Some of you might have never heard of Fold Over Elastic or don't know how to use it. In this post we will address this topic and give you ideas on how to use those colorful goodies.

Fold Over Elastic trims come in various colors, textures and widths with a seam running down the center, so it can be fold in half. This is very useful for sewing purposes. As you can see in the picture, FOE usually has one shiny and one matte side. 

FOE is often used for finishing edges of stretchy garments such as swimwear, underwear, pajamas or baby clothes. Clearly, the most popular and easiest way to use FOE is to make headbands for infants or pretty hair ties.  

Here’s a simple and inexpensive way to create a one-of-a-kind hair tie!

What you need.

5/8 FOE Trim 

Scissors

Measuring tape or ruler

Step one: Cut off the right length.

The length depends on the thickness of your hair and the material of the FOE. For a plain FOE trim, the band should be about 10 inches long. Add an inch for metallic glitter or velvet FOE’s as they are a bit thicker.

Step two: Tie a knot.

Fold the band in half, make a loop and pull the end of the band through the loop. Make sure the knot is tight enough. If you want to singe the ends, you can either use a lighter or ran the ends over the top of a lit candle.

Step three: Embellish.

This is optional. If you want to embellish your hair tie, feel free to use rhinestones, beads or flowers. Browsing through the web, I have found that some people get their hair ties imprinted with words for special occasions such as “Bridesmaid” or “Maid of Honor”.  

Et voila, that’s it!

As a final step you can wrap the finished hair ties around cardboard and use it as a gift for family and friends. In our online shop, we sell FOE trims up to 50 yards. If you don’t want to use the whole roll for making hair ties, here are some other ideas FOE can be used for:

• Baby Headbands
• Bookmark Bands
• Belts
• Sewing Projects

If you got inspired and want to start your own DIY Fold Over Elastic project we offer a wide range of FOE in different colors and styles. 

Click here to shop for our Fold Over Elastics.