DIY Headbands

I saw these headbands on Pinterest the other day and got really excited!  I have an odd size head so store bought headbands rarely fit :(  I realized if I make my own they are guaranteed to fit! (As long as I don't goof them up)

When I first saw the picture it looked a little intimidating but it really was simple once you figure out what you're doing!  Plus, you probably have everything you need just sitting around the house!!

All you really need:

A t-shirt (logos are fine, they will add character)

Some fabric scissors (regular scissors will work)

Needle and thread, or hot glue

Take your t-shirt and cut up one side of it (probably under the armpit of the shirt is best)

Lay it flat and mark your lines if you are like me and feel like you can't cut a straight line without a guide :)

*remember the thicker the strips, the thicker the headband and vice versa*

(make sure you cut the hem off first... oops)

I cut all the way across the shirt because you can always make them shorter if you need to!

Once you have your strips cut, stack all five strips on top of each other and sew one end. (I used hot glue because I didn't want the seams to show in my finished product)  

Pull on all of the strands to make the pieces curl up a little.  Once you do that, you are going to braid all five strands!!  It is not as hard as you think...

Split the strainds with three on the left and two on the right.  We are only going to deal with the set of three for the instructions! (#1) Take the far left strand and(#2) place it in the middle. (#3) Now take the far right strand and(#4) place it in the middle. (#5) Now take the middle of all five straps and move it over to the right side. (#6) Now you should have two strips on the left and three on the right.

Do the exact same thing on the right now, just mirror it!

(#1) Take the far right strand and(#2) place it in the middle. (#3) Now take the far left strand and(#4) place it in the middle. (#5) Now take the middle of all five straps and move it over to the left side. (#6) Now you should have two strips on the right and three on the left.

Start again on the left side, then move to the right.  Continue braiding... the trick is to keep the tension the same all the way down.

Once you get to the desired length, sew (or glue) the ends together. 

Overlap the ends together... now sew (or glue) them to one another.  Try to keep the ends as close together as possible.

Now, cut a square piece of the shirt.  Make sure it is wider than the overlapped ends of the headband.  You want to fold the sides in and attach it to what will be the inside of your headband. 

Fold the raw end over itself to create a finished look, then fold it onto the headband and stitch (or glue) into place.  Voila! You have a handmade headband!

Once you do the first one they get much easier, and you get much faster!  I have not tried this yet, but I am sure you could embellish these by adding beads or flowers.  Whatever you desire!  

*As you can tell I did not take these picture.... I hoisted them from another blog!  I am not trying to take credit for them, but I thought she did a MUCH better job of showing the steps through pictures for those of you who need visuals :)   Don't worry, I have asked for a new Nikon for Christmas!

ENJOY!