How to make a turban headband

Turban from an old T-Shirt

Some DIY projects spring easily to mind. Others come about by default. The idea to make this turban came from a need to keep my ears warm after I went for a run on a particularly cold day in Scotland. My ears ached from the icy wind blowing inside.

I was looking for a headband or some kind of earmuffs at the sports shops. Most of the styles were awful. One salesman suggested I buy a – Buff – which was a great idea.

Cut away the midsection of an old T-shirt

Thing is, I’ve already got a Buff back home in South Africa and I didn’t particularly want to buy another one. A buff is essentially a tube of rib knit fabric that mostly sports people wear in myriad ways to protect from sweat, sun and chafing. See – here.

To make this turban headband, which also doubles up as a Buff,
You need: –

1 x old t-shirt
sewing machine
matching coloured thread
pins
needle

Pin the T-Shirt making sure you cover the seam

To make: –

1. Cut the top section, including the neck and sleeves, from your T-shirt.

2. Cut the bottom section including the hem from your T-shirt. The thicker the piece from the middle of the T-shirt that you are left with, the chunkier your turban headband will be.

French seam

3. Turn the T-shirt right way round and pin the sides so the over-locked seam is covered.

4. Sew where you have pinned to enclose the over-locked seam. You are making a French seam which encloses the ugly stitching making it invisible. See here – French Seam.

5. Using a needle, thread the loose threads back into the seam so they cannot be seen.

Knotted turban headband

6. Wind the turban twice around your head and arrange the folds of the fabric so they lie flat and look attractive. See images – turban headbands – to inspire you.

7. For a variation you can pin a glittery brooch to the front of your turban headband or wrap it once around your head and tie a knot like in the last photo.

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See you next week.

Greenie.