Day 262 – Hand-Sewn Headscarf

Today I decided to pull out of some fabric out of the stash I’d acquired for making masks and whip up something a bit more fun. I’m not the best sewer, I make everything by hand as I don’t own a machine, but I enjoy doing little projects such as making juggling balls, or a sunglasses case. Over this year my hair has been growing back after chemotherapy thick and curly – something it never was before! In an effort to tame my wild and crazy mane, I’ve been wearing a variety of headbands and scarves to try and make the style look a little more intentional. I thought it would be fun to add the collection and today decided to hand-sew my one of my own.

A lot of online patterns say to use a stretchy fabric, or to put a wide elastic in the headband/scarf: I prefer a loose one that I can either tie on top of my head, like in the above picture or underneath to create a smooth, Alice band effect. I realised I didn’t actually need a pattern, and just simply needed a piece of fabric long enough, and then fold it in two lengthwise and sew. It really couldn’t have been simpler, I have to admit I didn’t even measure or anything!

I’m really pleased with the end result, although the fabric is a little stiffer than a headscarf, it still creates a really nice look, and I like wearing it both ways too. This took a couple of hours to complete, mainly due to the length of the scarf, but it was ridiculously simple and something I’ll definitely try again. In the meantime, if anybody has any other tips on how to control my chemo curls (suddenly having curly hair after chemotherapy is apparently quite common!) please get in touch – they’re driving me mad!