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"Hair scrunchies" are decorative ponytail holders which typically have a "scrunched" fabric appearance. They're practical, decorative, and no long-haired girl should be without one in her purse or pocket.

Making a hair scrunchy is easy, and teaches you a basic technique that's also useful for sewing cuffs and waistbands in other garments.

You will need:
A piece of 1/4" wide elastic approximately 5 inches long.

A piece of fabric that will make up the scrunchy. This piece should be a rectangle, 4 inches wide and 8 inches long. For your first scrunchy, use a woven fabric- not a knit.
Thread to match the fabric.
A sewing needle or sewing machine.
Some straight pins.
A safety pin
Scissors.
An iron

Fold 1/2" down of each of the long sides, right side out, and sew, baste, pin, or iron it so it stays folded.
Optional: Fold the fabric in half lengthwise, with the right side out, and iron it to form a crease. Unfold it.
Fold the fabric in half widthwise (short ends together), with the wrong side out and sew. You should now have a fat tube.
Turn the tube right-side out, so the right side of the fabric is facing out.
Fold the fabric in half along the crease you made earlier (or along the width of the tube). Leave a half inch gap and sew along the edges you folded and pinned in the first step. This weird "cloth donut" is called a casing.
Pin the safety pin to one end of the elastic.
Insert the safety pin into the casing you've made. Keep the unpinned end out of the scrunchy and thread the elastic all the way through the tube.
Pull the end of the elastic out of the casing so you have both ends to work with. Overlap them by 1 inch and sew the ends together. Trim any excess elastic.
Tuck the sewn ends of the elastic back into the casing.
Sew the casing closed, keeping the 1/2" folds tucked in.
Stretch the scrunchy a few times to even out the scrunched fabric.

Wrap it a few times around your ponytail, and you're ready to go!

Learn more about this author, Stephanie Bryant.
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