A mix of lace, gilded fabric, pearls, rhinestones and ribbon make for a very vintage-looking accessory! As you may know, I am not a huge fan of sewing. Reason 1: I'm not real good at it. Reason 2: My sewing machine sucks. There may be a correlation there.
Anyways, this tutorial isn't as much sewing as it is embroidery. Simple embroidery. I can deal with that. Plus, most of the materials I used were recycled: lace remnants and vintage fabric, plus vintage satin ribbon as well.
Now, if you know me, I DO NOT like pink, or girly-type things. This one's for you guys. I know all my followers aren't into a hippie/boho vibe, so I've made something completely different here. A feminine hair accessory with plenty of girly glitz. It's called taking one for the team. You can thank me later.
I do really like rhinestones, and these bright montees from Pandahall really added a more antique look, because they aren't super sparkly - they have that soft milky look which mimics rhinestones found in older jewelry. Pair that with some taupe and ivory pearls and you've got yourself a totally versatile headband. And, if you haven't already, check out the website Pandahall if you're an avid beader - seriously, I think they have everything that you could ever need.
Enough talking, let's start!
Step 1: Gather materials. Needed are 6mm pearls (mine from Pandahall), 8mm sew-on montee rhinestones (mine from Pandahall), lace scraps, ribbon, brocade fabric, sewing thread and needle.
I used a vintage brocade fabric with foiled flowers, that matched my more neutral-color rhinestones. Also, the flowers provided good sewing spots. If you use more of an abstract patterned fabric, find the coolest (or most interesting) parts to embroider on.
Step 2: Cut a small piece of your vintage fabric. Start sewing on the montees and pearls - I used the middle of the flower as my focal point. I also used a double thickness of sewing thread for sturdiness.
Step 3: Once you feel you have embellished enough (don't go overboard here), cut out your appliqué from the the rest of the fabric. I made two flower appliqués. You could use any number of appliqués, depending on the look you are going for.
Step 4: Cut out two pieces of lace - make sure these are long enough to go around half of your head (the other half of the headband will be ribbon). I cut them about 1.5" wide. I'm doubling up the lace for a sturdier headband. Stack these lace pieces right on top of each other.
Step 5: Start sewing on your appliqués to the lace. Again, use double-strength sewing thread so it holds better. I'd suggest sewing the appliqués a little off-center. Sew these on really good, passing up and down many times until you can feel they are super secure. Tie off thread and cut.
Step 6: Take a length of ribbon that is the entire circumference of your head, and double it. Cut. Repeat. Fold one of these pieces in half, sewing on the end of the lace around this fold. Sew really good to make sure the hold is secure! Cut ribbon off and repeat on other side to finish your headband.
To wear, simply tie ribbon in bow at back of head.
Again, like most of my tutorials, this is totally customizable. Use any combination of colors and fabrics to reflect your style. You could also ditch the pearls and use Swarovski crystals or something super sparkly for a more luxe look.
Ignore my pale skin here (I actually might be part vampire?!) - you can see that this headband lies really nicely, because of the flexibility of the lace. Earlier I added it to an updo, but you can also go with long waves or even straight hair, using this as more of a head wrap as apposed to a headband.
So, if you're like me and hate sewing, I advise you to try this tutorial- trust me, you will be fine. This would look super-chic styled with an oversized white tee, dark denim skinny jeans and flats. Casual, but still super stylish. Agree?!
All images copyright Allison Beth Cooling for Quiet Lion Creations. Don't repost these photos without linking back to me and crediting me!
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