How to sew a plastic free scrunchie

How to sew a plastic free scrunchie! (organic & plastic free!)

Scrunchies are back!  I love this trend because they’re easy to make AND easy on your hair.  No more tangled knots of hair on your hair ties!  And now that I haven’t had a haircut in months due to COVID, I’m loving my scrunchies more than ever to tame my locks.  

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Sewing a scrunchie is an easy, beginner friendly project.  And if you’d like to make a 100% organic, plastic free scrunchie, I’ve got kits for sale HERE.  

Here’s what you’ll need to make your own organic cotton, plastic free scrunchies.

Supplies

Organic cotton fabric in strips.

Strips should measure at least 3” wide and 18” long.  You can go wider – up to 6” wide.  The wider your strips of fabric, the fluffier your scrunchie.  And you can go longer – up to 24 or 25” long.  Any type of fabric will work.  If it has a stretch to it, great.  If the fabric doesn’t stretch, that works too!  This project is a great way to use up scraps of fabric.  Several strips of organic cotton fabric are included in a No Trace kit.

Organic cotton or cotton elastic

The organic cotton elastic in a No Trace kit measures 7.5” because it is a firmer elastic.  If you use a non-organic cotton elastic, it might be more stretchy and you may only need about 6.5” of elastic.  You can find organic cotton & cotton elastic on Etsy.

Safety pins 

Two, including one larger one if you have one.  These come in a No Trace kit.

Thread

You might want thread to match your fabric for one outside seam.  If you don’t have matching thread, no biggie!

Scissors

I love my smaller scissors for trimming loose threads, but any scissors will do.

Straight pins

Sewing machine

Iron

Get your supplies & let’s get started!

Here’s how to make your plastic free scrunchies:

Step 1 – Iron one short edge of the fabric.

Fold one short edge of the fabric over about ¼” so that the wrong sides of the fabric are facing each other when you fold it.  Iron it in place.  

Step 2 – Pin the fabric lengthwise.

Fold the fabric lengthwise so that the right sides of the fabric are facing each other.  Line up the edges with one another and pin all along the length of fabric.

Step 3 – Stitch the fabric lengthwise.

Sew a straight stitch along the edge that you just pinned in place about ¼” away from the raw edge of fabric.  Make sure to backstitch at the start & stop of the line of stitches to lock in the stitches.  You’ve now created a long tube of fabric.

Step 4 – Turn the tube right side out.

Pin one of your safety pins (a larger one, if you have one) to the unfolded opening of the tube.  Push the safety pin into the tube and all the way through the tube to turn the fabric right side out.

In order to do this, push the pin forward with one hand and then feel for it through the fabric with the other hand.  When you feel it, hold onto it and gently tug the bunched up fabric off the back end of the safety pin.  Continue to push the pin forward and tug the fabric off the back until your tube is completely right side out.  

Step 5 – Insert the elastic into the tube.

Use one safety pin (the smaller one) to pin one end of elastic to one end of your fabric tube.  Use the second safety pin (the larger one) to pin to the other end of elastic.

Push the second safety pin with elastic through the opening of the fabric tube – the same opening where you have one end of elastic pinned already.

Push the safety pin all the way through your fabric tube towards the other opening.  The fabric will start to bunch up on the elastic and will start to look like a scrunchie.

Step 6 – Sew the elastic together.

Unpin one end of the elastic from the fabric tube, being careful to hold onto the elastic.  Remove the safety pins from each end of elastic but keep the elastic in your fingertips – if you drop it, you have to thread it through again.  Bring the two ends of elastic together and overlap them about ½” to ¾”.  Put a straight pin into the area where they overlap.

Take it over to the machine and lower the presser foot down onto the overlapped area.  Then carefully pull the pin out, making sure the fabric stays overlapped.  

Set your machine to a zig zag stitch and stitch over the overlapped area a few times to hold it in place.  Trim loose threads.

Step 7 – Connect fabric ends.

Make sure that there aren’t any twists in your fabric.  You can tell it’s straight if you can follow the seam all the way around without a twist.

Take the raw end of the tube and carefully insert about ½” of it into the folded over edge of the tube.  Pin it in place.  Look carefully that there aren’t any raw edges showing and that the fabric is completely inserted on both sides of your scrunchie.

Take it to your machine, lower the presser foot, and then carefully remove the pin.

Step 8 – Sew the scrunchie closed.

Put your machine back on the straight stitch and stitch close to the edge of the fabric.  Make sure to backstitch at the start and stop.  You’ll sew over your elastic, which is fine.  Trim your loose threads and you’re all done!

This is such a fun and quick project to sew.  And scrunchies make awesome gifts – especially organic cotton ones!

I hope you have fun making your own organic cotton scrunchies.  And I’d love to see a pic of them!

Thanks for reading,

Liz