I was given a twisted fabric turban headband as a gift for my birthday and I absolutely love it. It’s extremely comfortable and very cute. It’s versatile enough that I can wear it for a fancy night out or on a dirty hair day. I love it so much that I wanted to get a bunch in a variety of colors, but I didn’t want to spend $15 each. I knew I could make one, though! It’s really, really easy.
(PS I uploaded a quick video to last week’s cowl tutorial, if you’re a video learner!)
To make a turban headband, you need:
stretchy jersey knit (the grey is 60% cotton, 40% polyester, the purple is 100% nylon)
matching thread
needle
measuring tape
fabric scissors
First, cut your fabric. I suggest making it between three and four inches wide (it’s four inches wide in this tutorial). The length will depend on the fabric’s stretch and your personal comfort level. You want it to be snug enough to stay on your head, but not uncomfortably tight! That being said, I generally start with about forty inches of fabric and trim from there after twisting it on my own noggin. The cotton/poly blend I used here is thirty-nine inches long. This is where I confess that the Spohr children don’t just get their big heads from their daddy…I have a good-sized melon, too. Shhhh.
Fold your fabric in half so it looks exactly like the picture above.
Fold the bottom piece up as pictured.
Fold the long piece over the top piece and line up the edges, like the above photo.
Flip the fabric so the top is now the bottom – the above photo and the one just above that are mirror images of each other, and that’s what you want.
Fold the piece that was hanging down to the left, so it lines up with the edge.
Adjust your fabric so the two ends overlap by about half an inch.
Pin your fabric in place – there should be three layers of fabric that you are pinning together!
With your pins in place, the headband should look like this.
This is the twist detail that gives the headband its “turban” name.
Get to sewing! Because the fabric is stretchy, I sewed a few lines to make sure it was extra-secure. A sewing machine would achieve this nicely, just saying. When you’re done sewing, turn the headband so the part with the overlapping fabric goes against the head.
There are lots of different ways you can wear it. Annie likes wearing it with her hair down.
Although I think it can really dress up a ponytail or bun:
Have fun creating, and if you have any questions, let me know!
ella says:
Omg so easy! I have to make myself one considering I lose all my headbands i ever purchase…
you should look at Sarah from http://thegreatumbrellaheist.blogspot.com. She sews dresses for her triplet (!) daughters!! You may have to search around to find the sewing posts
Shea says:
She is such a little fashionista, I love it! And I know you hear this all the time but…her hair is gorgeous! Reminds me of my sister’s hair when she was Annie’s age
Heather says:
I know, she is soooo lucky.
Amie says:
I have a question. Why does your three year old have a better head of hair than me??
Heather says:
I ask myself that every day. And someday she’ll hate it! AAAAAAAH!
Krystal Linkert says:
Love it! But way out of my league lol, I need a friend who knows how to sew so I can con them into making me stuff like this.
Johanna says:
I love that Annie is your hair model!
Heather says:
I know, right? Who wants to look at my hair when they can look at her gorgeousness?! Hahahaha
Johanna says:
Plus, she sure knows how to work the camera.
Chris says:
I’m a sewer and I can’t believe you figured this out. I never would have been able to. You are so creative. I’m impressed.
Chris says:
I guess I should have said seamstress not sewer, LOL
Heather says:
LOL! Still works! And thank you!
Jolene says:
How in the world do you make her bun?! What tie do you use? it’s adorable! I could never do that…nor do I have hair as gorgeous as hers. Seriously though…does she realize how gorgeous her hair is?
Heather says:
It’s just a ponytail I didn’t pull through the elastic all the way, and then I wrapped the extra hair around the base. And no, she really has no idea how lucky she is with that hair, although she tells me all the time she wants it to be as long as Rapunzel’s!
Jean says:
Thank you for the video on the cowl! This turban headband looks awesome too. Keep the diy’s coming! These are so much fun!
Heathe Wittman says:
Do you know where the one you got for your birthday came from? I love headbands, but don’t have time right now to diy. Love the one you made, though!