Thursday, March 10, 2011

Headbands

For these headbands you will need: 
fabric
wire 
needle and thread
scissors and ruler or rotary cutter and mat 
fabric measuring tape (or some way to measure your head) 
sewing machine
Begin by measuring your head from the base of your neck to crown, (mine happens to be 24 inches) then add 10 inches to get your total length (my total would be 34 inches).
Cut your piece of fabric 6 inches wide and the length that you figured in the step before.
(Mine would be 6"x 34").  I like using a rotary cutter and a mat but you can use a ruler and scissors.
Fold the cut piece of fabric in half length wise and with wise so both ends are together.  
Cut a triangle off the end so both ends taper. Cut only the open sides!
 AVOID cutting any sides that have folds!
(The cut doesn't have to be specific. Just make sure you
 leave enough room to turn it inside out later on.)
Put right sides together and begin sewing. Sew up one end then along the long side.
 Line up the fabric with the outside of the presser-foot. 
Sew ONLY ONE end shut.
When you get to the other end, REMEMBER to leave it open! 
Turn your fabric around and sew a second seam just inside of the first seam.  
This is making an area for the wire to go.  I just line up the first seam with the edge of the 
presser-foot and follow it all the way back to the other end.
Use the open end to turn it inside-out.
At this point you have a big fabric tube.  I like to iron mine (using my hair straightener :) so it is flat and easier to wire.
Take your wire (I just asked for wire at a craft store) and make a loop at the end.  
Slide it between the 2 seams.
When the wire is running the full length of the headband cut it and loop the end.
Fold the raw edge inside and sew up the end.
There are a lot of really fun ways to use this headband.  My personal favorite is to tie 
it in a knot to look like a flower. The wire it will hold pretty much any shape so be creative!