DIY headbands are a great way to get crafty and add a personal touch to your outfit. Today we’ll go over how to make headbands out of a shirt, covering 4 designs for no sew DIY headbands.
It took me less than half an hour to finish each of these headband ideas. I was able to save some money with this project, too! I used a couple of old shirts, an old stretchy pencil skirt, and a scarf I no longer wear, so no money spent on fabric. In addition to some re-purposed clothes, I also used hot glue and a couple of hair elastics for some of the designs. OK, now we can go ahead and get started!
1. DIY Knot Headband
Also known as turban headband, this design is the easiest to make. Pick a stretchy t-shirt and cut its hem. Avoid very small sizes as the headband will be too tight. If you are able to wrap the t-shirt around your head, it is large enough for making a headband.
Cut a strip of fabric from the bottom of the shirt. The width of the strip will determine the width of the headband.
Take the strip and twist it in an infinity shape. Then, twist again only one of the halves of the strip.
Gather the strips together, stretch them, and your headband is ready!
2. Turban Headband DIY (with two different patterns)
If you like the look of the DIY knot headband, but would like to make it a bit more colorful, use two pieces of fabric instead.
Start by cutting 2 strips from two different fabric patterns. Then, pull one of the strips through the other. Wrap the strips around your head to determine the length you want and cut any excess.
Cut a small rectangular piece of fabric. Stretch this rectangle fabric patch to get a better idea of its length when worn. You can increase or decrease the length of the rectangle patch depending on the overall headband length you need. If this step seems tricky, check out Slick and Natty’s video (at around 2 minutes) to see a great step-by-step how-to for measuring a headband’s length.
Fold the fabric of the two ends of the headband in half to reduce the width a bit. Wrap the rectangle patch around the ends and glue everything together.
Below you can see this DIY headband design.
3. Braided DIY Headband
Another great idea from Slick and Natty’s DIY headbands video is making a braided DIY headband. I tried their idea and it turned out great so I wanted to share it here!
Start by cutting 5 long strips of fabric. Make sure that the strips are really long, because braiding will eat up some of the length. The strips I used were about 3″ wide, which gave me a 2″ wide headband. If you want a thinner headband, cut 5 thinner strips. In addition, cut a rectangle fabric patch.
Start by gluing the 5 fabric strips on the rectangle fabric patch. Then, tape the fabric on a table.
Split the fabric strips, leaving 3 strips on the left and 2 on the right. Starting from the 3 strips on the left, pull the outer strip above the middle one. Then, pull the strip to the right above the first strip.
Pull the strip you braided first to the right and repeat the same steps to braid the strips on the right – outer over middle, other outer over first outer, pull first outer to the other side, and repeat.
They say a picture is worth 1000 words, but I realize it’s hard to figure out the braiding trick just looking at the pictures above. If you are having trouble with the braiding, check the video related to this blog (2:01 minute) to see the braiding bit in action.
Measure the length of the headband and, once your braid is long enough, wrap and glue the rectangle patch around the braid’s ends to keep everything neat and pretty.
Below you can see the DIY braided headband.
4. DIY Headband from a Scarf
Finally, let’s say you are all out of old shirts but you still want to make some DIY headbands. Any old scarf or fabric patch will work for this headband design. Start by cutting your fabric in the shape of a square. Then, roll the fabric, wrap it around your head, and cut it so the ends reach the back of your ears.
Tie a hair elastic on each end of the fabric and make sure that this final length is appropriate. If not, reduce the length of the hair elastic accordingly.
Tuck and glue the ends of the hair elastic to the ends of the fabric. Then, cut a second hair elastic in 4 pieces. Wrap and glue two pieces on each of the fabric’s ends.
Below you can see these 4 DIY headbands in action 🙂
If you are looking for something shinier and more dressy, check out this DIY jeweled headband idea on our blog.
Shop this project: