Morning jogs, cabin trips, and campfires all call for the beloved fleece headband. This tiny yet mighty wardrobe addition gives an extra layer of warmth when a hoodie just isn’t enough while also, providing additional coziness along with your favorite sweatshirt. Polartec® Fleece is durable, soft and ideal for chilly temperatures—making it the perfect fabric to create your next cold-weather headband. Wondering how to make one? Spoonflower Maker Adina Marguerite Pease takes us through the steps. 

A woman wearing a blue headband with pink flowers is turned to the right. She’s wearing dark blue glasses and a yellow hoodie. A lake, trees and a mountain are behind her.
A cozy Polartec fleece headband made by Spoonflower Maker Adina Marguerite Pease.

Why Make a Fleece Headband?  

A fleece headband may become one of your go-to accessories this fall and winter. Keeping yourself warm—and fashionable—is always a plus while out and about.  

Polartec Fleece provides warmth and is pill-resistant. This means it won’t create those fuzzy balls after wear and wash. For beginner sewists, this is an easy and fun two-layer project. We’re using Polartec Fleece and Modern Jersey fabric for a cozy on the outside, soft on the inside headband.

What Head Size Does This Fleece Headband Fit?

Adina: With the stretch in these two fabrics, the pattern will fit anywhere from a 20 1/2″ (52 cm) to 23″ (58 cm) head. It will be a looser fit on the smaller end and a snugger fit on the larger end. For real-life context, this pattern fits my slightly big headed 4 year old, my 5’7″ 130lb self, and my 6′ 4″ 200lb husband. To adapt this pattern for head sizes outside of this range, increase/decrease the length of the rectangles by a minimum 1/2″ (1 cm) per inch of head size. So if you have a 24″ (61 cm) head, increase the length of the rectangles to 21 1/2″ (55 cm). Grab your materials, and let’s get started with this step-by-step tutorial below. 

Materials to create a fleece headband are spread out across a blue and yellow cutting mat. A blue-striped fleece fabric is under a black pair of scissors, a white spool of thread and a forest green spool of thread and a rotary blade. A striped fabric with pink flowers and green leaves lays between the materials, and underneath a clear cutting mat.
Get your materials together and organized.

Skill level: Beginner

Materials

  • Serger or sewing machine*
  • 1 fat quarter Polartec® Fleece (for the inside layer of your headband) 
  • 1 fat quarter Modern Jersey (for the outside layer of your headband) 
  • Cutting mat 
  • Rotary cutter (or fabric scissors & a fabric marker) 
  • Fabric clips or pins 
  • Matching thread 

Pro tip:

Don’t have a serger? You can absolutely create these headbands with just a sewing machine. Just use an appropriate size needle and stitch for stretch jersey fabric—a zig zag stitch works great! 

Steps to Make a Fleece Headband

Two fabrics lay lightly piled under a hand. The left fabric has pink flowers with green leaves. The right fabric is made of two different tones of blue.
Prepare your most important material—the fabric—by washing it beforehand.

1. Wash Your Fabric (Always a good first step!) 

Washing suggestions for both Polartec Fleece and Modern Jersey are to machine wash cool on a gentle setting, and dry on low. Before you know it you’ll be in your new headband, so it’s always a good idea to wash your fabrics before you start creating.  

A blue striped fabric with pink flowers and green leaves lays above a fabric with different streaks of blue in different hues on a blue and yellow cutting mat.
Use a rotary cutter or a marker and fabric scissors to cut your fabric. 

2. Measure & Cut Your Fabric Pieces 

Cut two rectangles measuring 5 1/2” x 21” (14 cm x 53.3 cm) —one with Modern Jersey and one with Polartec Fleece. 

A close-up of two fabric pieces on top of each other. One is turned right side in and slightly below the first fabric. A blue and yellow cutting mat is the background.
Stack your two rectangles on top of each other as in the right photo. (The left photo shows how you’ll have two rectangles that are placed one on top of the other.)
Two hands hold down fabric that is turned right side in and secured with clips. A blue and yellow cutting mat makes up the background.
Placing one rectangle on top of other—lining up the edges—clip your two rectangles together.

3. Clip Your Rectangles Together Lengthwise 

Clip the two rectangles together on the long sides with the right sides facing each other.  

Fleece material to make a headband is being sewn together using a serger.
It’s okay to keep the fabric clips in place while sewing the pieces together. Just be sure to remove the clips as you get near that place to sew!
The final product of the two fabric pieces being serged together with the right side of the fabric turned in. The wrong side of the fabric faces up, and thread trails from the corners of the piece. A blue and yellow cutting mat makeup the background.
What your fabric will look like after being serged/sewn together. 
 

4. Sew Pieces Together 

If you’re using a serger, serge the clipped edges together.  

