DIY Cherokee Turban
06-07-24 update
There is now a youtube video of a group tutorial demonstration that I participated in, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxJTB2UxbWQ
Wado!
Turbans have been worn by Cherokee men since sometime in the 1700s, but most notably by Sequoyah—the inventor of our written language ( ᏣᎳᎩ.) To read more about their history, see Lindsey Bark’s article: Threads Through Time: Turbans in the Cherokee Phoenix. This blog will show you how to sew your own turban without a pattern.
You will need:
1 yard of fabric (actually a little less)
scissors
sewing machine & basic sewing skills
thread with bobbin for your machine
What fabric you choose is up to you. Traditionally, turbans were often made from brocades. However, brocade can be somewhat expensive & frays very easily. It’s not impossible to work with by any means, but if it’s been awhile since you’ve sewn a garment OR if you’re looking to make a turban cheaply, duck canvas cloth is a good alternative. It’s a medium weight fabric so it will hold it’s structure very easily when you wrap it. However, nearly any fabric is fine! Experiment with it. If you don’t have a whole yard to cut the measurements, joining together fabrics could make an interesting looking head wrap. I have made myself turbans out of stretch jersey knit or just regular cotton fabrics when I wanted a lighter weight summer wrap. You could also choose to hand sew a turban, but working on a machine is faster. All cotton fabrics should be washed on a hot setting & ironed before you sew it to avoid future shrinkage—don’t wash brocade though, it’s dry clean only! It’s best to read about what kind of wash settings the fabric you are purchasing recommends.
In this tutorial I will be using duck canvas fabric that I got on sale at Joann’s. The first photo of this blog is also from the same material in a different print. I highly recommend going to your local Joann’s or other fabric store & looking for sales. The fabric I purchased was on sale for $5/yard at the time instead of the regular $12-20 it can run. Also, if you can only easily access Wal-Mart, their Better Homes & Garden pre-cut home décor fabric is usually only $10-11, & a good medium weight fabric. Also, you will have more than enough fabric for sure with two yards.
I have a dining table set up in my work room that I put a large cutting craft board over so I can easily measure. They are about $5 at Wal-Mart & very handy if you’re going to be sewing a lot! So, I start by spreading out my fabric over the table so I can easily measure it.
Pardon my messy floor! The first thing I do is cut off the white edge on the side of the print. Orient your fabric the direction you can get the most length out of it. You want to make a rectangle that is about ~25inches or wider (I prefer around 27 inches to make sure it’s wide enough for anyone’s head, though the average head is about 24 inches, I believe!) and about 55 to 60 inches long. I usually make my brocade turbans that I sell 27x60 (which is the full length of my board.) However, this fabric was only about 54 inches long, which is fine. The longer the turban, the more you will have to wrap, aka the more "bulk” or volume you can work with. However, 50+ inches is going to be more than enough to wrap the hat around your head to wear as a turban. So, you have a lot of wiggle room.
Now, I cut the width of the fabric to be about 27 inches. Turn the fabric so the print is facing away from you so we can fold down a hem.
Start by finger pressing down about 1/4” of fabric on one side, then we are going to fold that over again about 1/4” and pin it to hide the raw edge of the fabric.
Fold and pin the edge all the way across the top like so & get your machine threaded to sew a straight hem.
If your sewing machine does not have a start & stop feature, make sure you start by stitching two or three stitches forward, then two or three stitches backwards when you start & finish your line. This will ensure your thread does not come out of your garment. Use the lines on your presser foot to help you stay straight across the hem.
And ta-da! There’s the hem of your hat already! Now all we need to do is fold the fabric in half with the print facing inward, and sew this guy together!
If your sewing machine has an overcast setting, I recommend using that. However, it’s not necessary your machine have one to sew the edge together. If you do not, you will want to do a straight stitch down the length we have pinned together, & then go back over that with a zigzag stitch. This will prevent the inside of the fabric from fraying apart. If you have an overcast stitch setting on your machine, switch to that setting & the appropriate foot for your machine to do this in one step. Doing an overcast or zigzag stitch over your hem is a must if using brocade because it will fray like crazy otherwise. Below are pictures of what my machine looks like on those settings.
Straight stitch you will want to run down the length of your garment if you do not have an overcast stitch.
Zigzag stitch to run under your straight hem line down the full length of the garment.
Overcast stitch that will allow you to hem your raw edges & preventing fraying in one step.
Sew down the full length of your open side. Now do the same thing to close the bottom that we did not hem. You can pin it if you like, but if you start from the side you have sewn down, it’s relatively easy to just hold together while you sew. If you need to trim up the end to make it even because you got off a little while cutting or sewing, do so before you sew the end down.
Remember to use the start & stop feature when starting & stopping new lines you are sewing. If your machine does not have this feature, simply stitch forward two or three times, then backward, & forward again to lock in the thread you have added.
Now your turban is completely sewn together!
Trim any loose strings or fraying edges that are coming through your overcast stitch. There likely won’t be excess fray unless you used a fabric like brocade or satin. When you turn it right side out, make sure you poke your fingers in the corners to get them fully turned out.
Here it is, turned right side out. To wear it, simply place the open end over your head & pull tight any extra fabric. Start twisting the long end of the cap, & use the twisted end to wrap over your head, tucking it to hold tight. Watch this video provided by the Cherokee Heritage Center to see an example of how to tie your turban.
I have seen turbans sewn down to baseball caps without bills so they can be easily taken on & off. I prefer leaving them like a long pillowcase, as I like being able to change up how I wrap it. I also try to use the time I take to put on a wrapping hat or when I braid my hair to practice mindfulness & positive thinking. I like to think it helps my brain energies throughout the day, but that’s just me.
Also, as I said earlier, wrapping hats were traditionally worn by Cherokee men. However, I have always been a fan of mixing feminine & masculine fashion. Since I usually wore my ribbon skirts with a baseball cap, I decided a long time ago I liked the look of Sequoyah’s turban, so why not try it myself? I often receive compliments on the ones I have made myself & worn. When asked if Cherokee women “could” wear turbans, a Cherokee man replied that Cherokee women do what they want. & that’s the truth! Hehe. So, rock one if you feel & try making your own with whatever fabrics or embellishments you like. It was a long-ago borrowed fashion item that remains ironically Cherokee.
Wado for reading! Happy sewing!
-ᏎᎵ