This post shows you how to make a patchwork scrunchie. Keep reading for the pattern and step-by-step instructions!
Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a small commission if you purchase through my link–at no additional cost to you.
Sure, you can find scrunchies just about anywhere—but the benefit of making your own is in how much you can customize them!
Plus, a patchwork scrunchie makes a great gift! You can give them as is, put them in stockings, make them as a gift for your bridesmaids, or make a bunch and donate them to a women’s shelter. (Among other things!)
Find a fabric that matches your loved one’s hobbies, favorite colors, or profession. Or if you’re willing to spend a little more money for an even more custom project, order some custom fabric from Spoonflower with photos of them, their pets, or something else they love.
How to Make a Patchwork Scrunchie
To make this patchwork scrunchie, you’ll need:
- Fabric: Six pieces of fabric that are 5.5″ x 5.5″. Have fun with this! You could choose to have all six pieces be from different fabrics. But you could also have three pieces from two different fabrics or two pieces from three different fabrics.
- Elastic: I’d recommend this Dritz quarter inch elastic, but any sewing elastic will do.
- Thread: Whatever color you’d like; I prefer to go with threads that match my fabric. Gutermann thread is my go-to for quality thread; I’d recommend this Gutermann thread pack so you always have the right color on hand. It’s a popular brand, so you should be able to find it in any craft store, fabric store, and even Walmart!
- A sewing machine or a needle to sew by hand. You can make this project with either a machine or by hand. I prefer to sew with a machine, but do whatever you’re most comfortable with! (PS – if you’re looking for a new sewing machine that works well and won’t break the bank, I have this Brother sewing machine and I love it!)
- Other Things: I highly recommend a cutting mat and rotary cutter for projects like this. To make it even easier, a large acrylic quilting ruler is a great addition. A kit like this is great because it comes with a rotary cutter, a cutting mat, a quilting ruler, and sewing clips! If you don’t have them though, you can absolutely get away with just using scissors. You might also want a fabric pen so you can mark out your pieces if you’re going the scissors route. Something like this would work great.
If you’d prefer a pattern you can cut out and trace, instead of having to measure out a bunch of little squares, click the button below!
Money-Saving Tips:
Believe it or not, you can get some pretty amazing cotton fat quarters from Dollar Tree. If you’re careful about how you cut out your pieces, two fat quarters will make you multiple scrunchies. You can also pick up elastic from most dollar stores. Sometimes even thread!
Not only that, Dollar Tree often has small cutting mats and rotary cutters. You can make beautiful art with low-cost supplies, and don’t ever let anyone tell you otherwise!
Directions
Step 1
Alright, let’s get our materials assembled and get started! You are going to love your patchwork scrunchie!
I am using two fabric patterns that I think will look cute together. Both were purchased from a local fabric store and have been sitting in my fabric stash for a while. This is a great project for using up small pieces of fabric you have lying around. Of course, this project is great for newly purchased fabric, too!
Step 2
Cut out your pieces. You need six pieces of fabric, each 5.5″ x 5.5″. Iron them so they’re flat; this will make them easier to work with.
Step 3
Now we want to turn these individual squares of fabric into a long piece that will be 30″ long and 5.5″ tall. We’re going to do this by attaching them all together. Super simple!
Take your first square and lay your second square on top of it so the pretty sides are facing. Sew a seam along the right side, 0.25″ away from the edge.
Step 4
Open up those two squares you just sewed together. Take your third piece, and lay it down over the second piece, pretty sides facing. Do the same thing you did in step 3 – sew a seam along the right side, 0.25″ away from the edge.
Continue to do this with all your squares until all six of them are attached.
Step 5
Lay your strip of fabric squares down, the pretty side down. Press open all those seams you’ve made. This will make sewing in the next few steps easier.
