Try this 10 minute easy craft for your dolls!
Make a quick headband or belt accessory for your 18″ Doll with this easy tutorial.
Have you used fold over elastic before? Don’t you just love it? With so many colors and designs to choose from, it’s a go to trim for doll clothes, especially tees, panties, and swimsuits. The edges don’t ravel, and when folded in half along its center line, it makes a nice border trim for your project that is so easy to use. It’s featured in my Simple Sweet Tee pattern as an easy way to handle knit fabric edges for beginners.
Make a quick and easy doll headband and belt with fold over elastic.
Fold over elastic, available in colors and patterns, is the perfect, easy to use trim for doll clothes. Try it on hems and necklines, as belts, headbands, and straps! I use fold over elastic on a lot of different types of doll outfits as you can see below. I use it often as straps for the Easy Up Jumper or the Backyard Bibs to speed up my cutting and sewing and still offer a nice part of the design element.
The gray striped straps on this (below) bunny jumper is actually fold over elastic, (not folded) and because the Easy UP! Jumper straps are elastic anyways, using FOE is a great shortcut without sacrificing style! Click HERE to see more photos of this dress and to find a direct link to purchase the pattern.
Make an 18 inch doll headband in less than 10 minutes:
The greatest use I’ve found for FOE (Fold over elastic) is a quick and easy headband for your doll. The best news is that it also fits as a belt, so it’s a perfect two for one project that will take 10 minutes or less! Because it’s elastic, it’s easy to put on and take off the doll, yet still stays snugly to the doll’s head and waist. Use different widths, colors, and patterns, and add flowers, buckles, or fun buttons. You will find fold over elastic is also very inexpensive!
Doll Headband (Belt) Tutorial:
- Choose your FOE (fold over elastic)- find it in your local craft store, on etsy, or even Amazon like this assortment: AD: FOE ON AMAZON. I like 5/8th inch wide, which is a pretty easy to find size.
- Cut your elastic to 10 1/2 inches for an 18 inch doll or for Bitty Baby. For Wellie Wishers and Glitter Girls use 8 inches. For other size dolls, measure the size of their heads, and also their waist. Use the average of the two measurements, because the elastic will stretch. Try it before you sew if you are unsure.
- If you want to add any sort of a slide buckle, put that on now, ensuring the front of the buckle and the front of the elastic are facing the same direction.
- Over lap your elastic ends by 1/2 inch, being sure the elastic is not twisted. Stitch over the lapped edges, by forming a square, then sew an X in the middle. This will keep it nice and secure.
- Leave it plain or decorate your elastic with a flower or button and put it on your doll as a headband or a belt! Make them in every color!
Easy doll accessories to make- Headband and Belt Elastic Craft
The elastic I used for Nicki’s belt below, already had the sparkly stones on it, so it’s not technically fold over elastic, but it’s about the same width and certainly works the same way. Can’t find any that sparkle? Use some strong glue and add your own sparkle! See the tutorial to make this Playtime Peasant dress HERE.
Follow these simple steps to make your own Fold Over Elastic headbands and belts for all of your dolls. You will love having a small basket of these easy accessories ready to go as you mix and match new doll outfits.
Add a belt to the simple SUNSHINE Dress for a whole new outfit.
The Simple Sweet Tee pattern was designed around using fold over elastic to create a pretty contrast trimmed edge on the neckline, sleeves, and hem, but it also makes sewing knits a little easier for beginners to learn. Find the pattern HERE.
Find more tutorials for your dolls HERE and be sure to visit the Inspiration Gallery to see ideas for the entire line of Oh Sew Kat! line of PDF sewing patterns.
