The Great Upcycling Challenge FREE Headband Pattern

Hi guys! My other Upcycling Challenge post was getting a little long so I thought I’d post this FREE headband pattern in a new post to organize things a bit better.

These headbands take about 10 minutes to make and are the perfect project to use up all those tiny bits and pieces of fabric leftover from your main project. This headband has exposed elastic because it’s slimmer at the nape of the neck and the rubbery bits inside the elastic grip the hair and hold the headband into place. Girly has straight, fine hair and the bulk of the fabric covered headbands makes a weird lump and they always slide right out of her hair. So I eliminated that and left the elastic exposed. Elastic comes in a variety of colors nowadays (fold over elastic options are vast and FOE works well for this project).  You can make your free headband pattern in reversible or regular, depending on if you use 2 or 1 fabric print.

Materials:

• ReversableHeadbandPieces (<-PRINTABLE FILE for Child and Adult sizes)
• Scrap of main fabric (about 4″x13″)
• Scrap of reverse fabric (about 4″x13″)
• Scrap of fusible interfacing (about 4″x13″)
• Scrap of elastic (about 3-6″)

Instructions:

1. Cut out all pieces. You will have 2 headband pieces, 1 interfacing piece and 1 piece of elastic.
2. Press interfacing to the wrong side of main headband print (it doesn’t matter which print you choose to be your “main” print).
3. Lay your 2 headband pieces right sides together. Slide your elastic into one end of the headband. Pin.
4. Starting at the short end opposite of the elastic, sew around the long curved edge, the short end with the elastic and the other long curved edge. Keep the elastic-free short end open.
5. Clip corners and seam allowance around the curves.
6. Turn right side out. Press.
7. Now tuck the raw edge up inside the open bit of the headband piece.
8. I like to try the headband on and measure exactly how much elastic needs to show in the back. Wrap your headband around your head (or the head of whoever it is being made for) and mark where your elastic meets the headband. I like to stretch the elastic every so slightly so it hugs the head and stays on better.
9. Slide the free end of the elastic into the open part of your headband up to the mark you just made on the elastic.
10. Sew the open end of the headband, securing the elastic.
11. Sew the opposite end of the headband, making the project symmetrical and reinforcing the elastic.
12. Enjoy!!!

I love making these headbands for birthday presents or whenever I have a lot of little scraps to use up. I hope you enjoy making these as much as I do!