Step 6
Now it’s time to attach the two open sides so your strip of fabric becomes a loop of fabric. Take the two ends that aren’t currently attached (the left side of the far left square, and the right side of the far right square.) Put the pretty sides together, and sew them together 0.25″ from the edge like we’ve done to attach all the other squares. Now all your squares are connected in a loop.
Press that seam open as well.
Step 7
Now you’re going to do something called a burrito fold. It seems more complicated than it is, although it took me a few tries to get it. I tried to adequately explain in photos what I was doing, but it was a failure. So instead I’m going to link you to the Youtube video that I used to learn how to do this technique. Keep in mind that the scrunchie dimensions listed here are a little different than the ones listed in the video. There are lots of variations for scrunchies, and this is what I’ve found works best, for me, for this project. Feel free to experiment with future scrunchies!
Click Here to Watch Notches Sewing’s Tutorial (Not an affiliate link, and not my video!)
Step 8
Once you’ve got it folded properly, you’re going to sew along the edge (I do about 1/4″), pulling out your folded fabric as you go. (Honestly, I recommend you watch the video I linked above. Here it is again, for reference. Notches Sewing’s tutorial.)
Step 9
Once you’ve sewn all the way around, you’ll have this weird-looking tube.
Step 10
Find the space you left for turning and turn the tube inside out. I like to use a plastic chopstick. I slide it into the opening, sort of hook it on the part inside, and then pull that out.
Step 11
Now flatten it! You don’t need to iron, I just went around and straightened out the seams. I put a clip where the opening is, so it’s easy to find. This is optional and isn’t super important if you’re only doing one scrunchie at a time. Because I generally do ten or so at a time, this makes the process quicker for me. I think when it comes to crafting there’s no right way or wrong way, as long as the finished product is functional and looks good.
Find a method/strategy that works best for you!
Step 12
Now take that piece of elastic. As mentioned earlier, I use 1/4″ elastic, and I cut it to 8.5″ long. I make a mark at 1.5″ and another at 7″. Those marks show me where I’m going to tie off my elastic. Now you’re going to thread your elastic through the scrunchie tube. I put a safety pin on one end to help me guide the elastic through. You want to make sure you secure the other end as well, so you don’t lose it in the fabric! You can pin it to the scrunchie, hold it with one hand, clip it to the table… whatever works for you!
Step 13
Thread the elastic through the scrunchie; it’ll gather like this. Once it’s all the way through, I line up the two ends and make a very tight knot where I’ve marked my elastic. Make sure it’s really, really tight or your scrunchie’s elastic will come apart while it’s being worn! Then I trim about an inch off the ends. You want to leave a little room for the knot to shift a bit, but not so much that it makes the scrunchie bulky.
Step 14
Finally, find that place where the scrunchie is open and sew it closed along the edge. You can either sew just over the open part or sew all around the edge of the scrunchie. I opt to just sew along the open part, personally, with a few extra stitches on either side.
Step 15
Adjust your bunches along the elastic to even out the scrunchie. And there you have it! Your very own patchwork scrunchie, ready to be worn!
Will you make this scrunchie?
This scrunchie pattern is simple and easily adjustable to your preferences. Honestly, those are my favorite types of patterns – and the type of pattern I try to create most often. I love patterns that serve as a solid starting point, but that I can modify to make my own.
If you want a taller scrunchie, make the squares a little taller. Maybe 6″ or 6.5″ instead of 5.5″. If you want a fuller scrunchie, either add more square panels or make them wider.
If you want a looser scrunchie, cut a longer piece of elastic, or if you want a tighter scrunchie, make the elastic shorter.
You can experiment with types of fabrics, too, when you’re making a patchwork scrunchie! This pattern uses quilting cotton, but I’ve also made scrunchies with flannel. You can make them with linen, silk, satin, minky, or really whatever other fabric you want. Depending on the type of fabric, you may need to adjust the size of the squares you’re working with or reinforce seams.
Looking for more projects? For my basic scrunchie pattern, click here. And for my archive of free resources – including a variety of patterns and tutorials – click here!
