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I seem to always have a lot of scrap fabric laying around. It seems like a waste to throw it out – so what can you make with it? The answer: an easy sew twist headband. This is an especially great way to use up scraps of knit fabric.

I’ve been sewing with knits a lot lately and so I’ve ended up with all these scraps. Headbands are a great way to use up those scraps.

There are a ton of free headband patterns and tutorials online but surprisingly, a bunch of them a fair amount of fabric. Now, if you are looking for a specific style, that may be what you are looking for. But I wanted a pattern that looked good and used minimal fabric.

My ideal pattern is adapted from the Faux Knot Headband pattern. This pattern is great as it only uses one rectangle of fabric. It is a wide headband – which helps to stay on my head and it has a faux knot, which is a very popular look.

I looked into actual knotted headband patterns but they use more fabric and I wanted something that didn’t take up much fabric. I also really like the “faux knot” but it isn’t a big lump on my head (man, I sound fussy and high maintenance). You can also flip it around so that the faux knot is in the back if you just want a wide headband.

This pattern is easy to sew and is adjustable. The size of your rectangle will be determined by not only the size of your head but also the type of fabric. Some fabric simply has more stretch to it than others.

What Kind of Fabric to Use

For the most part, any knit fabric will do. But you do want a knit fabric with a good amount of stretch to it. You’ll want it snug on your head and so you want it to be able to stretch. You’ll also want good recovery – meaning, but after wearing the headband for a few hours, you want it to bounce back and not stay stretched out.

The more stretch that the fabric has, you may want to make your headband smaller. The less stretch, you may need to make it bigger.

I had a bunch of double brushed poly fabric scraps that have a decent 4 way stretch to them. So these headbands may seem to be on the smaller side as there is so much stretch. I think I also have a small head so I made the circumference smaller as well. I prefer a wider headband than suggested and so for me, the ideal size is a rectangle that is 17×7.

This includes a very small seam allowance as I use my Babylock Acclaim serger to make these. I serge close to the edge. It’s just close enough to trim off the edges so that they are nice and straight.

This is also a great project to upcycle clothing. Has your little girl grown out of her favourite shirt? Turn it into a headband so she can still have it.

This size is snug on my head so it doesn’t move. It’s also wide enough to hold back all those little wispy hairs that don’t quite get into my ponytail or top knot. I’ve always had trouble finding headbands that fit me properly. Most ready-to-wear ones fall off of my head easily. So this is a great way for me to customize the fit.

How to Make an Easy Sew Twist Headband

• Cut a rectangle to the desired size. For me, it is 17×7. Best to err on the side of bigger as you can always make it smaller if it’s too big, but not the other way around! Remember – I have a small head. The suggested was 20×9 and it was way too big for me. I also like to adjust according to how much fabric I actually have.
• With right sides together, fold in half with the long ends together. This is also known as hot dog style since it is done horizontally.
• Sew or serge that long end together so that it forms a tube.

• Turn it right side out and make that seam you just sewed in the centre of the strip of fabric.

• Right sides together, fold in half so that the short ends are together.

• Offset the ends so that the centre seam of the top half is in line with the right edge of the bottom half. Half of the fabric is now overlapping with itself and you should have the other half sticking out on the other side.

• Fold the top half of the fabric (the one that does not overlap) underneath so that it is under the other half.

• With the bottom half, fold that extra fabric up and on top of the headband. You should have 4 layers of fabric (well technically, 8 since it’s double layer – but you get what I mean).

• Sew through all 4 layers. Make sure your sewing machine can handle this. Technically it’s 8 layers as each layer is actually double. My Babylock serger is great at sewing through thick layers.

• Tuck in those serged thread ends, back to the centre so that they don’t show.
• Flip it around so that thick seam you just sewed is behind the faux knot. You may need to fiddle with it a bit to make sure the seam is hidden. You’ll see the faux twist.

There you go. You just made an easy sew headband!

You’ll see that I have various sizes – both in terms of length, as well as width. You can easily vary this project based on the size of scraps that you have and suit it to your personal preference.

They’re perfect for days you just want to put your hair up and go, or you just want to lounge around the house.

Want to remember how to make this easy sew twist headband? Be sure to save it to your favourite Pinterest board.