Project by Helen Bowes
My daughter has been pestering for a new headband and with COVID-19 hitting and my hair growing exponentially, I decided it was time to create a blog so others could make their own too.
The first steps as always is gathering your equipment and materials:
· Sewing machine and thread
· Material
· Elastic ½ to ¾ inch width
· Cutting mat
· Thick paper – I use wallpaper to make templates if needed
· Scissors or rotary cutter, embroidery scissors
· Pins or clips
Stage one: create your pattern
To get the best fit you would ideally want to measure your recipients head along the line at which the headband would sit. In some cases, this is not possible and so generic measurements are necessary. I found the following worked well but can easily be tinkered with.
Large: top of the head piece (the thickest section) = 3.25 inches
Bottom of the head piece = 2 inches
Edges from top to bottom = 7.75 inches
Elastic covering = 5.5 x 2 inches
Small: Top of head piece = 2.55 inches
Bottom of head piece = 1.75 inches
Edges = 7 inches
Elastic covering = 6 x 1.75 inches
Stage two: Cut out the pattern
The top of the head piece needs to be placed along the fold in the material. Trace your pattern onto your material and cut out two main pieces and two elastic covering pieces.
Place your two main pieces with patterns facing inwards and do the same with you elastic covering piece and clip or pin in place:
Sew the long edges of both pieces leaving the short ends open. The seam allowance in ¼ inch. With the pieces sewn, they can now be turned the right way around. To do this, I turn one open raw edge, so the right side is visible. I then use the end of an old child’s paintbrush to turn the material all the way around.
Stage 3: Complete the elasticated section
With the narrower of the two pieces this will form the casing of the elastic. For a larger sized head band, you will need 6 inches of elastic, for a smaller size you will need 5.5 inches. These sizes can be varied to fit the person the best. Some will prefer a narrower band, others a larger band of elastic.
Once your elastic has been cut place it on top of your covering and mark where the edges fall. Give yourself a little allowance and then top stitch along these two lines. The aim is that you are creating a gutter along which the elastic will thread and remain flat rather than having the space in which it can twist.
Once the stitching is complete you can thread the elastic. For this you will need two safety pins. Attach one pin to each end of the elastic. Start threading the elastic through the sleeve you have created for it. To prevent it being pulled all the way through, pin the one end to the material. As you thread the material will ruffle around the elastic. Once the opposite end is reached, pin this end to the fabric. With both ends pinned, ensure there has been no twisting of the elastic, and sew each end together incorporating the elastic.
Stage 4: Assembly
Turn the edges of the main piece so that the raw edges are tucked inside the material, so it forms a neat edge. Now insert the ends of the elastic sleeve into each end of the main piece and top stitch over the join. If desired, you can top stitch along all the edges of the main piece of the hair band.
Larger headband
Smaller headband
To see more from Helen, visit her on Instagram @phonenix_crafting
Made by Helen Bowes for The Craft Cotton Company 2020
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