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[SeriousTyro]

Hi all,

This is a simple piece of clothing but I have ZERO experience with fabric and sewing.

I am trying to "make" Ryu's headband, shown below



I was wondering what type of fabric I should use?

How would I make it cut straight? If I used a pair of scissors I'm pretty sure my cut won't be straight.

When cutting it, would I get strands coming off the sides?

I was thinking of making it 3"x72", good size?

Thanks,
Tyro

[o01101011]

Why not just use ribbon? That way you dont have to worry about hemming, cutting straight, etc.

[Evil Bishounen]

Unless you have a massive forehead, 3 inches will be way too wide. You probably want it to be more like 1.5 to 2 inches.

If you work with fabric yardage instead of ribbon, yes, you will get fraying unless you finish the edges. You'd either hem the edges or you'd sew two layers, right sides together and leaving one edge open so you can turn it out.

[CapsuleCorp]

Cotton will give you a sturdier headband, less flimsy than ribbon, but if you use cotton fabric, yes, you need to hem it or make it double-sided like Evil Bishounen explained.

It's not hard to cut straight lines. Use a ruler and mark the straight lines on the fabric.

[princemercury1]

This is going to sound pretty tedious, but will make the headband last long.

Make the headband 2 inches wide and 1.5 yards long. Draw two straight lines parallel (2 inch distance apart) to each other on the cotton fabric (suggestion red Symphony broadcloth) with a fabric chalk pencil and using a meter stick. Now take that drawn fabric (wrong side) and sandwich it with the same fabric with right sides together. Now pin the two pieces together all the way across (so the fabric doesn't move when you sew it). Next machine sew it (highly suggested) or hand sew on the chalk line the two long sides and one end part, leaving one side open. Once the two pieces are sewn together you will want to carefully cut close to the seam (sewn line) the band and clip the corners diagonally. Once all that is done, you will want to turn the band right side out. Iron the band out so it looks neat and flat and turn in the open in of the band (so fraying doesn't accord) and pin it shut. Now finally hand sew the ends. I hope this helps. ^^;;;