My quest for the perfect headband intensified when I became a runner. I hated wispy flyaway hairs always in my face! However, I never could get headbands to stay on my head. Enter the perfect solution (what I’m about to teach you how to make!):
These headbands are perfect because of the velvet on the backside. The velvet grips and sticks to your hair –but without pulling any hair out!
What you need:
Sewing machine
Velvet ribbon
Decorative ribbon
3/8 inch elastic
Black thread for the bobbin
Spool of thread to match the decorative ribbon
For this tutorial I used 1.5 inch ribbon but you can use just about any size as long as both the velvet and decorative ribbons are the same size.
Step 1:
Cut 16 inches of velvet ribbon
Cut 16 inches of decorative ribbon
Cut 6 inches of elastic
Layer your materials so they are right sides together with the elastic between them. Which means you'll layer it so that it is: velvet side of ribbon up, elastic, decorative side of ribbon down.
Make sure you have black bobbin thread in the bobbin case and a decorative color threaded on the top of your machine.
Step 4:
Line the ribbons up so they match, let the elastic hang out about 1/4-1/2 of an inch. Sew forward, back, and then forward over all three to lock them together and in place.
Flip the ribbons to the other side so they are now right, side out. The elastic and the ribbons should be pointing in opposite directions now.
Step 6:
Switch the foot on your machine to a guide foot. I have a few different types, any one will do. The one in the left of the photo you can use the dial to scoot the guiding edge in and out to a preferred distance. The one on the right has a pre-set distance from the needle that cannot be changed.
Adjust your stitch length a little longer. I usually set mine to a 3.
Step 8:
Using your guiding foot sew from the elastic side all of the way down the ribbon. Place the black velvet side down and the decorative side up. This will ensure the black bobbin thread goes on the black velvet side and the matching decorative thread will be on the top. Be sure to keep the two ribbons stacked on top of each other. Sew in a straight line down the right side.
Stop sewing about an inch and a half before the end of the ribbons and fold the bottom ribbon up about a half an inch, and the top ribbon down about a half an inch.
Once you've lined them up continue sewing off the end of the ribbons.
Using the guiding edge foot sew down the other side of the ribbon just like you did the first side.
Change your foot back to the regular foot you started with!
Take the end of the elastic and insert it in between the decorative and velvet ribbons about 1/2 of an inch.
Sew back and forth 5 times to lock the elastic and ribbons together. I usually use the white clear part of my foot as the guide for my seam allowance. I believe it is 1/4 an inch. You want to make sure you're hitting all of the layers to lock them together.
Sew the next side of the headband and go back and forth 5 times, making sure to sew through all of the layers.
Give a tug on both sides of the elastic to make sure they're secure.
Step 17:
Cut off the extra threads.
Please share your versions of the headbands with us. We'd love to see them!
Happy Running!
Kelly