I made a ruffle-front cute summer shirtdress from a men’s shirt a couple months ago…(tutorial here)…and I still wanted to use up more of the shirt fabric, rather than let all the scraps go to waste. (I’m thrifty like that!! Okay, usually not – usually my scraps will sit around in the recesses of my closet until I forget about them, and then re-emerge years later when I am desperately pawing back there looking for something else. But I digress.)

one men’s button-down shirt [collar piece and a bit of the shirt fabric)  /  thin headband (I used a Goody headband from the supermarket – $3.99 for a pack of three!)

Tools:

fabric scissors  /  hand-sewing needle  /  machine needle for medium-weight wovens  /  thread matching topstitching thread in collar  /  seam ripper (optional)  /  fabric glue (optional)

How To:

Cut the Pieces
1) Cut the collar off the shirt. Cut each end off the collar (app. 4″ from bound point), so you now have 3 pieces total.

2) Using scissors (or a seam ripper), open the topstitched seam from the cut edges of your collar pieces, along the side about 3/8″. This is to allow the tucking under of the fabric so we can create a perfectly-bound and topstitched bow, rather than a bow with one raw-edged, messy side.

3) Cut a long, thin strip of fabric from some part of your shirt that is wide enough to go all the way around the thickness of your headband PLUS 3/4″. The strip must be single-layered, non-interfaced, and the length of your headband PLUS 1″ at least. This will be the covering for your headband. (see above photo from Step 1)

4) Cut a small rectangular piece from your shirt fabric (single-layered, non-interfaced), about 1.25″ wide by 3″ long. This will be the center to your bow. (see above photo from Step 1)

Topstitch the Collar Pieces
5) Fold the bottom fabric layer of one of your collar pieces to the inside – curling interfacing in on itself about 1/4″ ~ 3/8″. Stitch along edge (spreading top layer of fabric away from the needle as you sew) to secure your fold.

6) Fold under top layer of fabric about 1/4″ ~ 3/8″. (Don’t forget to tuck under the side edges that we opened up in Step 2)!) Topstitch all the way around to secure the edges. (We will be leaving one raw edge that will be concealed in the bow center.)

7) Repeat for remaining collar pointed piece.

8) Using the same method, finish the bottom raw edge of the collar center piece.

Sew Fabric Ractangles
9) Turn under about 1/4″ on long edges of small rectangle of fabric. Sew along long edges.

10) Sew along long edge of long strip of fabric. Turn right side out to create a long tube.

Create Double-Bow
11) Flip one pointed collar piece over, and overlap it on the other piece about 3/8″. Hand-stitch in place.

12) Loop collar center piece over on itself, matching raw edges, and stitch in place directly above the loop you just made in the previous step. Stitch a few times through all layers in the center to secure.

Cover Headband
13) Slip headband into tube you made in Step 10). Fold ends over about 1/2″, and stitch ends in place to close the tube. (I used fabric glue to secure the ends first, since the lightweight fabric was fraying for me.)

Attach Bow to Headband
14) Using the small fabric rectangle from Step 9), stitch one end to center of bow on the underside. Wrap around top of bow and secure under headband. Stitch a few times in the center on the underside in order to squeeze the strip tight and shape your bow properly; but not too tight since we still want the bow to be slideable along the headband.

Voila! A menswear-inspired Gossip Girl Headband!

Happy DIY’ing!

xo
Carly