Springtime Headband with Tutorial

The apparel store I work at always gets fun headbands in this time of year. They are simple construction with bright, pretty fabrics, but they always cost way more than I'm willing to pay. Eighteen dollars? I could just make the same thing with materials I already have at home. That's free!

Here's step-by-step instructions on how to make your very own springtime headband. Enjoy!

Materials:
A piece of cotton, 18 in. x 4 in.
5-inch piece of 1/2-in. thick elastic

Directions:
1. Cut your fabric to a dimension you prefer. I wanted about a two-inch thick headband, so I cut my fabric to be 4 inches wide (it's a little narrower than two inches because of the seam allowance). You also might have a different sized head from mine, so you could always measure the circumference of your head and subtract four inches.

2. Sew your fabric together on the long edge, right sides together. I use a very small seam allowance. I line the fabric up with the edge of the foot. You are essentially making an inside-out tube. Turn your tube right-side out and iron flat with the seam going up the middle. This will be the inside part of your headband.

3. Iron the edges in on each side of the strip so that no raw edges show.

4. Place the edge of the elastic inside one of the ends of the fabric strip so about 1/2 inch of the elastic is inside. Sew in place using a zig-zag stitch.

5. Iron in the corners of the same side of the strip so it makes a tapered edge. Zig-zag stitch the folds in place.

6. Now place the headband around your head and figure out how much elastic you will need to make it comfortable. Once you've figured that out, repeat steps 4 and 5 on the other edge.

Presto! I think I'm gonna whip out several of these for my friends.