How to Sew a Scrunchie

I have no idea what motivated me, but I got all excited the other day and made a set of DIY hair scrunchies from scrap fabric and I just couldn’t be happier! They’re so easy and fun. Plus, they make perfect easy sew gifts. If you think there’s a little girl that might like a scrap fabric scrunchie, you should make her one and make her day. They take about 5 minutes of time and the supplies are basically free since you’re using scraps and some elastic, let me show you how to sew a scrunchie.

If you’re anything like me, you’ve got both elastic and scraps in abundance just laying around. So, it’s not like you even have to drive anywhere to get supplies. Seriously one of the easiest and best DIY crafts I’ve done in a while. Let’s get started sewing these DIY hair scrunchies from scrap fabric.

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What Is the Best Fabric for Making Scrunchies 

First, let’s chat a little about what is the best fabric for making scrunchies, because, yeah, all fabric is not created equal when it comes to sewing a scrunchie. We help you decide on the fabric that gives you the look and ease you want to sew a scrunchie.

T-shirt material may look cool and be super soft (which is a total bonus), but as the fabric stretches and moves, it’s possible that the threads you sow will break. So, if you’re using t-shirt material, consider using a stretchy thread. The exception is if you have a T-shirt made out of stretch material. That might be a little harder to come by, but is becoming more commonly used.

I have seen tutorials for how to sew a scrunchie from velvet, which, honestly, looks really cool. But the truth is that velvet can be hard to sew. It creeps a lot and is very thick. So, when you’re doing the sewing with velvet, you may consider doing it by hand instead of which a machine. Particularly on the ending stitches–those will be several layers thick and will not work so well on the machine. The same goes with minky fabric, as it’s thick like velvet.

I have found that the best fabric to sew a scrunchie is straight cotton. It’s soft and thin but has enough body to be interesting. But it’s not so thick as to be bulky when sewing. To soften the fabric, you can simply wash it with your other clothes.

Supplies for Sewing Hair Scrunchies

• 9-inch long Elastic (More if making multiples)
• Scrap Fabric of your choosing
• Sewing Pins or clips
• Thread
• Scissors
• Safety pins
• As with most sewing projects, you will need a Needle or Sewing Machine

Don’t worry we will show you how to sew a scrunchie but we want to make sure you have all the supplies as there is nothing worse than being in the middle of a project and missing something you need. For the strip of elastic, you will want about 9-inches long. You can go much shorter for a child’s scrunchie, about 6-inches, but you want to leave plenty of room in the elastic to be able to tie your ends together, so don’t make it too short. As far as leaving the elastic a bit longer, you can certainly do that. You’ll just need to tuck more into the scrunchie. So, that’s up to you if you want to leave the elastic long.

You’ll need some scrap fabric, as well. Not much is required–just a length of about 2 feet long and 4-inches wide will be more than adequate to make one scrunchie. 

I picked from my scrap fabric in blue, pink and an off-white with a fun pattern. Because the scrunchies are small and all, well, scrunched-up, you won’t be able to really see the pattern, but it’s cool to use a pattern just so it’s not a flat, boring color. Adds a little pop. 

Not many tools are needed to sew a scrunchie. A needle and thread or a sewing machine. I used my sewing machine, no fancy stitches or anything, with a matching thread. You’ll also need pins to hold the fabric in place while you’re sewing it, scissors, and a safety pin so you can pull the elastic through the fabric.

How to Sew a Scrunchie

Start by cutting a strip of your scrap fabric to be 3 ½ – 4 inches wide by 22-23 inches long. If you’re using the rough edge of the fabric, be sure to either trim that off or include it in your seam allowance.

Fold this strip of fabric in half lengthwise with the right side facing, then pin this in place.

Sew along the long, pinned edge, making sure to stay about ¼ inch from the edge of the fabric. Don’t forget to go back and forth on each end to keep the thread from unraveling.

Once it’s sewn, turn the fabric tube right side out. I found it easiest to do this by pinning on the safety pin on one end and pushing it through the inside of the tube.

Cut your Elastic strip, you will want about 9-inches long for an adult scrunchie, for a child’s scrunchie, about 6-inches. Make sure to leave plenty of length in the elastic to be able to tie your ends together.

The next step in how to sew a scrunchie is to affix one end of the elastic to the safety pin. With the safety pin as your guide, thread the elastic through the tube of fabric, scrunching the fabric around the elastic, leaving the end of the elastic loose so you can still grasp it.

Remove the safety pin and tie the ends of the elastic length together, forming a loop. Tuck this knot around into the scrunched fabric a little.

Fold the end of one fabric tube over, flipping the rough edge inside, forming a loose hem. Tuck the other end of the fabric tube inside the loose hemmed end about ¼ -½ inch. Not too far because you’ll lose some of your scrunches. But not too little because then you won’t have anything to sew in place and close the loop. Pin this tucked and loose hemmed joint. 

Sew along this pinned hem, being sure to catch the fabric inserted. Just do it flat–if you’re hand sewing, you can try to sew it in a circle and not flat, but the honest truth is, there’s no reason to. It’s going to look great either way. Trim all your loose threads. And enjoy!

Now you know how to sew a scrunchie. This is such a fun project, seriously–and really fast. It’s perfect for stocking stuffers or even gifts that kids can make for each other if they’re a little older and able to sew. Can you imagine how proud your kiddo would be if they were able to gift a scrunchie to all their friends for the holidays? 

Personally, I would love to have a whole rainbow of scrunchies, and I might be able to do that because this is such an easy project. If you love this easy how to sew a scrunchie project, be sure to pin this to your favorite crafts board so you can find it quickly later!

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