"It's stuck, Mom!! My hair is stuck in this thing!!"
Those were the crying words of my 8 year old as she tried to tug her latest hair accessory from her long, auburn hair. She almost always keeps her hair in a pony, but she rips out so much hair is really isn't good for her hair.
Until we discovered one of the best uses for fold over elastic (FOE) - hair ties!!
Most sewists have used FOE for other types of sewing projects like underwear, swimwear and baby garments. Today let's show you how to make hair ties with FOE.
This post contains affiliate links to products I recommend. I do make a portion off any you may purchase. See full disclosure here.
First, why would you want to make hair ties with FOE?
It has really great stretch but not too much. Which I have found keeps my hair from getting too many creases in it. That means I can pull my hair out of a pony without a big old hair tie mark through it.
Second, it doesn't tug on the hair as much.
We have found because of the width of the elastic, it is easier to grab and unwind from hair without pull knots and chunks of hair with it. Which means a lot less crying from my daughter.
Third, stretch!
Fold over elastic hair ties stretch just the right amount and recover really nicely. Even over time as you stretch them more and more, they still hold their shape well and don't snap like other hair ties.
Last, FOE hair ties are really cute bracelets too. You can customize them to make them seasonal, for wedding and birthday gifts or for the entire team to show their unity and team spirit.
We'll show you how to make hair ties and how to add your own custom designs to them for inexpensive.
How to Make Hair Ties
Materials Needed
- 5/8" Fold Over Elastic - I got mine on Etsy by the yard
- EasyWeed Stretch Vinyl
- Cricut Mini Press - or any heat press or a nice hot iron
- Pinking Shears
- Kraftboard
- Tie Holder Template - get the SVG or PDF cut out at the end of the post
Gather your supplies. You'll need to cut the Fold Over Elastic (FOE) into 9" pieces. You can do this really quickly with a rotary cutter or scissors.
Cut out your vinyl design on a heat transfer vinyl. I suggest using a stretch heat transfer vinyl to allow for the most stretch on your elastic.
The design should fit a 5/8" piece of FOE and be about 8" long.
Using a heat press, press your design to the right side of the FOE. Make sure to center the design so that everything is nice and even.
I like to use my Cricut EasyPress Mini to add my designs to the FOE.
Remove plastic protector and press elastic again on the wrong side of the elastic.
Step 5
Tie a knot at the end of the of elastic. Use a fray check to stop the ends from fraying.
That's it!! Super quick and easy and no sewing needed. But makes a great gift.
Now, that you know how to make fold over elastic hair ties, you can print off and cut out the template for the kraftboard tie holder.
The template has a larger side that is perfect for adding text or a fun sticker for your hair ties.
Want the free hair tie card svg? Simply click the button below to download.
Or get the PDF to print and cut out your own templates.
Need vinyl? Here are my favorite places to purchase heat transfer vinyl and adhesive vinyl.
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