Up your craft game and create something useful, practical, and pretty – learn how to make elastic headbands! You can wear these year-round, gift them, or sell them. On top of all that, they’re super simple to make. By learning how to make elastic headbands you can easily create last-minute gifts for baby showers, birthdays, and holidays. Or, learn how to make elastic headbands for yourself!
Whether you’re a seasoned sewer, a beginner, or you’d rather not deal with the sewing machine today at all, this list has a perfect headband project for you.
1. Reversible Elastic Headbands
Materials Needed
- 5/8″ fold-over elastic.
- 2 fabric patterns or solids of choice.
- Scissors.
- Thread in a coordinating color.
- Pins.
Step-by-step
- Cut a 4-inch piece of elastic.
- Cut a piece of fabric that is 3 3/4″ x 19″.
- Fold the fabric in half together lengthwise, with the pattern facing in.
- Sew the fabric on the long edge.
- Turn the piece right side out again.
- Tuck about 1/2″ of the fabric into the inside of the piece, iron it down.
- Place the tip of your elastic piece 1/2″ inside the headband, pin it down, and sew it in place, backstitching to secure it.
- Repeat step 7 with the other side of the headband and elastic. Now you have an adorable reversible headband!
2. Simple DIY Creaseless Elastic Headbands
Materials Needed
- Colorful or patterned 5/8″ fold-over elastic.
- Scissors.
Step-by-step
- Measure and cut 18 inches of your favorite elastic.
- Fold the elastic in half with the ends together.
- Tie a single knot at the end and pull it tight to secure the knot.
- (Optional) To make hair ties in the same style, use these same 3 steps but use 9 inches of elastic in step 1 instead!
3. How to Make Elastic Headbands with Interchangeable Bows
Materials Needed
- Hot glue gun.
- Hot glue stick.
- Scissors.
- 5/8″ fold-over elastic.
Step-by-step
- Measure the intended wearer’s head and subtract 1 inch.
- Cut the elastic using this measurement.
- Hot glue the ends of the elastic together.
- Cut a second piece of elastic about 1.5 inches long and wrap it around the section you just glued.
- Glue the 1.5-inch piece of elastic together to create a tight loop and cut off any excess elastic.
- You can now use this loop to clip on any hair bow or clip accessory! Talk about a versatile headband.
4. How to Make Elastic Headbands with Sailor Bows
Materials Needed
- Knit fabric.
- Hot glue gun.
- Hot glue stick.
- Scissors.
- 5/8″ fold-over elastic.
Step-by-step
- Cut a 13″ x 3″ piece and a 4″ x 2″ piece of knit fabric.
- Sew them closed along all edges, but keep a small opening in the middle of the long side.
- Trim off any excess fabric after sewing.
- Turn both pieces inside-out using the opening you left while sewing.
- Use a dab of glue to close the openings.
- Take the large piece of fabric and fold the right side down, across the middle. Then fold the left side on top so that the two sides are crossed on top of each other like a pretzel.
- Flip the bow over and ensure the sections are even.
- Fold it similar to a fan, scrunching up the middle section. Hold the middle in place.
- Wrap the smaller piece of fabric around the middle.
- Hot glue the smaller piece to the larger piece and trim any excess and your bow is finished!
- Measure your head and cut the elastic 1-inch shorter.
- Hot glue the ends of the elastic together, then glue the bow to the elastic!
5. How to Make a T-Shirt Headband
Materials Needed
- Scissors.
- Ruler.
- A t-shirt you don’t wear.
- Hot glue gun.
- Glue sticks.
Step-by-step
- Fold the t-shirt in half and cut the hem off.
- With the shirt still folded in half, cut 6 1-inch wide strips out of the t-shirt.
- Stretch each of the 6 strips stretched out and make sure they are even. You should have 6 loops of fabric.
- Next, cut the loops on one end. You now have 6 long strips of fabric.
- Separate 3 of the strips, make sure they’re even and make a loop.
- Take the other 3 and create an upside-down horseshoe on top of the first three pieces.
- Follow the video instructions to create the knot.
- Slowly tighten the knot by carefully tugging from each side until it’s fully tightened.
- Measure your head and trim your headband down to the correct size.
- Secure the ends by lining up the ends and gluing a scrap strip of t-shirt fabric to both sides.
- Cut out an additional piece of the t-shirt that is 4″ x 3″ and curl the shorter sides up and lay it flat in front of you.
- Glue one edge of the headband to the top of this curled-up piece of fabric, then glue the other end to the other side.
- Now wrap that piece of fabric around the headband, fold the ends in to give it a clean look, and glue it. Enjoy your cute t-shirt headband!
6. How to Make a Quick Knot Headband
Materials Needed
- Knit fabric.
- Scissors.
- Needle and thread or hot glue gun.
Step-by-step
- Cut out 2 strips of knit fabric that are 2″ x 25″.
- Place both strips on top of each other with the pattern facing in.
- Sew all the way around, leaving a 3-inch opening.
- Trim the excess and turn the piece inside-out.
- Stitch or hot glue the opening together.
- Tie the headband around your head in a bow and you’re finished!
Summing Up
Hopefully, you found these tutorials useful in your quest to learn how to make elastic headbands! Choose a tutorial and dive right in. These ideas work well for practicing your sewing skills if you’re a new sewer. There are endless ways to wear these headbands regardless of your age or the season. Once you’ve mastered a technique, you can even think about selling your creations. Now, go make a cute headband!