I recently tried out a cloth headband to keep my hair out of my face when exercising and I loved it. Usually when I try to wear headbands they are too tight and give me a headache or they slip off but this one was perfect. It looked really easy to make. There are a couple of benefits to making these at home. The fabric I chose was only 6.99 a yard and I bought 1/2 yard. You can get at least two out of that so it's really inexpensive to make. The other benefit is that you can customize it to the size of your head, very handy when you don't have a standard shaped head (me).
Basically it is one cut and one straight line of stitching so it is really easy. Start by getting some knit fabric. You could even use an old knit t-shirt.
The fabric cut I got was about 19 1/2 inches across
I measured 21" for the length. This is where you might want to measure your head. Mine measured 21.5" so I cut 21" (there will be 1/4-1/2 inch seam allowance also) so about a half inch less than your head measurement to allow one inch for the stretch of the fabric. Err on the side of bigger because if it is too loose you can always make the seam smaller.
*This (the length) is the side you want to be really stretchy so test your fabric by pulling gently to make sure you are using the more stretchy side. This is the side that will fit around the circumference of your head so you want to have some stretch.
Make your cut.
Once you have cut your piece of fabric, fold the longer side in half to make a rectangle with the 'right sides' of the fabric facing together (This means the blurry side is on the outside. You will be turning this inside out after sewing it.). You will notice that the ends really curl up so I ironed mine to try to flatten them out a little before sewing.
Put the side with the raw edges in your sewing machine and sew a straight line leaving a 1/4 to 1/2 inch seam allowance. Go nice and slow. Knit fabric is tricky. It moves around and curls up a bit. You can pin the edge before sewing to make it a little easier but I just went for it.
Once you have sewed the seam, you can trim the extra fabric. I used a rotary cutter to neaten the edges a little since I'm a sloppy cutter. Now just turn it inside out. What is great about knit fabric is that the edges don't fray. They tend to curl a little so you don't have to do anything extra with the edges.
That's all there is to it. Now you can try it on to check the fit and wear it in a number of different ways.
You could wear it over your ears when it's a little cold outside. I like that they hold in my earbuds which normally slip out.
Wear it as more of a classic headband above the ears.
Go old school.....
or pull it down and wear it as a scarf.
If you are interested in more easy sewing projects try this simple drawstring bag, this lavender sachet, or this simple rice pack.
If you are looking for some unique fabric, Spoonflower carries a sports knit that is moisture wicking and would be great for an athletic headband. Here is a link to my shop there in case you are interested.
Thanks for stopping by! Hope you have lots of fun making these!
Warmly,
Pam