At my sister’s baby shower this month, I put together a make a headband activity for all the guests in lieu of typical baby shower games. Not only did all the guests love it, but many of the users who commented on the baby shower post mentioned  how much they loved it too. So I am excited to share what went into setting up this activity and how to do it.

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First I found a few different types of elastics to fashion into the actual headband. I found simple white lace at Joanns, and skinny elastic and patterned elastics from a couple different etsy sellers, MarySupplies and PeakBloom. There is so much to choose from using etsy as a resource. I needed to be sure I accumulated enough of the elastic for the amount of guests at the shower. I had about 40 RSVPs so I planned to have enough elastic for 45 headbands.

To save time at the shower, I cut and made the headbands in advance. I made them in an array of sizes from newborn to 2T. Here is a general sizing guide:

  • Newborn: 13″
  • 3-6 months: 14″
  • 6-12 months: 15″
  • 12-24 months: 16″
  • 2t+: 17″

I only made about 5 total in the newborn size, and focused more on the 6-12 and 12-14 month sizes. I bought 5 yards each of about 5 different elastics and it was definitely enough for 40 guests. I used fabritac to then adhere the ends together to form the headband, although a hot glue gun would work great as well.

Before I assembled the fabrics and fun accessories, I first needed to find inspiration pictures and tutorials that helped me pick out what supplies I would need. I ended up creating this headbands pinterest board to organize all the ideas. Since many of the easiest ideas were using felt, I decided that would be the main fabric of choice. But I found so many other great ideas that I had an array of supplies. I printed out several of the tutorials and inspiration pics, then displayed them in frames on the table and had the instructions handy for guests. Some of the guests really appreciated that because they felt they weren’t very skilled in being crafty, so it helped them create a beautiful headband.

This is what I had assembled in the box:

  • Felt in assorted colors
  • Netting (like birdcage material)
  • Chiffon/Tulle
  • Satin-type fabric
  • Cotton fabric in fun colors or prints
  • Lace
  • Ribbon
  • Buttons
  • Sequins
  • Beads
  • Feathers

On the table I also supplied a few glue guns, two bottles of fabritac and several pairs of scissors. I would also recommend some needle and thread. I created a few headbands in advance as more tangible inspirations for the guests.

To save money, I found a lot of the craft supplies at thrift stores (you can often find huge bags of buttons for less than $1). Craft stores like Joanns usually have a “remnants” basket or red tag sales where leftover fabrics are heavily discounted. In addition, Joanns and Michaels always have 40-50% off one item. Since the store is close to me, I would often go in just for one item so I could use a coupon each time. Before purchasing on etsy, it pays to ask if the seller has an promotions or discount codes; many I’ve asked will provide a 10-20% coupon for liking their facebook page and following them on twitter.


Overall this project went very well and encouraged guests to get involved. And the mama to be went home with so many beautiful headbands!