Winter will be 13 in December. At the current moment, one of her passions is trying out new hairstyles. Thanks to Pinterest, she has a wealth of ideas in front of her.
I made these ribbon headbands for her using materials I had on hand.
Supplies:
ribbon
hair elastic
thread
lace (optional)
Tools:
scissors
sewing machine or needle and thread
measuring tape
You’ll need to measure the length of the child’s head as she will wear the headband, allowing for the elastic and some stretch. The ribbon will be a few inches (or decimeters) shorter than the length all the way around.
Thankfully for me, Winter had already made herself one of these, so I just borrowed it to measure the length. Her finished length of the ribbon was 19 3/4 inches. I added an inch for folding and cut my ribbons 20 3/4 inches long.
Place the ribbon over the elastic and fold it over twice, and then sew it closed close to the elastic. Repeat for the other side.
For the lace headband, I sewed the lace to the ribbon in two long rows with matching thread. I then finished it like the others.
Time:
The total time for one headband was less than 5 minutes.
Cost:
Your cost will vary by what supplies you have on hand. I bought elastics at the Dollar Tree (they have 100 for $1 with metal crimps or 35 for $1 without metal crimps). The gold ribbon came from a gift that we were given years ago. The cream-colored ribbon was one I have had since I was 14. The blue ribbon I bought on clearance at Joann’s years ago; the amount I used for this piece was $0.80 (most ribbon is much less expensive; this was a more expensive one). I generaly buy ribbon when it is 50% off, and I buy the less expensive ribbon that sells by the spool.
The lace piece came from my mother-in-law. Before she died, she asked me to look through her fabric and choose whatever I would like. This piece is leftover from about 30 years ago, when she and one of my sisters-in-law used to make wedding gowns. This type of piece can be rather expensive. A good way to find pieces of lace for less is the thrift store and at garage sales.
In short, some of these cost me as little as $0.03 ( I had the more expensive elastics, or they would have been $0.01), and the blue one was $0.81).
Did you make any gifts today? What did you make?
Dear Miss Brandy,
I love your new blog. 🙂 I like smiley faces.
The headbands are lovely. How do you think of so many different gifts each year. I think you hardly every repeat the same gift. Very creative of you.
I look forward to each day you make a gift.
Anna
I love this idea and am definitely going to do this for my girls! Thanks for sharing.
today i made (or finished) 4 pairs of pants for the 18″ doll. my granddaughter has several of that size, so i’m making shirts and pants. i used jeans from the goodwill and pieces of material i had on hand. i also cut some more of the same shirt and pants out. i love sewing for the 18″ dolls. purchasing the pants from the goodwill is cheaper than buying denim. i wanted some of the prints and mottled colors and that material is very expensive. i can get two to four out a pair of pants, depending on the size. please tell Winter i am very proud of her sewing like she does. there aren’t many teens that will sew. i intend to teach my granddaughters, hope they are interested. you all have a great week. Nancy
Good timing on the headbands! I wear them all winter and was thinking I wanted to make some of my own. I had never considered ribbon, but will now go thru’ my stock. Thanks!
Debby
They are beautiful! The vintage one is my favorite. I know you are being frugal, but the thought you put into these gifts – makes you pretty awesome.
I just made some headbands from cotton fabric scraps for my brothers girlfriend at the request of my brother. Mine cost about 50 cents to make that mimic ones that he has spent $30 on before.
Your handmade gifts are really an inspiration. I try to make everyone a little something each year that is handmade. This year I have also been working on 18″ doll clothes. I have 8 year old twin granddaughters so I made a “wardrobe” for them to share. I found most of the patters free on the web. (Pixie Faire has been sharing a free pattern every Friday.).
I’m also working on pajama pants (and maybe tops) for all the grand children. I finished the first pair of pants today, only four more to go.
Absolutely magnificent and so easy!!! Thank you!
Those are absolutely lovely! I am sure your daughter will love them! 😉
I’ve made headbands for years….3 daughters and 2 granddaughters. I used regular elastic in the back. This is a much better idea.
Thank you!
Those are beautiful! I love the lace especially, and it also has nice sentimental value.
The hairbands are a beautiful accessory for your daughter’s lovely long hair. I’m sure she will enjoy incorporating them into experimental new hairdo’s. Love the simplicity of the project as well. Thanks for the inspiration!
How do you keep the kids from seeing on the blog what you have made them for Christmas?
Love the ideas!
They don’t read my website. I post after they are in bed, when they are playing outside, or during naptime.
Now I find myself eyeing off my daughter’s school uniform dresses to see if there are any of them that are stained enough for me to cut up and make some headbands! What a cute headband design!
Are you going to make a list this year? I clearly understand why you would not want to but I enjoy your list of Christmas gifts as well.
I thought I would surprise everyone this year 😀
Love the headbands.. Know Winter will enjoy these.. I love that you used the ponytail holders ..Great idea.. I will make my granddaughters some.. They wear headbands all the time..Thankyou for sharing.
I’m catching up on all your gift giving and making ideas and loving this! Thank you for sharing!