Simple Headband Tutorial

Really it takes 30-45 minutes from start to finish, it's that easy!

I wear a headband very often... it tames my fuzz. So, when one of mine fell apart, I took the opportunity to undo all the seams and see exactly how it was made, now here's a tutorial on how to make one of your own.

This is the one that fell apart... mine is made to NOT fall apart =]

Materials:

Top piece: 10 x 15" fabric of choice

Back binding: 3 x 13" same fabric

7 1/4" of 1" Wide Elastic

Coordinating all purpose thread

Safety Pin

1. Iron 1/4" seam only on the long sides of top fabric and short sides of back binding fabric.

2. Stitch seams @ 1/4" - I chose the zigzag stitch for the added detail. Set back binding piece aside for now.

3. Lengthen stitch length and sew 1/4" in on the short sides of the top fabric (NO back stitch)

4. Gather the fabric on both the short sides as tight as possible pulling the top thread only.

5. "Pleat" the gathered side to the width of your elastic (1") So the edges are showing on top.

6. Either baste like this*, or if you dare (I dared, and it worked) slip the elastic about 1/2" under your fabric and sew. It's thick, so I had to "help" my machine along and push it through, but once I sewed over the strip once, I could go back and forward over it again to really secure it fairly easily. *I basted the pleat on it's own, and then attached it to the elastic the second time around and found it went together easier.

7. Now pick up your back binding strip and fold in half, right sides facing. Sew 1/4" seam making sure to back stitch at beginning and end.

8. Turn your binding strip.

9. Iron with the seam at the back.

10. Attack you safety pin to the end of your elastic first (I forgot to do this, sliding it through the other end was tough, but only took a few minutes extra). Then slide your binding strip over the elastic.

11. Pull the binding strip up over the top fabric, covering the elastic completely. Sew above the zigzag stitch end to end twice.

12. Pull the elastic out through the other end of the binding.

13. "Pleat" the other top end in the same fashion as before and sew to elastic.

14. Pull your binding strip up over the end of the top piece.

15. Make sure it covers the elastic completely.

16. Sew above the zigzag stitch end to end twice.

Boom... your done!