Home » Holiday Hair Gifts, Part 1: DIY Heatless Curling Ribbon

Holiday Hair Gifts, Part 1: DIY Heatless Curling Ribbon

December 1, 2021 Sookie Sews

With the holidays just around the corner, it’s a great idea to start stitching for friends, family, and even craft fairs. This two-part series is designed for gift giving to your friends with long hair. Part one is a super easy serger project that doesn’t look like much just sitting by itself, but it magically transforms straight hair to wavy overnight. Today I am teaching you how to use your serger to make a heatless curling ribbon.

Hello my Sewing Bees, my name is Sue O’Very owner of Sookie Sews and BERNINA Expert. You can find me on Instagram at @SookieSews and my website SookieSews.com where I have hundreds of machine sewing patterns, embroidery designs, and In-the-Hoop projects. Ok, let’s get stitching.

What is a Heatless Curling Ribbon?

A soft plush strip of material you wrap slightly damp hair around at night, sleep on it, wake up, unwrap, and have a head full of mermaid wavey hair. The plush material we are going to be using is Shannon Fabrics Luxe Cuddle®. There are all sorts of different embossed versions on this, the one I’m using is the Rose emboss. I love this material. It is fun to sew, serge, and even embroider—try it, you’ll love it too.

Materials and Supplies to Create a DIY Heatless Curling Ribbon

Measurements are Width by Height

Instructions to Create and Use a DIY Heatless Curling Ribbon

Steps to Serge

  1. Set serger up with a 4-Thread overlock with serger thread in the loopers and needles, width at 6.0, length 2.5, differential feed to 1, and tensions all at 4 except the lower looper is at 4.5. Check the user manual for how to thread.
  2. Test the stitch with two pieces of fabric with wrong sides together and place on the edge of the throat plate cutting off just a little of the raw edge, about 1/8″. Adjust tensions, length, and width as needed. Mine was perfect on the first try.
  3. Cut the fabric from Luxe Cuddle®. Use a rotary cutter, ruler, and mat. When cutting, use a lint roller to clean up the cutting mat and your workspace. You can also try out the Lint Magnet to clean up the rotary mat.
  4. Fold the long piece of Luxe Cuddle® in half wrong sides together lengthwise and serge a little of the raw edge, about 1/8″, the entire length of the fabric strip, and clip threads at the end.
  5. Serge the two short ends and clip threads at the end.
  6. Put a dab of Fray Check on all four ends and let dry, refer to bottle for the time it needs to properly dry.
  7. Clip the thread tails. Great, you have just made a Heatless Curling Ribbon, now to learn how to use it and get lovely wavey hair.

Steps to Use a DIY Heatless Curling Ribbon

Now that you have the Heatless Curling Ribbon stitched up, here is how you use it.

  1. Dry hair until it is slightly damp and brush smooth.
  2. If you would like to add some curling gel, use a dime-size amount from the roots to the ponytail level but not on your scalp.
  3. Section your hair in two parts and place them towards the front of your shoulders.
  4.  Place the center of the Heatless Curling Ribbon on top of your head and criss-cross
    Bobby pins to hold it in place.
  5. Choose one side to start off with. Select about a 1″ section at the top of your head and wrap it around the Heatless Curling Ribbon one full rotation from the front to the back to the front again.
  6. When you reach the front with the first section at the front, select a second section, about 1″ wide, and add it to the first section wrapping from front to back to the front again.
  7. When you reach the front with the first/second section at the front, select a third section, about 1″ wide, and add it to the first/second section wrapping from front to back to the front again. Keep repeating this process until you are at the bottom and wrap with a hair tie around the Heatless Curling Ribbon and remaining hair.
  8. Now on to the other side of your head, repeat the same steps as above until your hair is all wrapped and there is a hair tie around the bottom securing it.
  9. When you are finished and both sides are wrapped and tied at the bottom you can either leave them to hang while you sleep or tie them in a bow at the top of your head, this will depend on how long your hair is. I find that tying them in a bow at the top of my head is most comfortable while sleeping. Now, lights out, it’s time to sleep.
  10. When you wake up, untie the bow and remove the hair ties at the bottom and the Bobby pins at the top.
  11. Gently pull on the center of the Heatless Curling Ribbon at the top of your head to release your hair. You’re all finished, now style your hair as desired.

Watch the video to see it in action!

I hope you enjoyed this easy serger project and got some lovely curls. Keep in mind that everyone’s hair is different give it a try and do some trial and error. The first time I used mine, it took a couple of tries to get really comfortable with it. When you make yours, please snap a before and after shot of your hair and tag me @SookieSews and @BERNINAUSA!!

Difficulty level
Beginner
Time to Complete
15 minutes
Used Material
basic sewing supplies, Fray block, lint roller
Projects
hair curler
Seasons
all seasons, Christmas, Hanukkah, Holidays
Techniques
serger, serging
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Used Products

Bobbin the Elf WeAllSew Giveaway

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