braided fabric headband

I made a headband for my sister's birthday present. I want to make lots now! It was fun to make and I think it turned out really cute.

Here's the how-to...

Start with five strands of something. I used different cotton fabrics. You could use leather, ribbon, yarn, or old t-shirt material. Make sure they are plenty long. For a headband that fit my head my pieces were about 36 inches. That gave me plenty of length with some leftover.

I had to sew my strips together because I didn't want any raw ends. Then, I just ironed them so the seam was on the underside. 

Pin the ends to an ironing board or pillow (something you can get good tension with) and start to braid with the five strands. For a good, short tutorial on how to braid 5 pieces together go here.

Once you've braided your desired length zig-zag across the fabric to secure the braid. Trim ends.

Next, attach an elastic that is about 1.5-2 inches long to the ends of the braids. You want the headband to fit snug enough that it stays on your head so don't add too much elastic. 

Ta-da! You are finished!