My method for making this kind of headband differs slightly from some of the ones you'll see for sale. The reason for this is twofold: 1)I like a lot of color, so I'm more inclined to use colored ribbon to bind the ends of the braid--a personal preference, really--and 2)I have very thick, very slippery hair, so I can't use the thin elastic cord you see in many headband designs. I need something a little stronger to keep the headband from sliding off. Other than that, however, the design is pretty much identical.
To start, you're going to need a handful of specific materials, most of which won't cost you more than a dollar or two at any craft or fabric store. For this project, you're going to need the following items:
Two spools of cotton or satin braid, approximately the same width and diameter.
Wide colored ribbon of any sort (in the first picture, I show a navy blue silk ribbon, whereas later I use a red poly-satin ribbon).
Fabric-covered elastic.
Scissors.
A ruler.
Straight pins.
A sewing machine or needle and thread.
Begin by measuring four lengths of braid with your ruler; two of each color. I have a smaller head, so I chose to cut at 20 inches for each length, but most people are going to want to cut between 22 and 24 inches.
When you're done, you should have four equal lengths of braid:
Now it's time to knot! I'm going to walk you through the steps of a carrick bend, so you can get a nice, smooth, visually appealing knot. Start by taking two lengths of braid and making a simple twist:
Next, take the other two lengths of braid and lay them straight over the top of the twist:
Now it's time to make our first bend. Take the end of the straight braid and curve it underneath the top "tail" of the twist:
Then, loop it around over the top of the bottom "tail":
Now for the tricky part. Continue the loop by curving underneath the bottom loop of the twist, then over the straight lengths of braid laying across the twist:
Finally, tuck the end underneath the top loop of the twist to complete the knot. In the end, you'll have something that looks vaguely like a pretzel:
Once you've completed the "pretzel", very carefully tighten the knot by pulling gently on the ends of the braid. Make sure that everything lays flat and nothing twists. Here's what it should look like when you're done:
Now it's time to bind the ends. Lay the four "tails" of braid lengthwise from the narrow end of the knot and trim any excess. Then, cut a short length of elastic between 8 and 10 inches. Once that is done, cut two short lengths of ribbon, long enough to wrap around the ends of your braid two or three times:
Lay each end of the elastic against the ends of the braid. Each cut end of the elastic should extend roughly 1-2 inches up the side of the braid. You can secure it in place with a drop of glue if you wish. Once the elastic is in place, wrap the ends of the braid with the ribbon and secure with a pin. Make sure the elastic extending from the bottom of the ribbon is flat and doesn't become twisted:
Now that you have everything secured, stitch the ribbon in place across the top and bottom of where it binds the braid and elastic on both sides. Now you should have a completed headband that looks great and is ready to wear!