On my serger, I’m using a 4-thread overlock standard tension setting for each needle (4), the widest stitch width for structure (7.5), a standard stitch length (3), and a small amount of differential feed gathering effect (1.3). 

If you’re using a sewing machine, use a zig-zag stitch to sew the clipped edges together. This allows the fabric to retain its stretch once it’s been sewn.  

A hand is in between two pieces of fabric that are sewn together. The tips of the fingers are seen at one end, while the wrist is seen at the other end. The fabric is scrunched up in the middle. A blue and yellow cutting mat is the background.
Stick your hand through the sewn-together fabrics.
Two hands pulling the pieces of sewn fabric to flip it inside out. A blue and yellow cutting board are in the background.
Once you’ve put your hand through the fabric, pull that end out as you pull your hand out.

5. Pull One End to the Other 

Stick your hand through the tube. Pull the fabric that is at your fingertips back through the tube as you pull your hand out. Match up the fabric—Modern Jersey to Modern Jersey and Polartec Fleece to Polartec Fleece—as well as the seams.  

A two hands holding a fleece fabric tube with clips to secure the areas about to be sewn. A blue and yellow cutting board is in the background.
Make sure to match up your fabrics and clip them to secure before sewing. Notice the small openings at the topmost clip.

6. Clip the Short Sides Together 

Matching up the seams, clip the short sides together. Leave an opening on the fleece side to remind yourself to not stitch this part together.  

Two hands holding the end of the fabric tube, pinching between an opening. A blue and yellow cutting mat is the background.
The space left open on the short side of the headband.
A hand holding down an opening of two sewn pieces of fabric. Two fingers in particular rest at the edge of the opening to indicate its width at two inches by using a clear measuring board. A blue and yellow cutting mat is the background.
Make sure the opening is 2” (5 cm). Cut a few stitches if it’s too small. 
 

7. Serge the Short Sides Together 

Serge the short sides together leaving at minimum a 2” (5 cm) opening on the fleece side. If it turns out too small, just cut a few stitches out. 

Two hands rest on a piece of blue folded fabric. The stitch where the two ends of fabric have been sewn together is in the space between the hands. The opening between the top and bottom of the stitch is in the middle. A blue and yellow cutting mat is the background.
Our headband is now fabric side out and coming together! 

8. Turn the Tube Fabric Side Out  

Pull the right side of the fabric through the opening on the fleece side of the fabric. 

Two hands rest on the ends of the fleece fabric headband. Clips are in the center where the shorter sides were sewn together. A blue and yellow cutting mat is the background.
Make sure only the fleece is being clipped in this step, not the jersey fabric. 

9. Clip the Final Edges Together 

Flip the edges of the fleece side opening under and clip the folds together to close the headband. Make sure the jersey side is pulled back and doesn’t get clipped as well.  

Two hands guide the Polartec Fleece through the sewing machine. A blue clip keeps the fabric secured just below the sewing needle.
Sew those clipped edges together, making sure to only stitch the fleece.

10. Sew the Final Edges Together 

Sew the edges together. You can use a simple straight stitch vs. a zig-zag stitch because the fabric won’t get pulled in this direction. Make sure to backstitch at the beginning and end of seams. 

One hand is holding a piece of excess thread on the blue fleece headband while the other hand is clipping it with black fabric scissors. A blue and yellow cutting board is the background.
Cut off the extra thread. 
Two hands rest at the edge of the finished headband. The pink and green flowered fabric is exposed from the outside, as the blue polartec fleece is visible from the inside. A blue and yellow cutting mat are the background.
Time to try on your new headband.

11. Snip Snip! Cozy Cozy! 

Snip the threads and enjoy your cozy new headband. 

Two hands are inside the ends of a fleece headband to show what it looks like. The bottom of the hands through a quarter of the forearms is visible, followed by yellow sleeves. The outside of the headband is blue with pink flowers and green leaves. The inside is blue. We see an out-of-focus lake and skyline as the background.
Another sneak peak of the finished product.

Note: The designs Adina used are not for sale, but there are plenty more designs by adinamarguerite in her Spoonflower shop. 

Shop These Designs 

Celadon

by adinamarguerite

Dots in Mustard

by nouveau_bohemian

Laurel Leaf Stripe in Multi Fall

by danika_herrick

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you sew fleece on a sewing machine?
Yes, just use an appropriate stitch & needle for stretch jersey fabric such as a zig zag.
What designs are best for fleece headbands? 
Since your fleece headband won’t be that large, we suggest a smaller repeating design, like a ditsy design.
How should I care for my fleece headband?
Machine wash cold on a gentle cycle, dry on a low temperature. 

Want to Make a Matching Sweatshirt?  

Coordinated outfits take the guesswork out of figuring out what to wear. Learn how to self-draft and make sweatshirts and sweatpants. Once you’re done, you can alternate pieces or wear them all together. 
Create the Outfit