Positively Splendid {Crafts, Sewing, Recipes and Home Decor}

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No-Slip Headband Tutorial

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Back today with another terrific summertime accessory idea is the immensely talented Megan from The Homes I Have Made! With the sultry summer days here in Tennessee, I need to whip up a few of these beauties. Take it away, Megan!

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Hello PS Readers! It’s Megan from The Homes I Have Made back again, and I am super excited to be here with my third tutorial! Let’s get right to it!
My family and I just moved to eastern North Carolina, and boy is it hot here! And based on the national news, I am pretty sure it’s hot where you are too! These days, whether unpacking boxes in the garage, going out for a run,  running errands around town, or playing at the park with my toddler, my hair is in a permanent pony tail. The only problem is that my hair is short, fine, and frizzy, which means I seemingly have a constant “halo” of wispies around my face. I am always reaching for headbands to tame those frizzes, but (until  now!), I’ve only had exercise “sweat” bands stay put long enough to do the job; and while functional, they sure aren’t fashionable!  Then recently, I was working on a project that left me with a good supply of leftover Velcro, and I knew it was just the trick for making my headbands stick (ha!).

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Hey, don’t knock it ’till you try it! These babies don’t move a centimeter all.day.long. And no, they 
do not pull your hair out when you take them off! What’s even better, they don’t take a lot of supplies, they are super quick to make (about 5-10 minutes), and are a great way to use up ribbon or scraps of fabric! Oh! And the possibilities are endless…here’s just three different ideas I came up with!

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Let me show you how I made each one!

Although slightly different, all three “styles” of headband follow the same construction, just with small variations. To make the “basic” ribbon top model, here is what you will need!

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1. Center and pin Velcro to the ribbon. Select which piece of ribbon (if they are different) will be the underside to your headband (the part that touches your head!). Center the Velcro on the RIGHT side of the ribbon (if there is one), and pin it down the length of the ribbon with straight pins. You should have an extra 1/2″ or so of ribbon on each end (beyond the Velcro).

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2. Sew Velcro to the ribbon. Starting in one corner (it doesn’t matter which one), sew around all four sides of the Velcro, attaching it securely to the ribbon. Try to sew as close to the edge of the Velcro as you can.

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Once you’ve sewn on your Velcro, this is what you’ll end up with. Note what I am calling the “right” side versus the “wrong” side.

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3. Pin the Velcro ribbon to the other length of ribbon. With WRONG sides together, pin the ribbon you just sewed (with the Velcro) to the ribbon you want for the top of your headband (this is the part that will show when you’re wearing it).

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Just to keep all the sides clear, here is what I mean by WRONG sides. Because ribbon already has a finished edge, there is no flipping involved in this project. Therefor, when you pin the two ribbons together, you want your RIGHT sides to be facing outward.

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5. Insert the elastic into ONE end of the ribbon. First, only attach the elastic to ONE end of the ribbon. Here is how to do it!
  • a) Fold down the end of the Velcro ribbon toward the center, just to where the Velcro starts.
  • b) Flip the whole thing over, and repeat using the outside ribbon. Essentially, fold the two ends toward each other.
  • c) Insert one end of the elastic about a 1/2″ or so and pin shut.

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    Again, only insert it into one side (for now!)

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    6. Sew the elastic end. Using a sewing machine, sew the elastic and the ends shut by simply going back and forth 3-4 times (to make it nice and strong).

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    7. Sew the sides of the ribbons shut. Once the end is shut (and the elastic is firmly sewn in), sew down each side of the headband, attaching the two pieces of ribbon to each other. 

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    But be sure to STOP at the end of each side – don’t sew the other opening shut!

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    Here is how I recommend sewing your headband:

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    8. Insert the elastic to the other end of the headband. Repeating the process you did in step 5, insert the elastic into the other end of the headband. (Make sure your elastic ins’t twisted!)

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    9. Stich the headband shut. Again going back-and-forth a few times, stitch the headband shut at the other elastic insertion.

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    And you’re all done! Easy, huh?!?

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    After making two of these easy ribbon headbands, I really wanted to be able to do the same thing with fabric – just think of the different looks you could make with fabric as an option too! After a failed attempt at the sewing-and-flip-right-side-out approach, I went about it a different way!
    To make the headband with a fabric top, you start the same way!
    1. Center and pin Velcro to the ribbon. 
    2. Sew Velcro to the ribbon. 

