Fabric hair curlers

It all started when I saw this post on Craftster. It was too great of an idea not to try. In fact, when I saw the original blog that these came from, I thought they looked like handmade tampons and sent an email to my friend, Steph, to that effect. I'm sure she thought I was completely off my rocker until she figured out that they were not tampons, but fabric hair curlers instead. I loved the concept but didn't quite understand why they were made the way they were, but as usual, I made them in a way that made sense to me. Here are my steps:

1) Cut fabric into 4" x 9" rectangles. You can get 10 per one fat quarter of fabric.
2) Fold fabric in half lengthwise with right sides together.
3) Stitch down one short side and the long side using a 1/4" seam allowance. You now have a long tube. Turn it right side out. **See note below**
4) Now is the time to sew on the button to the closed end. I do it on my machine. You want to do it now while there isn't any stuffing in it...way easier!
5) Mark the tube 4 1/2" from the open end. This is to mark where you'll stop stuffing it.
6) Start stuffing with Poly-Fil using small wads of stuffing. I push them down to the end with my finger and use a chopstick when necessary.
7) When I've reached the mark I made earlier, I sew straight across to trap the stuffing into the end.
8) Now turn in about 1/4" of fabric towards the inside of the tube and sew shut, making sure to sew as close to the edge as possible.
9) Make a buttonhole parallel to the newly closed edge. Cut it open. You're done! Now make 9 more for a complete set. I happened to make a total of 20 for myself since I have so much hair, but I really have only used 10 each of the two times I've set my hair with these. It's nice to have extras, just in case.

I washed my hair at bedtime and set it when it was about 50% dry. I didn't use any styling products the first time (see pictures below) but I did the second time. The second time I started with dry hair that I just slightly misted with water and used styling gel on each chunk of hair right before I rolled it. The second time, the curls were much curlier and actually spiraled, though I didn't roll them in the spiral style. I was very pleased. I just wish I took a picture of them.

I must add that I didn't find these particularly comfortable to sleep in. I'm wondering if I put too much stuffing in them, I'm just not used to sleeping in curlers, or I'm a tad tenderheaded. It won't stop me from using them though!

I've already made a set for my Mom, who usually sets her hair on pin curls every night before she goes to bed. I hope she likes them!





















**Note** It seems that with each set I make, I learn something new. With this one below, I took a few extra seconds and pressed 1/4" towards the wrong side on one short end of the rectangle. This is going to be the open end where I will stuff the fiberfill. When sewing up the long side, I go ahead and tack the folded edge down. What a small epiphany that was! It made it so much easier to close up that end when the time came. Here, let me say it for you...DUH! This will now eliminate the beginning of step #8 from the list above.