Turban time (and a Textile and Fashion Hub giveaway)

A few months ago I rather uncharacteristically purchased TWO brand new tops at the same time. ONE would have been surprising enough, but TWO… that’s simply shocking, for me. Of course one reason for this atypical behaviour was that they were on sale and reduced so drastically that I would have been certified insane had I not bought them, but more importantly, the brand (Sosume) is ethically sound and the quality is pretty much guaranteed. Unfortunately, I didn’t check the sizing so both the tops (long-sleeve Ts) were too big and too long. But no problem that some stitching and snipping couldn’t remedy!

I left one of the tops long, kind of like a tunic, but wanted to wear the other one at a normal T-shirt length, so I cut off a considerable amount from the hem.

It wasn’t enough material to turn into another top, so instead I tucked in the edges like so…

… slipped it over my head, looped it twice around the neck, and experimented with wearing it as a scarf.

Hmm, not bad, and I kind of like that it can be worn with the top to give it a different look (I’m wearing the too-long top in these pics). But I decided it would be put to better use disguising a recent cheapo – and not particularly successful – haircut, so up over my forehead it came.

I know this looks super easy, because it is! But two points give a DIY turban like this that little extra something. Firstly, make sure the fabric isn’t just sitting any old how, because you’ll end up looking like this:

You want to try to get the edges folded under neatly and for the fabric to cross at a flattering point on your forehead, probably about here (I know, the picture itself is not particularly flattering and it looks like some random giant hand is coming out of the sky to pin my turban in place, but it serves its educational purpose, I hope!):

Secondly, try to keep the side seams of the fabric at each side of your head, rather than bringing them to the centre of your forehead, as they can be a bit bulky when you’re layering the loops of fabric. Everything should lie smoothly, like this. Then you’ll get jolly old uncle-types at op shops complimenting you and saying you look like something from a Matisse painting (well, I did, at least). A MOVING Matisse painting, maybe?

You can thank Cecylia‘s husband for giving me the tech-knowledge to make this GIF-fy kind of thing. Although I don’t know if “thank” would be the right word (maybe “blame”? Ha ha…)? I’ll leave that to you to decide…

Cecylia, her family, some other bloggers and I have all just spent a lovely weekend together in Rye, courtesy of the fabulous Aquabelle apartments, and I can’t wait to show you what we got up to, but it’s going to take me a while to sort through the multitude of photos! How about you, what did you get up to this weekend?

Oh, and the giveaway thing? Thanks for your patience if you’ve read all the way through this post just to find out about COOL FREE STUFF! The Textile and Fashion Hub is presenting a panel on creating a pioneering textiles business on June 24. Titled Leaders of the Pack, it’s a must for anyone interested in textiles and sustainability (that’s me! I’m going!).

The event is from 4.30-6.30pm at the Textile and Fashion Hub in Richmond, Victoria, but there will be a live-streamed webinar too. So here’s what I’m giving away:

– a DOUBLE PASS to the event for those of you actually in Melbourne

– TWO VIRTUAL TICKETS to the Webinar for my readers elsewhere in the world who can’t make it here.

To enter, just email me at fourthdaughter@gmail.com to let me know whether you would like the DOUBLE PASS or a VIRTUAL TICKET. Entries are open until 11.59pm, June 22 (Melbourne time). Good luck!