was really focused on it (I was multitasking, and also interrupting myself to take pictures). I'm not 100% sure, though, because I didn't time it start to finish. If you decide to do this, I'd love to see the pictures!
Have a great day, and I'll talk to you later!
~Stacie
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