I love scarves and wear them any chance I can. As soon as there is the slightest crisp to the air I am wrapping that sucker around my neck. Here is my dilemma. I have long hair and if I wear a scarf, especially if it is a chunky knit, my hair soon turns into a tangled mess. Right there at the nape of my neck should be called ‘rat-ville’ for the nest that is created. Ouch!
So what to do? A sleek little top knot or messy ballerina bun is my go-to. But that can get a little boring, so here is a simple little DIY that will fancify your do… A pretty ribbon headband. I have made a ton of these in multiple ways.
This is the way I recommend best. If made this way I promise these suckers will hold up to all your tugs and fit snugly and comfortably on your noggin. No more headaches or slippage!
Here we go, see the materials and steps below.
Materials: Spool of ribbon. I purchased these from Hobby Lobby, but I have some really fancy ones on order with MJ Trims. A little pricier, but man o man do they have some pretty fantastic ribbon!
You will also need some braided elastic, scissors, needles and coordinating thread. My ribbon is 5/8″ and the braided elastic is 3/8″, this is a key part to have a smaller width elastic than ribbon.
1. Measure the ribbon around your head.
2. Subtract approximately two inches from what you measured and snip
3. Snip two inches of braided elastic. The elastic needs to be a touch smaller then the width or your ribbon. My ribbon is 5/8″ in width and the elastic is 3/8″ in width.
4. Overlap the elastic and ribbon by 1/2″ to 3/4″. Do a couple of stitches through the center of the elastic and ribbon to tack in place.
5. Do a whip stitch over the top edge of the ribbon to secure it to the elastic.
6. Continue the whip stitch down both sides of where the ribbon overlaps the elastic and secure with multiple knots. Make sure your stitches are wrapping the ribbon around the elastic, like how a hot dog bun covers a hot dog 😉
7. Re-thread your needle and wrap your stitches. Every third wrap, stitch through the elastic and ribbon
8. Repeat for other side 🙂 Slide on head and wear all day long
You could really go gangbusters nuts with this DIY. New ribbon, old ribbon, anything of length could become a great little headband. Trust me you will never look at leftover gift wrapping again… you will be thinking ‘Oh, that would make a nice headband.”