Sew What?

A simple project to make a fabric hairband

Please excuse the dodgy photos - I'll retake them when I can do it in natural light & see if I can get better shots!

First of all, measure your child.

DD measured 50cm

Calculate and cut the fabric

The elastic I used was 2cm wide - you could use wider elastic but you'd have to change the dimensions.

Cut the elastic 22cm unstretched (20cm plus 2 x 1cm seam allowances)

Cut two pieces of fabric 32cm long.

The one to cover the elastic will be gathered by the elastic and needs to be twice the width of the elastic plus 2 seam allowances - in my case 6cm wide. (Not 7 as the picture shows!)

The second piece is 6 times the width of the elastic plus 2cm - so in my case this was 14cm

Press all the fabric so it's nice and flat.

Fold both pieces in half, right sides together and sew a 1cm seam along the long edge to make a tube.

Make sure that the smaller piece is wide enough to fit the elastic through it!

Turn both pieces right side out and press flat, making the seam central to the back. A pencil may help turn the pieces inside out!

Using a saftey pin to help you, thread the elastic through the narrower tube of fabric. Pin the elastic in place at each end, leaving all the gathers in the middle. Stay stitch across the end about .5cm from the end to hold the elastic in place.
Lay the larger pice of fabric flat with the seam on the bottom. Lay the elasticated fabric on top right sides together (the seam on the top piece will face up). Line up the ends and wrap the lower piece of fabric around the elasticated part.

Sew across the end taking a 1cm seam allowance.

Trim the seam to .5cm

Repeat for the other end.

Turn the hairband the right side out and stretch the elastic to even up the gathers.

Finished!

...........and I didn't get this blog set up in time, but here are a few of my "makes" for January 2008!

Barbie jumper and cords.

Poor lass came with just a bikini & it was cold here, so she got a Posh Yarn jumper and cosy cord trousers.

I used the patterns from here and the jumper was from here although I added a couple of stitches to the width as I wasn't convinced it would fit her!

DD complained that Barbie now needed socks and gloves but I've resisted so far!!

Cow fur jeans for DD.

The fabric has been in my stash a while and DD kept pulling it out and asking me to make her something from it - pester power won.

The pattern was from Ottobre 3/04 #14 - I've made these before and like the fit. I cut a 104 width and a 110 length - and they're only just long enough!

Shoes Handbag - present for a friend.

The pattern is Ottobre Dotted Dream Purse The upper fabric is an embroidered mock suede and the lower fabric is Alexander Henry High Heels cotton.

I adapted the pattern by adding a zipper right across the bag to close it and added a zipped pocket inside - both a little more work but worth it in my opinion. As I'd used pretty firm interfacing & the suede shows every mark if ironed, I didn't want to try to turn it through a hole in the lining. I cut the interfacing at the top edge on the seam line & turned the suede over when the outer bag was made - then I made the lining & turned the SA over on the top and slip stitched in place before I top stitched around the top - it made for a neat top edge and no turning through!

Sockarama January socks