Woven Headband Instructions

You can download a pdf of the Woven Headband Instructions for your own reference.

BEFORE YOU START, YOU WILL NEED: 1. PLASTIC HEADBAND (14mm, 20mm, 25mm, or 35mm)
2. 3/8” SOLID GROSGRAIN RIBBON (we are using two colors but at some point, you can add or reduce the colors to your choice).
3. 45MM SINGLE PRONG PINCH CLIPS (6 PIECES)
4. MEASURING TAPE or RULER
5. GLUE GUN with ALL-TEMP GLUE STICK
6. SCISSORS
7. LIGHTER (for sealing the ends of the ribbons)


PREPARATION BEFORE WEAVING:
1. First, you will need to measure out the amount of ribbon required for this project. You will need approximately, 36” – 40” (90cm – 100cm) per ribbon. Measure out 4 pieces of ribbon in the length indicated, in two different colors. In this project, we used PINK (for the center) and BROWN (for the side).
2. Seal the edge of one side of each ribbon by gently running a lighter through it. This will protect the ribbons from fraying.
3. You are now ready to begin.


INSTRUCTIONS:
STEP 1: Put a small bead of glue onto one end of the PINK ribbon. Adhere one end of the BROWN ribbon onto the PINK ribbon approximately ¼” (0.5cm) of overlapping. Repeat Step 1 to make the other piece of the ribbon combo. Now you are ready to glue the ribbons to the plastic headband.










STEP 2: With one end of the plastic headband facing you, glue the center of the ribbon combo on the inside of one end of the plastic headband. Make sure that the PINK ribbon is pointing to the end of the plastic headband.










STEP 3: Flip over the plastic headband with the top facing upwards, glue the center of the other ribbon on the top edge of the headband. Make sure that the PINK ribbon is pointing to the end of the plastic headband. Once you’ve had both sides of the plastic headbands covered with both ribbons – one on eside, it should look like an “X” with both PINK ribbons pointinto the top and BROWN ribbons pointing to the bottom.










STEP 4: Add a dab of glue on the top edge of the headband where it is covered by the ribbon. Bring the bottom left PINK ribbon over to cover the top seam. You will now have the bottom PINK ribbon on the right side of the headband.










STEP 5: Add a dab of glue on the bottom edge of the headbdand where it is covered by the ribbon. Bring the top left PINK ribbon over to cover the bottom seam. You will now have the top PINK ribbon on the left side of the headband.










STEP 6: Bring the top right PINK ribbon under, over to the left side of the headband. You should now have two PINK ribbons and one BROWN ribbon on the left side of the headband, with one remaining BROWN ribbon on the right side of the headband.










STEP 7: Add a dab of glue on the top of the headband and bring the remaining BROWN ribbon from the bottom, over to the top of the headband, onto the left side. You will now have all four ribbons on the left side of the headband. It should look like the image below.










STEP 8: Add a dab of glue on to the BROWN top ribbon, and using the PINK ribbon that is second from the left, flip it over the top and move it to the right side of the headband.









STEP 9: This is the last step before you go back to the very beginning of the repeating “step-by-step” weave. Bring the very top BROWN ribbon on the left side, under and over to the bottom right side of the headband. You are now back to the very beginning of the weave.









To cover the entire headband, you will need to keep repeating STEPS 5 to 9, all the way to the end of the headband. Note that before you start STEP 5, your ribbons should be in the original starting position where the top right ribbon is PINK, the bottom right ribbon is BROWN, the top left ribbon is BROWN and the bottom left ribbon is PINK. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes as it’s very easy to unravel and return back to the starting position as described, in regards to the ribbon positions.










USEFUL TIPS:
1. Use the pinch clips to hold the ribbons in place after you’ve repeated several times of Steps 5 to 9.
2. After so many weaves, it’s important to add a dab of glue to hold the ribbons in place.
3. Keep adding pinch clips to hold the ribbons in place as you weave around the headband.
4. Constantly check the tension of the ribbon to make sure that you are not pulling too tight or weaving it too loosely.










FINISHING OFF: To finish off the headband, you would want to weave all the way to the end. As you approach the end of the headband, you should start adding a dab of glue to every weave in order to secure every ribbon into place. Cut off the remainder of the ribbon tails, leaving behind approximately 1” (2.5cm). Then, start tucking and gluing the end pieces into place as neatly as possible. The last piece that is to be used to cover the seams, remember to run the lighter through in order to seal the edges of the ribbon, before gluing into place.










AND, VOILA! YOU HAVE YOURSELF A BEAUTIFUL PIECE OF WOVEN HEADBAND! HAPPY CRAFTING!