Operation Summer Hair Rescue Part 2 - How To Make A Bun Maker

How are y'all with humidity? Me - not so good.

Back in the old days when I was a schoolteacher and

we had non-airconditioned classrooms, I always had my

hair up in a bun. It was crazy humid and my body did

not cope very well at all. I remember heading straight

for the pool (all lovely outdoor pools!) when school

was out because if I was going to be drenched all day,

I'd sooner it be in water than sweat.

I used to make buns the classic way with hair pins and

(during dance rehearsals) those icky hair nets. But I also

used these bun makers because they were so convenient

for casual occasions. They were also good for making

temporary curls if you used them with damp hair!

I still have the first one I bought. I made a few in different

fabrics way back then, and found that the best ones are

those a little plush or with a brushed surface, like velvet

or velour (not stretch) or flannel.

These just hold the hair better during use.

What you need:

For the adult version:

• Two pieces of fabric 16.5" x 3" each, cut with rounded ends as shown.
• One small piece of scrap fabric, about 2" x 1.5"
• Bendable wire, 35" long
• Craft glue
• Pliers with wire cutter
• Sewing machine and thread

For the child version:

• Two pieces of fabric 11.5" x 2.5" each, cut with rounded ends as shown.
• One small piece of scrap fabric, about 2" x 1.5"
• Bendable wire, 27" long
• Craft glue
• Pliers with wire cutter
• Sewing machine and thread

Step 1

• Place the two large pieces of fabric right sides together and sew two lines of stitches around the perimeter. Use 1/4" seam allowance for each, so that the total seam allowance is 1/2".
• Leave a 4"-5" opening along one straight edge, backstitching where you began and ended. You have just made a narrow casing along the edge of the fabric for the wire.

Step 2

• Notch/snip around the outer seam allowance of the rounded edges.

Step 3

• Using the pliers, make a small rounded loop at one end of the wire to facilitate smooth movement through the casing.

Step 4

• Insert this rounded end of the wire through the opening and between the two stitching lines.
• When the wire reaches the rounded end, bend the wire into a curve and continue to "thread" it all the way through the casing

• till it emerges at the other end of the opening.

Step 5

• Turn right side out. This step might take a little while (like 2-3 minutes, not hours) so be patient. It helps to gather the fabric around the wire as you go i.e. it's OK if a lot of the wire re-emerges from the opening as you work.

If you're thinking: why not turn the thing right side out and then insert the wire? I am sad to report that I tried that first, with three different thicknesses of fabric and it did not work. Too much bunching at the ends for the wire to move through. If anyone manages to do this, tell me, please, OK?

Here is one end done.

• When you get both ends done, push as much of the wire back into the opening as possible to stretch the fabric taut over the wire frame. Then cut off the little rounded loop at the end of the wire with the wire cutter/pliers.
• Twist both ends of the wire together, overlapping about 1.5"- 2". Cut off the excess with the wire cutter/pliers.

Step 6

• Wrap the small piece of scrap fabric around the twisted wire to cushion it, using craft glue to secure.

Step 7

• Tuck the wrapped wire back into the opening.
• Fold in the seam allowance of the opening and top-stitch it shut- you can see this in the next picture in Step 8.

Step 8

• You are now going to make a giant buttonhole in the center of the bun maker. If your machine has a superlong buttonhole foot, go for it. Otherwise, you can use the old-fashioned method of making buttonholes with just the zig-sag stitch.
• Measure and mark a line 2.5" long (or 1.75" long for the child's version) in the center of your bun maker.
• Sew around the opening about 1/16" away from the line all round.

Step 9

• Cut along the line and between the rows of stitches flanking it.

Step 10

• Use a very close zig-zag stitch to seal in the fraying edges, reinforcing at the ends of the opening. You can also zig-zag before cutting, the way we usually do buttonholes. I did it this way almost like an overlocking stitch because of the amount of wear and tear this opening will undergo when the bun maker is in use.

And here it is completed

although you are still wondering how in the world to use it.

Here are some useful instructions. I found their site

while looking for the instructions. The one I had years

ago was from another company (whose name escapes me)

but these are similar.

Emily's hair ends about an inch below her shoulders

so we managed a tiny little elegant bun at the nape of

her neck. Useful for ballet, if she would actually keep it

on and not prefer to swing her hair wildly around like

she mistakenly believes princesses do.

She tried it out as a hairband, too. Not as effective as

real hair bands but will do in a pinch.

So there you have it - the bun maker -

another way to beat the summer heat.

Next up: clothes! Yes, real garments at last! I've been

turning out nightgowns, dresses, shorts and skirts for

the girls. Very easy because there are no darts! Unlike

sewing for me, which is full of darts and zippers and

tailored necklines and serious drafting. Can't do that

with small children crawling all over the sewing table

and grabbing at stuff.