Simple Button Headband Tutorial

I have been meaning to blog about some cute and simple button headbands I made for the girls in September but I keep forgetting to do so!  This project is so simple that anyone who knows how to use a needle and thread could tackle it.  In fact, you could probably get away with just using your handy dandy hot glue gun for this project, but I am much better at using a needle and thread than a glue gun (LOL) and my kids are so destructive that I have to make things really sturdy!

Cute novelty buttons from Jambo Chameleon

I got the beautiful buttons for these headbands from my lovely online friend Sally, who runs the drool-worthy Jambo Chameleon.  Aren't they just so bright and cheery?  Sally kindly sent them to me as an extra prize from a giveaway she ran on her blog and my girls fell in love with them immediately.  They weren't sure what they wanted to do with the buttons until they started planning their outfits for cheeky monkey #1's rainbow-themed birthday party.  It suddenly became quite obvious to them that what they really needed were rainbow headbands!  So here is a quick little tutorial showing you how I made these headbands while in the midst of cooking and preparing for a birthday party.

Supplies

Buttons in your desired colours and shapes, preferably not shank buttons

Strong ribbon, such as grosgrain or thick satin/polyester

Sewing needle

Thread to match or complement buttons

5cm length of hat elastic

Method

1. Measure your child's head (or your head!).  Cut a length of ribbon approximately 5cm/2 inches shorter than your required length.  Don't worry, you have the 5cm of hat elastic to add to the headband still!  Sort your buttons into your desired order and sew or glue them onto the ribbon.  The easiest way to ensure that you have sewn your buttons evenly along the length of your ribbon is to find the midpoint of your ribbon and sew the middle most button on at this point.  Or, if you have an even number of buttons like I did, sew the two middle buttons on at either side of your mid point.    :)

2. Fold over the ends of your ribbon to neaten the edges and prevent the ribbon from fraying.  You can glue or sew the fold into place if you want.  If you are doing this in a rush, like I was, you can kill two birds with one stone by simply sewing the ends of the elastic over the folded ribbon, thereby securing your elastic and the folded edge at the same time!  (The photo shows a neat and messy version and I am a little embarrassed at how awful the messy version looks, LOL).

3. And there you have it, one very simple, yet pretty and stylish, button headband to adorn your little one's head.  Use some elegant vintage buttons and you could have a funky headband for yourself too!