Headbands

I've always wanted to make a bunch of headbands for myself and as gifts. Here are a few tutorials and links to patterns for three different headbands. These were sourced from online searches.

This is a great pattern for a knotted headband - for a baby 12 months or older. I'm going to adapt the pattern to fit a tween and an adult.

This is a similar type of headband with the knot on the top however, the fabric wraps around your head a couple of times and floral wire is used to to maintain any shape you desire.
                                         

The great thing about these is that there’s WIRE in them so you can create whatever shapes you want and it stays put! You have the freedom here to get creative, maybe even weave it through a side braid?! Plus, you can choose all sorts of different fabrics and do a variety of thicknesses and lengths! I’ve already made 3 :). 

Here’s how you do it:
Step 1: Gather materials needed – Floral wire, Fabric, and basic sewing tools.

Step 2: Cut a strip of fabric wide enough to fold in half (can be as thick as you want!) but make sure it’s long enough to go around your head once or twice with some extra on the ends. I liked making mine super long.

Step 3: Fold right sides together and iron flat.

Step 4: Sew together the long way. psst... you don’t need a sewing machine to do this – it just goes faster that way!

Step 5: Attach a safety pin to one side but only through one side of the fabric. Then feed the pin through the tube to turn it right-side out.

Step 6: Take your wire and bend one end into a loop.

Step 7: Feed the wire through the fabric tube.

Step 8: This part is a little tricky because you want the wire loop to stay put at the ends. Hold the wire loop at the end while sewing the fabric shut and make sure you put stitches through the wire loop too. So now the ends of the wire will stay put. Then just repeat on the other end and you are done!

Here’s me putting my hair wrap on:

This last headband is a bulkier one, made with knit - stretchy fabric. It's important to use a jersey or ballpoint needle when using this fabric.  

Materials:

Knit Fabric*

Jersey or Ball Point needle (for sewing with knits)

Hand sewing needle

Matching thread

Basic sewing supplies (sewing machine, scissors, pins, etc.)

*You can use almost any kind of knit fabric. Light weight knit usually has more stretch to it and its edges tend to curl, so it’s a little trickier to sew, but will provide a more flexible fit.

First, measure your head.
LENGTH
Measure around your head from forehead down to the upper part of your neck and then back around.

For a mid-weight knit that is a little stretchy but bounces back easily (has good recovery), use your exact measurements. It will end up being a little bit smaller because of the seam allowances, but it will stretch to fit your head nicely. If your knit fabric is really stretchy, consider subtracting an inch from your head measurement. The fabric needs to stretch some to fit your head without falling off.

If you are making the headbands to sell or as a gift, here are general length measurements for a mid-weight knit with good recovery:

Toddler = 19″
Girls =20-21″
Women’s = 22″

WIDTH
When cutting the width, decide how wide you want it, then double it and add 3/4″ for seam allowance (3/8″ x 2).
You can cut the width of your headwrap band to your preference. If you would like the thick headwrap look, the following is a good guideline:
Toddler = 6 3/4″
Girls = 7 3/4″
Women’s = 8 3/4″

Now, let’s sew!

1. Cut fabric (see above)…

2. Fold it lengthwise and pin the long edges together with right sides facing. Sew along long edges with a stretch stitch. I used a narrow-modified zig zag stitch. A serger overlock stitch works great as well.

3. Pull out the tube of fabric, you have just sewn, halfway so that the two short ends meet with right sides still facing.

4. Make sure the seams line up (so the band won’t be twisted) and pin the short ends together. Sew around leaving a 2-inch opening unsewn. Make sure to back stitch when you start and stop sewing, so that the opening won’t rip open any further when you turn the headband right side out.

\

5. This is what your fabric should look like now.

6. Through the opening, pull your headwrap band right side out.

7. Now you’re ready to do some hand sewing. If your pattern/stripes don’t match up quite right, don’t sweat it! You are going to ruche right on the seam and won’t notice it at all when you’re done.

Before we get to that though, we need to thread a hand sewing needle and knot it off.

Double up your thread, wrap it around your finger, roll the loop between fingers and pull needle end tight. Ta da! A knot. It’s a messy, chunky knot, but that’s what you want.

Okay, let’s get back to sewing.

8. Insert your needle into the opening at the seam and push the needle out the side (or really bottom) of the headwrap. The knot should now be encased inside the headwrap.

9. With the needle at the bottom of the headwrap, push it up through the seam of the head wrap, weaving it in and out of all layers of the head band as you go. You also want to close up the opening as you go. To accomplish this, weave back and forth between both sides, just slightly as you weave upward.

10. When you get to the top of the headwrap, turn around and weave it back down the seam in the opposite direction. Repeat this about three or four more times, until the headwrap is securely ruched or gathered. Knot it off in a discreet spot and clip your ends.

Headwrap band done and ready to wear!
You can wear the ruching in the front or flip it to the back, so the front has a smooth look.

Making Face Masks

This is all sourced from the following website: https://tianascloset.com/index.php/2020/02/06/face-mask-against-the-coronavirus-epidemic/ 

There are fairly simple instructions and pictures to guide you -  I will be ensuring there are three layers rather than two and have used Winceyette which is a lightweight napped flannel typically used for pyjamas. 

Here's a PDF of the pattern - print on A4 paper

Instructions
Cut out 4-6 pieces fabric using your chosen pattern size(100% Cotton is best as it is 'breathable').
After cutting, you will have two-three pairs of fabric.

Pick two pieces and align them right side to right side.
Stitch along the longest curved side 0.5cm from the edge.
Clip the curved edge to allow the seam to sit flat.  

Open the stitched piece, fold the seam to the left or right, and top stitch where the bulk of the seam is - this is a flat felled seam.

Repeat the above steps with the remaining pieces (one of the pairs can be stitched wrong side to wrong side and have an open seam when using three layers).
Place two of the completed pieces right side to right side, the third can be placed either way - I have chosen to place the pieces so that the print is what will be seen when wearing the mask and the white is the 'backing'.
Stitch along the long edges, leaving the short edges open.

Turn the fabric inside out through one of the openings on the short sides.
Top stitch along the long edges 3-5mm away from the edge.

There are a range of different ways to prepare the short edges to attach or insert the elastic. In the interest of keeping it simple, I'll explain two simple techniques.
One (this is the technique I will use).
Neaten the short edges with an overlocker or a zigzag stitch. 
Fold the short edge over 1.5cm and top stitch to secure - this creates a casing for the elastic.

Cut two pieces of elastic 15-18cm in length.
Use a safety pin to insert each piece of elastic through the 'casing' that has been created. Overlap the ends of the elastic and zigzag stitch to secure.

Two.
Fold the short edges over twice, to hide the raw edge - at least 1cm per fold.
Top stitch close to the inside fold - this should create a loop that allows you to easily thread a piece of elastic through whilst hiding the knot inside the fabric.

**Alternatively, cut the elastic to the desired length, overlap the two ends to form a loop, zigzag stitch closed, and insert before stitching the 'casing' closed.

Making a Bandana Bib

This is a great project for beginners and a fabulous way to up-cycle - by using old linen, such as towels and sheets. I’ve made a number of these over the holidays and given these to friends as gifts. 
I created a small and a large pattern on news print following the measurements below. 

Here are some that I have made using a range of scrap fabric and old towels, following the video at the bottom.