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    3. Prepare a fabric strip. Cut a 16″+ length of fabric (or use a scrap like I did!) about 3 inches wide. Fold it in half with RIGHT sides together and sew down the edge. I used my serger to finsih the edge in order to reduce the amount of bulk on the inside of the strip once it was flipped right-side-out.

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    4. Flip the strip right-side-out. Using a safety pin (or one of those fancy turning tools), flip your fabric strip right-side-out.

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    5. Press the fabric flat. With the seem running down the center of the fabric strip, press the fabric strip flat.

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    6. Pin the fabric strip to the ribbon with Velcro. Like before, with WRONG sides together, pin the fabric to the ribbon strip.

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    Finish the headband the same way as above.

    7. Pin down the length of the ribbon.

    8. Fold the ends of the ribbon inwards.

    9. Insert the elastic into one end.

    10. Sew the elastic in and the end shut.

    11. The elastic and sides should be sewn shut.

    12. Finish by inserting the elastic into the remaining end and sewing shut.


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    Love this one – just a little more glamorous!

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    Last but not least, I added a little “ruffle” to the top of my last headband.

    Again, start the same way:

    1. Center and pin Velcro to the ribbon. 

    2. Ruffle the ribbon. Using pins, create 5-6 ruffles/pleats on one end of the ribbon strip.

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    3. Attach the ruffled ribbon to the Velcro ribbon. No need to baste, just go ahead and use more pins to attach the ruffled ribbon to the Velcro ribbon with WRONG sides together. Finish the rest of the headband as above!

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    Here’s the pink ribbon one after a four mile run!

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    I am so addicted – I can’t wait to make more!

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    That’s all I’ve got for you today! There has been some amazing feedback on my previous two projects for PS (the 3D Paper Wall Flowers and my Outdoor Drink Holders), so thanks so much for all the blog love! If you haven’t yet, please come on over to say HI to me at The Homes I Have Made. I am moving into a new house and taking on all sorts of fun projects!
    See you next month!

    signiture 1




    Megan is an exercise and nutrition professional turned stay-at-home mom and DIY blogger with the arrival of her baby boy in April of 2011. Married to a U.S. Marine, she is currently setting up her 5th home in 8 years! You can follow Megan’s decorating and crafting adventures over at The Homes I Have Made (and here on Pinterest and Facebook) and find lots of ideas, tips, and tricks for making any temporary space a cute, cozy and comfortable home!


    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    2. Jess says

      This is totally ingenious! I’m constantly losing headbands when I’m running! Definitely making a bunch of these for myself and my marathoner sister in law!

    4. Kim says

      These are so darn cute! Love the stay-put feature. Thanks so much for sharing! 🙂
      Kim @ Seabrook Lane

    5. Jessica says

      What size would you consider for a toddler sized headband. My daughter loves headbands but they hurt her behind the ears and these would be perfect!

    6. Sky says

      Oooh.. I Love this! Such a great idea that will solve a big frustration in my world! I’ll be whipping these up tomorrow! Thanks so much for sharing 🙂

    9. Love Maisy Lee says

      That is such a great idea, thanks for sharing. Could i ask if the velcro pulls at the hair? I would love to make some for my little niece who is 2.

    10. Becky says

      Doh! Velcro! Fantastic. I can retrofit a few I already made. Thanks so much for sharing.

      Welcome to North Carolina!

    12. Megan says

      I think this could be a great idea for my 5 yr old just started school constantly ends up with headband around forehead or not where it started. She ends up looking ridiculous by the end of day!!!

    13. keri says

      just found your blog via a google search for “sew a headband” – what a great tutorial! i’m going to make one (maybe a few) right now 🙂 your blog is beautiful! i just subscribed to your rss and am heading off to explore more posts right now 🙂

    14. Leah says

      So I love these. But this would take like a year for me to make. Not 5-10 minutes. I don’t sew. I don’t own a sewing machine. But I would buy these from you. Would u be willing to sell?
      -Leah

      • Amy @ Positively Splendid says

        Hi, Leah! I can pass your information on to Megan and see if she would be willing to make some to sell to you. Thanks so much!

        • Leah says

          Any word yet on whether Megan would sell these? Still wanting some, especially with summer around the corner! Thanks! 🙂

    16. Dyana says

      Just made one using this tutorial. Great and easy to follow instructions and one of the best headbands I’ve ever had!

      Thanks so much for sharing!!!