• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

The Polka Dot Chair logo

  • SEWING
    • Free Sewing Patterns
    • Bag Patterns
    • Costumes
    • Apparel
    • Learn to Sew
    • Beginner Friendly
    • Embroidery Projects
    • Tips & Techniques
    • All Sewing
  • QUILTING
    • Quilt Blocks
    • Learn to Quilt
    • Free Patterns
    • Quilt Patterns
    • All Quilting
  • CRAFTS
    • Disney
    • Cricut
    • Printables
    • All Crafts
  • HOLIDAYS
    • Seasonal Projects
    • Valentine’s Day
    • Easter
    • 4th of July
    • Halloween
    • Thanksgiving
    • Christmas
    • All Holidays
  • TUTORIALS
  • ABOUT
    • About Me
    • My Fabric Collections
    • Published Books
    • Press
    • FAQ’s
    • Contact
  • SUBSCRIBE
  • SHOP
menu icon
go to homepage
  • SHOP
  • TUTORIALS
  • SEWING
  • QUILTING
  • SUBSCRIBE
  • CRAFTS
  • HOLIDAY PROJECTS
  • ABOUT
    • Published Books
    • My Fabric Collections
  • CONTACT
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • SHOP
    • TUTORIALS
    • SEWING
    • QUILTING
    • SUBSCRIBE
    • CRAFTS
    • HOLIDAY PROJECTS
    • ABOUT
      • Published Books
      • My Fabric Collections
    • CONTACT
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » Sewing » Accessories

    How to Make Fabric Headbands

    Updated: Jul 8, 2021 by Melissa Mortenson · This post may contain affiliate links · This blog generates income via ads · 13 Comments

    Don’t you hate trying to decide how to fix your hair when you’re on vacation, or during warm summer weather? I designed these DIY Fabric headbands using Liberty of London Fabric to help me tame my hair when I’m traveling. This headband tutorial shows you how to make a fabric headband and does not require elastic. If you like this sewing tutorial you may also like this Liberty T-Shirt Sewing Project and these cute printables that you can attach to hair ties to make a sweet gift.

    DIY Fabric Headband Sewing Pattern on polkadotchair.com

    A few years ago, my oldest daughter had the opportunity to study abroad in London, once I found out she was going I decided that I was absolutely going to pick her up.  The last time I was in London was in 1997, coincidentally when Princess Diana passed away.

    Table of Contents
    • How to Make Fabric Headbands
    • Cloth Headbands Supplies
    • DIY Headband Construction Steps
    • FAQ about the Headbands

    I had been wanting to go back ever since I left. I loved England on that first trip almost 20 years ago and I loved it, even more, when I visited that summer.  Today, I thought I’d share with you a simple sewing project that I made to take with me on the trip.

    How to Make Fabric Headbands

    DIY Fabric Headband Sewing Pattern on polkadotchair.com

    Whenever I travel I get stuck between, wanting to look nice and dressing practically enough for walking around a city all day. I default to my standard ponytail hairstyle when I travel and I was trying not to do that as much.  I love headbands, but they don’t stay on my head for some reason (I must have an oddly shaped head).

    A few years ago I bought a fabric headband that was glued to a skinny headband and it stayed on my head all day and didn’t give me a headache.

    DIY Fabric Headband Sewing Pattern on polkadotchair.com

    The morning I left for the trip (yes, genius timing I know) I sat down and made two headbands. So when I say this is a simple sewing project, I’m not kidding. It’s fast.

    DIY Fabric Headband Sewing Pattern on polkadotchair.com

    I chose two of my favorite Liberty of London prints (the one on the right is leftover from my Liberty t-shirt project) that I thought would match some of the clothing I had packed for the trip.

    DIY Fabric Headband Sewing Pattern on polkadotchair.com

    Cloth Headbands Supplies

    14″ x 6″ piece of lightweight cotton fabric.  I used Liberty Lawn, but you could use a Voile also or simple cotton fabric.

    Skinny headband

    Hot Glue & Hot Glue Gun

    Sewing Machine

    DIY Headband Construction Steps

    DIY Fabric Headband Sewing Pattern on polkadotchair.com

    I’ve added a fun illustration above for you! So reference it as necessary.

    Step One:

    Fold the fabric in half lengthwise, right sides facing, sew along the long edge with a ¼″ seam allowance.

    Step Two:

    Turn right side out and press with the seam in the center.

    Step Three:

    Run a gathering stitch along both ends, pull up on the gathering stitches to gather the fabric.

    Step Four:

    Cut two pieces of fabric to 2″ x 2″. Fold under two of the raw edges ¼″ towards the wrong side of the fabric.

    Press

    Step Five:

    Starting at the center and working out, glue the fabric to the purchased headband.

    Step Six:

    With one of the folded edges of the fabric flush with the ends of the headband, hot glue the wrong side of the folded 2×2 piece to the bottom of the headband.

    Wrap the raw edges of the fabric in, and secure in place using hot glue.

    DIY Fabric Headband Sewing Pattern on polkadotchair.com

    That’s it!!

    Easy peasy huh!! I’ve worn them several times over the years and have it on my “list” to make a few more to have on hand this summer.

    DIY Fabric Headband Sewing Pattern on polkadotchair.com

    and yep, I wore them in London and they came in VERY handy!

    DIY Fabric Headband Sewing Pattern on polkadotchair.com

    FAQ about the Headbands

    Do they stay on your head?

    Yes, I have found they stay on my head and the skinny headband is more comfortable for me to wear than the wider headband.

    Can you Use Knit Fabric?

    Personally, I would not use knit fabric. But it won’t matter because the fabric is not what holds the headband on your head it’s the skinny plastic headband that is glued to the fabric.

