I offer you a simple little sewing project, accessible to beginner sewers and even children who would like to learn to sew! Today, we will learn to sew our own scrunchies and foulchies, those nice hair accessories that you can match with your outfit! You will recognize the fabric used for my version of the Athéna dress.

In the seamstress’s basket

• fabric (now’s the time to use scraps, count roughly scraps of 50cmX30cm)
• some matching thread
• some thin flat or round elastic (less than 1cm)
• a safety pin (medium size)

The scrunchie pattern and base of the foulchie

We will make the patterns ourselves because they are quite simple.

The base is the scrunchie pattern which consists of a rectangle. The size of the rectangle will depend on the person who will wear it: little girl/woman, hair density, desired style. By varying the length of the rectangle, we address someone with more or less hair. The more volume you have, the larger the scrunchie size will be. The width of the scrunchie is more a matter of style. 

Here are the most common measurements:

• little girl: 40X8cm
• woman: 50X10cm

If you want a thinner version, you can reduce the width to 8cm as for children; if on the other hand you want a more voluminous scrunchie, you can increase the width by choosing 12cm. 

The scrunchie tutorial

1. Cut the chosen rectangle once from your fabric

2. Fold the strip lengthwise right sides together, press and pin

3. Sew along the free edge 1cm from the edge, starting 5cm from the edge and stopping 5cm before the end of the seam (don't forget to backstitch).

4. Turn the casing so that the two ends are right sides together; to do this, pin a safety pin and slide it inside the "tube." Once you reach the other end with the pin, pin and sew the ends 1cm from the edge. Be careful not to twist the fabric when turning the tube inside out.  

 5. Turn the scrunchie right side out through the opening and iron.

6. Cut the thin elastic to 17cm for an adult or 13cm for a child. 

7. Thread the elastic through the scrunchie from one end. To do this, attach a safety pin to the end of the elastic and slide it through the casing via the opening, pushing the elastic along with the help of the pin.

8. Sew the ends of the elastics together. 

9. Close the opening with a hand stitch or a seam 0.2mm from the edge.

Ta-da, the first step is done and you are the proud owner of a pretty scrunchie!

The foulchie knot pattern.

To make the foulchie knot, we will create a shape either in "half-moon," "bow tie," or "beveled rectangle." Indeed, the foulchie knot can take different shapes, and you can have fun creating others, lengthening them, multiplying them...

Here are examples of shapes:

The foulchie knot tutorial.

1. Cut the chosen knot shape twice.

2. Place the two cut pieces right sides together and pin around, leaving a 5cm opening.

3. Stitch 1cm from the edge of the fabric.

4. Cut the corners, and turn the knot through the opening left.

5. Iron and close the opening with a small hand stitch. 

Just tie your "scarf" to the scrunchie and you get a foulchie!

And there you go, now all that's left is to have fun creating and recycling all your scraps!

Get your needles ready!