DIY Scrunchie with Hair Tie (*New* Easiest Method) + Pattern

Today I’m showing you how to make DIY scrunchies with hair ties (also known as ponytail holders). This tutorial includes an optional “bunny ear” bow too. Download my free sewing pattern here.

I’ve researched a LOT of scrunchie tutorials, but there aren’t many methods for hair tie scrunchies. So I sat down and brainstormed my own way. I definitely think this is the easiest.

You only need to do 2 lines of stitching. That’s it!

You don’t need to turn anything inside out. You don’t need to close a hole at the end. I’m excited to share this!

This method will also work with elastic bands (although I recommend hair ties because they’re less likely to snap). If you don’t have a sewing machine, you can use hand sewing or a hot glue gun for a no-sew method. The steps are still the same.

Note: I recommend this method for easy-to-sew fabrics like cotton or linen. It involves topstitching, so it doesn’t suit silk. For trickier materials, use this scrunchie method instead for a neat finish.

a hand holding a diy scrunchie with a bow

blue check scrunchie with fabric and hair tie

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Video sewing tutorial

Note: I keep saying in the video that this method only uses 1 line of stitching. Sorry, that’s a mistake. I meant 2 lines. Whoops!

If the video above isn’t loading, you can find it on Youtube as well.

What materials you need for hair tie scrunchies

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A hair tie (Amazon link). These are also known as ponytail holders.
Cotton fabric. 1/2 yard or metre is plenty. Other fabric types are OK too, as long as they’re easy to topstitch. For example, silk is not ideal. Check out fabric.com (USA) and Minerva Crafts (UK) for cute fabric. They have some of the biggest fabric ranges on the web!
An iron.
Matching thread. I used ‘sew-all’ polyester thread by Gutermann (Amazon link). It’s strong and lint-free.
Fabric scissors to cut the fabric. I use and recommend the soft-grip ones from Fiskars (Amazon link). Or use a rotary cutter and mat. I use a Fiskars rotary cutter (Amazon).
The right sewing machine needles. For light to medium weight non-stretch fabric, you’ll need a universal needle in size 80/12 (Amazon link).
Measuring tape (Amazon) to measure the right length of fabric. Or just use a normal straight ruler.

Free PDF scrunchie sewing pattern

pdf sewing pattern for scrunchie and bunny ear bow

I like using a template because I don’t have to mark the fabric and my cutting is straighter.

You can download the template I used from my resource library.

Otherwise, the scrunchie measurement is 21 1/2″ (width) x 3″ (height) (54.5cm x 7.5cm). I also experimented with 4″ – 5″ height (10cm – 13cm) for a really big scrunchie.

** 1 January 2022 update: the scrunchie pattern has been updated to include more sizes! You can now make mini, regular, large, and XL scrunchies. The new design is based on the 13 professional scrunchies I bought and deconstructed.

Here are the NEW measurements:

Mini: 4.6cm x 49cm | 1 6/8″ x 19 1/4″
Regular: 7.5cm x 49cm | 3″ x 19 1/4″
Large: 10cm x 49cm | 4″ x 19 1/4″
Extra large: 14.5cm x 49cm | 5 6/8″ x 19 1/4″

a free scrunchie sewing pattern printed out — The new scrunchie pattern with more sizes!

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How to make a scrunchie with hair ties (step-by-step):

1. Cut a rectangle of fabric

Cut out your scrunchie using the printable template (download it here).

Or use the cutting measurements above.

scrunchie measurements — I’m using a rotary cutter and mat to cut my fabric.

2. Fold the top & bottom edges by 1/2″ / 1.3cm

Fold the top edge by 1/2″ / 1.3cm.

The raw edge should be facing the “ugly” side of the fabric, not the “nice” side. If both sides look the same, then it doesn’t matter.

Iron the fold in place.

Repeat this for the bottom edge.

Iron the fold in place.

3. Sew the short ends together to create a tube

Unfold the edges you just ironed. Place the short ends together, with the “nice” sides of the fabric facing each other. Pin them together (optional).

Sew the short sides with a 1/4″ / 0.6cm seam allowance.

(A ‘seam allowance’ is the distance between the fabric edge and stitching line).

Backstitch at the beginning and end so your stitching doesn’t unravel.

(A ‘backstitch’ is when you sew forwards by 3-5 stitches and then sew backward by 3-5 stitches. This locks the stitching).

Your fabric will now be a tube.

Suggested sewing machine settings:

Straight stitch
Stitch length: 2.5
Tension: 4

4. Place a hair tie over the fabric

Carefully bunch the tube together. Make sure the tube doesn’t twist.

Place your hair tie over it, roughly in the middle.

5. Pin the folded edges together

Match up the folded edges, so the hair tie is inside the fabric. If this looks confusing to you, scroll up to watch the video tutorial.

(Optional) Use pins to hold the fabric in place.

scrunchie fabric being folded over hair tie

Here’s what it looks like with pins all the way around. The hair tie is hidden inside the scrunchie.

6. Sew the open edge closed

Sew all the way around the open edge. Try to sew as close to the edge as you can.

Backstitch at the beginning and end so your stitching doesn’t unravel.

Suggested sewing machine settings:

Straight stitch
Stitch length: 2.5
Tension: 4

Congratulations, you’re done! Here’s what the finished scrunchie will look like.

How to make bunny ear bows for a scrunchie (step-by-step):

1. Cut your fabric

Cut out your scrunchie bow using this printable template (download the pattern here).

If you don’t have access to a printer, here are the measurements so you can draw your own: it’s 11 6/8″ (30cm) wide, 2 6/8″ (7cm) tall in the middle, and almost 4″ (10cm) tall at the highest point.