Making a Head Covering

Well, the easiest covering is to take a handkerchief and fold in in half to make a triangle, but the big knot on my neck bothers me and I have to be careful about headaches.

I bought my first coverings because I had no idea what they were like or how to make one. They were wonderful and made with great care, but they were a bit pricey. I save them for church or going somewhere, but as dirty as I have a tendency to get under the sinks or in the bathroom when I am cleaning, or out in the garden or barns, I needed something a little more practical (and cheap- did I mention I have 5 daughters?). So I looked at some others online and just started fooling with my own design and have come up with one that is easy as a wink to make, very cheap (though I make many of mine from scraps so they are actually free), and still very feminine. The pattern still works great for 'fancier' coverings out of velvet, lace or whatever you like. The everday ones I make from calico, both because they wash and wear well, and because they are just pretty! ;) Ribbons are also pretty, but are not as sturdy, so I use double-fold bias tape.

So, you will need:
1 piece of cloth, approximately 22"X15"
thread to match
12 inches of ribbon or some type of tying device, cut in half

Time to complete with a sewing machine- 20 minutes
Hand sewing- no idea, but anything can be sewn by hand if you don't have a machine

1. Finish the edges of your cloth. For this, I happened to have the edge of a yard, so I only had to finish three sides.



2. Take one of the shorter sides and fold it accordian-like but spaced out enough to fit under your needle. Sew the pleats you have made, stopping somewhere about the middle to insert the ribbon.





3. Turn the pleated edge under and sew again in a semi-circle pattern so that your rough edge is hidden underneath.



4. Repeat on other side.






For a kids' covering or for people with smaller heads, you will want to shorten your material and ribbon (you can see that this is a bit too big for my model).

To make it easier to keep in place, you can hand-sew a rectagular comb into the crown of the covering, or two (one on each side above the temple). They sell these in the drug store in a package of 10 (usually brown or black) and then we generally use bobby pins on the sides under the ear for extra protection because it gets pretty windy here.