    Can you add a Button?

    Many of you are using this tutorial so that it can be worn with a face mask. If you want to do that then yes, you can add a large button to the side. To make sure it’s secure, I would sew some of the stitches attaching the button over the top of the skinny plastic headband on the inside. So you will “catch” the plastic headband as you sew on the button.

    For information about making face masks, visit here.

    More Simple Sewing Tutorials:

    5 Simple Weekend Sewing Projects

    How to Make a Circle Skirt

    60+ Simple Summer Sewing Projects

    DIY Fabric Headband Sewing Pattern on polkadotchair.com
    DIY fabric headband

    More Projects You May Enjoy

    • How to Make a Braided Padded Headband
    • Quilted Toy Storage Bag Tutorial
    • Striped Pencil Pouch Sewing Pattern
    • Nesting Fabric Baskets Sewing Pattern

    • Share
    • Email

    About Author

    Melissa Mortenson

    Melissa Mortenson is a blogger, designer, and content creator. She is the Polka Dot Chair blog founder and has been sharing fresh and creative ideas with readers since 2008. She is the author of “Project Teen, Handmade Gifts your Teen will Actually Love.” Her work and designs have been featured on HuffPost, TODAY, Pioneer Woman, HGTV, BuzzFeed, Better Homes & Gardens, and many other established publications. Her first fabric line, “Derby Style,” debuted in January 2015 through Riley Blake Designs.  Additional fabric collections have followed it in subsequent years. A mom of 3, she considers herself lucky to be living in Kentucky.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. lisa says

      September 09, 2014 at 8:16 am

      These look great & you make them look so easy to make. I love your drawing. Coming by from Blogher. Lots of love, Lisa

      Reply
    2. Phyllis says

      September 14, 2014 at 3:36 am

      I love these! And so clever! I must get some Liberty fabric next time I am in London (can’t buy those fabrics over here) and make one. London is just the greatest place, one of our favorite cities and only a 45 mins flight away for us. So we do try and go at least once a year for a weekend. Each time there are new things to discover. Thank you for the patter and you look lovely when you travel by the way!

      Reply
    3. Michelle says

      September 20, 2014 at 2:17 pm

      Love these! Will have to source some skinny bands that don’t give me headache, I think I have a biggish head! By the way London phones are in boxes, never booths 😉

      Reply
    4. Jamie says

      October 17, 2014 at 10:34 pm

      Thanks so much for this tutorial! I was looking for just this kind of thing while growing out a short hair cut. I made three tonight and I love them all!

      Reply
      • Melissa Mortenson says

        October 22, 2014 at 6:03 pm

        You’re Welcome! Enjoy your headbands!

        Reply
    5. Brittany says

      June 06, 2016 at 8:51 am

      I love this tutorial and Love the way this headband updates my do! Only thing is that in your supplies list i think you forgot to add that we need 2 2×2 squares of fabric. It took me a minute to figure out that i was missing something. Otherwise Awesome!!!!

      Reply
      • Melissa Mortenson says

        June 06, 2016 at 11:31 am

        Oh thank you! I’ll add it to the supply list! Don’t know how I forgot about that.

        Reply
    6. Lissette says

      July 23, 2017 at 8:26 pm

      Thank you for sharing your fabulous project ! I am researching for a 10 years old sewing theme party. This is something we can do! Please , can you provide more details about fabric dimentions? I will appreciate! Liz,

      Reply
      • Melissa Mortenson says

        July 27, 2017 at 1:52 pm

        The dimensions are listed in the tutorial! Have fun sewing.

        Reply
    7. Karyn says

      April 22, 2019 at 7:25 am

      What a great concept! I love to accessorize, and now I have something new to do with my scraps 🙂 🙂 :). I wear cochlear implants, so the metal headband will not work for me. Any words of wisdom about how to convert the pattern and attach elastic around the bottom? Thanks so much for sharing your wonderful ideas!!

      Reply
    8. Jenn says

      July 05, 2020 at 10:34 am

      You are brilliant! I immediately made one for myself. It’s cute and stays on my head!

      Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    Hello! It’s nice to meet you.

    I’m Melissa. I like to design things, like fabric, printables, and projects.

    I’m also a Mom and a Maker. I am like most of you, just trying to do my best every day. Some days I succeed, many days I fail.  I find joy in creating, if you do too, then I hope that you find something here bring a little “happy” to your life.  Find out more about me here.

    COPYRIGHT POLICY

    All my images and text are copyrighted. You may NOT use any images from this site in any kind of Video (this includes YouTube). If you would like to feature my work, you may use ONE (1) NON-COLLAGED image and must “follow” link back to my original blog post. You may NOT edit, crop, or change my images in any way without written permission. You MAY NOT print out or copy and distribute any text, images or patterns from this site. All patterns, content, instructions, and templates are for personal use ONLY! Thank you! Violators will be reported.

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclaimers
    • About Melissa
    • Instagram
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • Pinterest

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact
    • FAQ
    • Press
    • Published Books
    • Fabric Collections

    Welcome to the Polka Dot Chair! Here you’ll find easy, step-by-step, sewing, quilting, and crafting projects. We design projects for Makers of all skill levels. Beginners are welcome!

    DISCLAIMER:

    While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the content on this website, the information is made available without warranty of any kind. The Polka Dot Chair accepts no responsibility or liability, whether direct or indirect, as to the currency or accuracy of the information, nor any consequence of its uses. This website is not intended to substitute the advice of a professional.

    Copyright © 2022 Polka Dot Chair

    [ Placeholder content for popup link ] WordPress Download Manager - Best Download Management Plugin