Turn Your Sweater Into A Headband | DIY

A few months ago I thrifted this white sweater at a local Cathedral thrift sale on the Upper East Side.

I wasn’t sure what thrifting in a Cathedral in New York City would look like, but it was really fun, semi-chaotic, and hilarious. I walked in to find the pews pushed to the sides, replaced with long tables filled with clothing and knick knacks. It looked like a thrifter’s version of the Great Hall in Harry Potter.

They created a makeshift “dressing room” at the altar of the church. I laughed as I walked into the dressing area, myself and a bunch of other naked women, trying on clothing at the altar. It’s a sort of closeness to God I didn’t know I would ever have in a place of worship. But it really was fun, communal, and I had about ten people ready to zip me up or help me tug off a sweater that didn’t fit. It was awesome.

My goal while thrifting was to find sweaters (I always try to have something in mind I’m needing to buy when I go thrifting! In my case, I was needing more sweaters for this chilly New York weather). I found this white drop neck sweater, but it was very long and I wasn’t loving how it fit my body. So, I cropped it, sewed up the loose ends with my sewing machine, then took the extra trimmings and turned them into a headband!

Follow my Step by Step process below to make your sweater DIY! Tag me on Instagram (@stacie.stine) if you make your own! I’d love to see how it turns out!

Step 1: Grab a Headband and Some Extra Material!

I’ve owned this black headband for awhile, and noticed I was never wearing it (my sister-in-law pointed out black doesn’t really look great on me— I agree with her— black with my brunette hair and olive skin tone doesn’t really mesh super well!). So, I decided to use my black headband as my base. Do you have something like this in your home you could repurpose?

Step 2: Practice Wrap

I used about a 2 inch section of the sweater.

Before I even started gluing the material to the headband, I did a practice wrap to see how the material would fit just in case I needed to make any adjustments. I’m really glad I did a test run, because one side of the headband looked way too bulky.

Step 3: Wrap and Glue

And I used hot glue to secure it in place. I would wrap a few times, and glue the material to the headband every few wraps. I definitely recommend using Hot Glue. It holds material well. I really wanted my headband to feel thick, so by the end of the wrapping process, it felt a lot thicker and bulkier. This is the trendy look right now- big and bulky!

Step 5: Rock That Headband

So cute right? What I love about DIY projects, is that I decide when they are done. I love the simplicity of this headband, but wouldn’t it look so cute if I added some pearls or beads to it? Maybe I’ll do that next week!