10.13.2008

feather & flower headband tutorial



i got motivated this weekend. seriously, between getting the main portion of my halloween costume, crossing some fall clothing basics off my list, starting my rain project that included a photoshoot with ming & creating a locker calendar for my niece (previous post) & making some killer deviled eggs for canadian thanksgiving i finally made this headband & wrote a tutorial (photo led instructions here) so you can make one too! here we go!

what you need:
one thin headband
one feather (found at most craft stores)
pearls or small beads
linen or other lightweight fabric
needle
thread
glue (craft or bookbinding glue will work fine)

instructions:
1. cut linen into 8 circles of various sizes
2. stack the circles from small to large
3. thread your needle with a similar color thread & come up through the center of the stack. bring back dow & repeat one more time.
4. fold the stack in half & thread through close to the fold. this will create some gathering. fold in the opposite direction & repeat.
5. from the bottom, come up straight through the stack & thread the cluster of beads, one at a time.
6. after beading the center you may find that the flower is laying flat again. you will want to bring the needle through various sections & numbers of the circles to gather them together (avoid the top one so that you don't see the stitches). this will create some random scrunching & volume.
7. once the flower is assembled you will glue the base of the feather to the back of the flower.
8. once the glue is dry, reinforce with some simple stitching.
9. mock up where you want the flower & feather to sit on the headband & hold it in position.
10. place a small square of the matching linen or fabric on the opposite side of the headband & glue to the back of the flower.
11. to reinforce & hold together, stitch the square through the back 2 circles of the flower around the headband.


helpful hints:
1. h&m has great woven headbands for about $3 that you can stitch through in the last step.
2. use two or three types of beads or pearls to create the center piece of the flower.
3. rest the headband upside down for a few hours (& store that way) to allow the feathers to shape around the curve of the headband. that way it will lay on your head better.

for an illustrated tutorial & a glimpse at my super fabulous gold nails visit
my picasa album here.

20 comments:

Unknown said...

WOW! You were on a roll! This headband is the cutest-- I'm totally going to make one. Thanks for the awesome tutorial!

cassandra said...

soooo very cute! *sigh* could you just make me one? i'm horrible at diy... ;)

the author said...

That is fabulous! Thank you!

mitsy said...

LOVE. THIS. Thanks for an awesome tutorial!

Unknown said...

Nice idea

Rachel@oneprettything.com said...

This is gorgeous! I'll be linking to this.

Kathrine said...

This is super cute :) Thanks for making the DIY! I'll give it a try.

/Kathrine

Dottie said...

I'm glad you are all enjoying it. Now I just have to figure out when to wear it! Can I wear it to work or special occasion only?!

M Plamondon said...

I love this! Thanks for sharing!

Zested said...

Yay! Thank you for sharing the tutorial. I've have a feather stash for some reason and need to make one of these. And yes they are totally work appropriate :).

Geek+Nerd said...

This is so pretty. I'll totally make one of these, thanks!

caroline said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
caroline said...

I was on business travel last week, but after seeing your tutorial I ran out and bought supplies to make a headband right there in the hotel room. It didn't turn out as cute as yours but I had a lot of fun making it!

Marcelline said...

Thanks for the tutorial in both picture and written form. I found your blog via WhipUp and started right away. Made it in about 30 minutes, quick and dirty!

Joey said...

that headband looks absolutely fabulous. love the flower and feather combo.

headbands said...

Adorable! I'm totally impressed :) I just love the way it turned out! Thanks for sharing!

Rachel said...

What a lovely headband, and thanks for the tutorial!

P.S. Thanks for linking to my stenciled leggings tutorial. Stay crafty! :-)

Kristina Clemens said...

Thanks so much for sharing this! I'm a clothing designer, so I love finding creative blogs like yours...loved looking through all your back-posts. Awesome reading.
Kristina J.

Rebekah Greiman said...

I love this headband! I found you through Indie Icing. I just made a Blooming Flower Headband out of scrap fabric and floral wire. If you want a new crafty type thing to do...here is the link:
http://www.potholesandpantyhose.com/A/Arts_%26_Crap.html

Unknown said...

Love these! I make them all the time but I"m lazy so I buy the pre cut circles on Etsy from SweetSweetCircles. They're fafbric is really pretty, cheap, and ships really fast, and when I needed a colour they didn't have they custom ordered it for me! totally recommend them! www.etsy.com/shop/sweetsweetcircles