Hair scrunchies – the perfect accessory for tying up your hair, or adorning your wrist. They are so easy to make with just a little bit of fabric and some elastic. Learn how to make a scrunchie with our step-by-step tutorial!
Making your own scrunchies is so easy and inexpensive. You can make two scrunchies from a fat quarter of fabric. A great stash busting project and good use of those prints with great colors! Make one for you, and give one as a gift!
Hair scrunchies are an easy sewing project and would be a great project to teach kids to sew. And, it doesn’t take long — start to finish is less than 20 minutes which makes this a perfect first sewing project for the child who wants to learn to sew, but not ready for a complex (and long) project. Learn how to sew a scrunchie with our directions!
Make one for every outfit! Add a pop of color, or make utilitarian scrunchies for heading to your workout. They make great gifts.
There are lots of ways to make these hair accessories. Here is our easy method and sewing instructions.
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How to Make a Scrunchie
Hair scrunchies are easy to make with just a small strip of fabric, or fabric scraps, and some elastic. Line 'em up your arm, or tie back your hair with a multitude of scrunchies! Learn how to make a scrunchie with this step-by-step photo tutorial.
This is a quick and easy project, perfect for a beginner sewist. Make them to match every outfit! Use fun prints and patterns.
There is no need for a scrunchie pattern. All you need is a piece of fabric and these instructions.
Materials
- 3-1/2" x 20" rectangle of fabric
- 8" piece of elastic
- Thread
Tools
- Sewing machine
- 1 large safety pin
- Fabric turner, knitting needle, or small piece of doweling to turn the tube inside out
- Optional: Hand sewing needle if you prefer to sew the opening by hand.
Instructions
- Cut a strip of fabric 3-1/2" x 20". Cut an 8" length of 1/2" elastic. I used my rotary cutter, quilters ruler and cutting mat.
- Fold the fabric in half, with the right sides together lining up the raw edges. Sew across one short end with a 1/2-inch seam allowance. Sew one end of the elastic in the seam line with a straight stitch. This will secure one end of the elastic inside the scrunchie.
- Sew down the long edge of the fabric, where the edges of the fabric match - not the folded edge. .
- Here is the fabric and elastic sewn and ready for the next step -- turning the fabric tube right side out.
- Add the safety pin to the end of the elastic. This will help you not 'lose your end' when you turn the fabric tube inside out.
- Place your tube turner / knitting needle / dowel at the sewn end of the tube. Gently work it so that you begin to turn the tube right side out. You can pin the safety pin to the end of the fabric if you'd like. I was gentle and given the pin, it was easy to make sure the end stayed out of the tube.
- Here is the turning in progress, gently turning the fabric tube right side out. Go slow and steady.
- See how the elastic barely pokes out at the bottom of the fully turned fabric tube.
- Take the loose end of the elastic and stitch it to the end of the stitched tube to secure it. The scrunchie is now circular.
- Turn in the raw edge of the open end of the fabric tube and slip it over the sewn edge, encasing the elastic edge. Carefully top stitch the folded edge.
Optional: You can hand sew this short edge using the ladder stitch.
Note: Some directions use a hot glue gun or fabric glue to close the opening. I don't recommend it. The glue can be messy and dry hard., which doesn't make a nice professional scrunchie. - Here are some finished hair scrunchies!
Notes
For jumbo scrunchies, cut the fabric wider.
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Which elastic is best for scrunchies?
I prefer 1/4-inch wide elastic to make hair scrunchies. It seems to be the perfect size to be able to twist around your hair to make either a pony tail or a messy bun. If you go with wider elastic, it is hard to twist around your hair. Thinner elastic tends to wrap around your hair too much and sometimes will tangle in your hair.
How can I adjust this hair scrunchie tutorial for thick hair? Or thin hair?
It’s easy to adjust the size of your scrunchie.
If your hair is thicker, if you have curly hair or long hair, you might want to increase the length of both the fabric and the elastic. Try extending the fabric by about 2 to 3 inches in length and making the elastic about 1-inch longer. This will give you more fabric and stretch to the scrunchie.
For thin hair, the basic fabric dimensions and elastic may be way too much. Try narrowing the fabric width by about 1/2 to 3/4 inch and reduce the length of the fabric, too. Then, use about 1-inch less of elastic while sewing the scrunchie.
What type of best fabric for diy scrunchies?
Avoid silky fabrics, as they can easily slip out of your hair. Cotton or knit fabric work best. I like the wide variety of fabric colors and patterns that are available with quilting cottons. Use long and narrow scraps of fabric. You can even piece scraps together for a patchwork style custom hair scrunchie.
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