DIY | Pineapple Print Headband | Tutorial

DIY | Pineapple Print Headband | Tutorial

I am a little obsessed with pineapple prints at the moment. They just make anything look instantly more cool, fun and summery. I especially love this print on accessories like clutch bags and headbands. So I thought I’d show you an easy way to make your own pineapple printed accessory. I have a great headband from American Apparel that I bought last summer which is made of silky material that has a flexible wire running through it so you can bend it into a cute bow. I wear it all the time to keep my hair out of my face in hot whether, so thought I’d make another in the same style but with this years 'IT' print. 

Here’s how I did it.

You will need:

Silky chiffon material or cotton (1 meter will be plenty)

Fabric paints

Thin flexible craft wire

Corrugated cardboard

Paintbrush

Scissors

Thread

Sewing machine.

Cut a rectangle of fabric to about 80 x 25 cm. Place it on a large sheet of scrap paper or card to prevent the fabric paint getting on your workspace. Pinning the fabric in place will help it to stop it slipping around when printing.

Draw a pineapple shape of your choice on to a piece of card and cut out. Remember to use your pencil very lightly as mine showed up on the fabric the first time I did it. You can score certain areas with scissors to give it a bit of texture when printing. I peeled a layer of cardboard from the back of my stamp to make a sort of ‘handle’ to hold onto when printing.

  Now comes the fun bit. Using a paintbrush, sweep a generous amount of your fabric paint directly onto the stamp.

  Gently place face down onto your fabric and then press more firmly to ensure your paint is spread evenly. Slowly lift away from the fabric to reveal your first pineapple print! Re-paint your stamp and carry on printing the rest of your fabric until you are happy with the out come.

 

 

Grab a brew while your paint is drying (mine only took about 30 minutes). Once it is dry, peel away from the card underneath and seal the colour by ironing the fabric as instructed on your fabric paint pot. 

 

Now you are ready to sew.

 Fold you fabric in half lengthways but making sure the printed sides are together.

 Sew two straight rows along the length of the fabric near the top with about ½ cm gap between each. This will form a ‘pocket’ for you to thread your wire through. A little added neatness you can finish off the raw edges with a zigzag stitch. Then sew up one end leaving the other open.

 

Turn your fabric inside out to reveal the right side again. Thread your wire inside the pocket. Fold the end of the wire over to ensure it doesn’t snag the fabric as you pass it through. 

 

Once it is threaded all the way to the other side you can seal up the last edge by folding the fabric under and top stitching straight down the side. 

 

And you are done! All that’s left to do is wrap it around your hair and twist the wire ends to create a bow.

 I hope you enjoyed this little tutorial! I would love to hear about your favourite pineapple print accessories or if you have made a headband like mine :)

Thanks for reading!