DIY Ribbon Headband
Craft the easiest and prettiest DIY ribbon headband in minutes! When you’re done, learn how to make hair bows too. This post contains affiliate links.
Since A was born, I’ve made her stacks of hair accessories. First I made her the cutest baby hair bands, then we moved on to endless clips for those little pigtails.
As she grew older, she decided that she liked headbands again. And while it hardly contains her hair, I decided to treat her to some new ones for Passover!
Today, I’m going to teach you how to make a simple DIY ribbon headband – in literally minutes. You’re using the ribbon to make a small rosette placed off-center on a stiff headband, for a gorgeous and classy accessory that can be customized as you wish.
You can add more style if you’d like with a button (more ideas below) and switch up the base headband to really make it your own.
Tips for making a DIY ribbon headband
Choosing your ribbon
Your best ribbons for making a DIY ribbon headband will be fabric ones, but the size and texture matters a LOT.
I started off with 1.5 inch chiffon ribbon and it came out fabulous. I pulled out a ribbon that I thought was similar, but I guess was closer to 2 inches, and it was just huge. This one was an organza one that was less stiff – and yes, the chiffon was quite soft, but still had enough structure to hold.
Think about it this way: your rosette will be almost double the size of your ribbon width. So a 1.5 inch ribbon makes an almost 3 inch in bow – which is quite large.
And while you’re scrunching it a bit and that gives it structure, if it’s too wide, the parts that don’t lay on the headband will be floppy, unless it’s a bit thicker.
Embellishing it
You might get a perfectly clean, scrunched center on your DIY ribbon headband, or you might not. Either way, it loos so pretty when you add a little something to the center! I added a big shiny gold button to mine that perfectly picked up the metallics from our bronze shimmery ribbon.
It was a holdover in my button box and it made this A’s favorite headband that she asks to wear every day.
You can pair other embellishments with the appropriate ribbons. Pair something more sporty with a felt pom pom, pair velvet with a rhinestone embellished piece, pair tulle with a crystal bead.
The base
For my base headband, I used two options. One was a fabric wrapped and padded thin headband. The other was a soft plastic black blank one. The problem was that the black one wasn’t sticking and I couldn’t figure out why!
Turns out it was actually silicone. Silicone is a nonstick surface – hot glue simply will not hold.
If you have silicone coated headbands, you can try other glues, but I’d actually suggest making a felt circle and sandwiching the headband between the rosette and the circle, gluing the circle to the rosette on either side of the headband. It’ll be able to slide around but not while worn.
Or, just stick to fabric coated ones. You can also get flat foldover elastic or pantyhose style headbands to turn these into infant headbands. Read reviews so you’re getting good, soft ones and not stiff ones.
How to make a DIY ribbon headband
Supplies
- Fabric Ribbon – something like 1.5 inch with frayed edges is perfect
- Fabric scissors
- A button for the center
- Needle and thread
- Base headband (avoid silicone/nonstick textures)
- Hot glue gun – I used Surebonder’s Hot Glue Pen for this.
Watch the video
Watch the full-length video on YouTube if you prefer to learn that way! Or scroll down for written instructions with photos.
Process
1. Cut your ribbon to about 18-24 inches, depending how full you want your rosette to be. Thread your needle and knot the end. Start sewing a running stitch along the edge of your ribbon (but not too close – leave about 1/4 inch “seam allowance”. You’re just going in and out. The distance between your stitches and stitch size will determine the size of the cinches.
Every few stitches, push back and gather the ribbon – meaning, pull the running stitch tight so it gathers the fabric at that end.
2. Keep going until you reach the end and thread through your starting point once. If you’re finding that it’s full enough and you have extra ribbon, simply trim the excess and proceed with this step.
3. Thread through the center a few times – just sewing the ends together in a few directions around that center point.
4. When you’re done, finish off your thread and trim. Glue a button or other embellishment over the center.
5. Glue your rosette to the headband base.
Your DIY ribbon headband is complete! What kind of fun accessory do you want me to show you how to make next? Comment below!
How to Make a Ribbon Flower Headband
Craft the easiest and prettiest DIY ribbon headband in minutes!
Materials
- Fabric Ribbon - something like 1.5 inch with frayed edges is perfect
- Fabric scissors
- A button for the center
- Needle and thread
- Base headband (avoid silicone/nonstick textures)
- Hot glue gun - I used Surebonder's Hot Glue Pen for this.
Instructions
1. Cut your ribbon to about 18-24 inches, depending how full you want your rosette to be. Thread your needle and knot the end. Start sewing a running stitch along the edge of your ribbon (but not too close - leave about 1/4 inch "seam allowance". You're just going in and out. The distance between your stitches and stitch size will determine the size of the cinches.
Every few stitches, push back and gather the ribbon - meaning, pull the running stitch tight so it gathers the fabric at that end.
2. Keep going until you reach the end and thread through your starting point once. If you're finding that it's full enough and you have extra ribbon, simply trim the excess and proceed with this step.
3. Thread through the center a few times - just sewing the ends together in a few directions around that center point.
4. When you're done, finish off your thread and trim. Glue a button or other embellishment over the center.
5. Glue your rosette to the headband base.
Your DIY ribbon headband is complete! What kind of fun accessory do you want me to show you how to make next? Comment below!
Notes
If you have silicone coated headbands, you can try other glues, but I'd actually suggest making a felt circle and sandwiching the headband between the rosette and the circle, gluing the circle to the rosette on either side of the headband. It'll be able to slide around but not while worn.
I started off with 1.5 inch chiffon ribbon and it came out fabulous. I pulled out a ribbon that I thought was similar, but I guess was closer to 2 inches, and it was just huge. This one was an organza one that was less stiff - and yes, the chiffon was quite soft, but still had enough structure to hold.
