That title was a mouthful!:-)

Rabbit-ears have infiltrated the fashion fray since Marc Jacobs threw them down the Louis Vuitton runway for Autumn/Winter 2009-2010.  Though the black lace version has been donned and DIY’ed in numerous reincarnations since then, the scarf headband (with a little wire inside to hold its shape) is the grown-up version of this enduring trend.  Take a favorite cotton handkerchief and make your own in a few simple steps right at home, and hop on outta there in style.

You Need:

*1 cotton (not silk or linen) handkerchief (mine is 18″ square since it’s from Japan.  Standard U.S. bandana size is about 20″ square, so if you use one of those, your resulting “ears” will be larger.)
*dead-soft thick jewelry wire (I used 20 gauge) [I know, the commercially-available wired headbands will use a different type of wire, one that is more pliable and can withstand being shaped and re-shaped numerous times…but dead-soft jewelry wire is I think the best substitute for this wire, though repeated twisting can eventually snap it in two, so please twist and re-shape with care!)

*iron & ironing board (not pictured)
*sewing machine & needle for wovens (not pictured)
*wire-cutting pliers (not pictured)
*matching thread
*hand-sewing needle
*scissors
*measuring tape, ruler, or mat
*skewer, poker, or chopstick (not pictured)
*marking chalk (optional)

How To:
Prep: Iron handkerchief flat.
Cutting the Fabric

1. Measure a 2.75″-wide strip down the diagonal of your handkerchief.  Both of the corner points need to be in the center of that 2.75″ width.  Cut the diagonal strip out.

2. Fashion one more strip of a similar size and shape, using the two remaining corner points and a rectangle of the leftover fabric.

Allow about a 3/8″ overlap between the pieces.

3. Sew the rectangle to each end of the strip you cut in Step 2).

4. Press open the seams.  Now you have two long strips of 2.75″-wide fabric, each with pointed ends.

Sewing

6. Place right sides together and stitch around the edge, about 1/4″ away from it.  Pivot at each corner point and round the edges nearby.  Leave a 1.5″ – 2″ gap in the middle of one of the long sides.  (Sewing line marked in above photo by yellow dotted line.)

7. Clip and trim the fabric close to your stitching – and clip the corners and curves.

8. Turn inside out.  Use a skewer to push the corners into points.

9. Iron to flatten.

10. Stitch around the edge, about 1/4″ away, all the way around.

Round the ends instead of following the shape of the point (see above photo).  This will create a channel for your wire to go into.

Adding the Wire & Finishing

11. Use the pliers to fold the end of the wire under so it isn’t so sharp.

Feed the wire into the channel you just made, all the way around the piece.

It takes a lot of pushing and pulling the fabric, but with persistence you’ll eventually be able to feed the wire all the way around, and feed in enough so that the fabric is taut between the wires.

12. Cut the wire with about 2″ to spare, and weave the ends around each other.

13. Tuck the wire ends into the fabric, and hand-sew the gap closed.

You’re done!

Here’s a demonstration on how to wear it:

Try this to tute to re-use an old handkerchief you may have hidden in the recesses of your closet – or even an heirloom piece that you don’t use anymore!  You could use scraps of fabric, a scarf, or even purchase a bandana from a vintage store or elsewhere (even Jo-Ann Fabrics carries them!.  It’s pretty fun and simple to Do It Yourself!

Happy DIY’ing!

xoxox
Carly

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DIY Accessories, DIY Headgear, handkerchief, headbands, Louis Vuitton, My DIY Tutorials, rabbit ear headband, sewing, upcycle, wired headband