Full On Norma Desmond

Well, it was bound to happen. After making (and wearing) wide, turban-style headbands it was only a matter of time until I tried the full turban.

Thinking it would be too artsy or costume-y looking made me pause, but at the end of the day I decided I just didn't care. My hair, my hair cover up. Anyway, who was going to see it and roll their eyes -- my family? Ha! Bring it people -- moms have their own deep wells of embarrassing childhood moments which could be easily retrieved to counter any snarks or snickers. If one were so inclined, of course.

At any rate, the pattern is Surimani by Opian available on Etsy or The Foldline and is listed as suitable for stretch or woven fabric. Two sizes available, with instructions in French and English. I used a large scrap of Art Gallery cotton/Lycra jersey to make my toile and made it up in the smaller size, figuring the fabric would stretch if needed. If memory serves (and it often doesn't) the finished sizes were 56 and 60cm -- translated to American -- about 22.04" and 23.6".

And the result? Not bad at all, in fact, kind of fun. It's comfortable to wear in a cotton jersey -- not too heavy or constricting -- not much more "head feel" than a wide headband. Added warmth might be a factor for some -- temperatures here are currently running in the high 80's, low 90's with heavy humidity (31+C to 32+C to the rest of the world), but I don't plan on being out in that anyway.  I like it worn back a bit on the head and with some hair showing around the face, but with the back hair tucked away.

The pattern itself is 6 pages in PDF format, but only 4 pages need to be taped together. Instructions are brief, but this is a fairly simple design so that shouldn't be an issue. It was a little unclear to me exactly where the back pleats should be started up from the band, but checking  a back view photo (on Etsy) gave me a good idea. I'm not sure how critical that is anyway. My only deviation from the instructions was to fused down the serged edges of the front opening to the inside of the turban so they wouldn't peek out when worn. I also tacked the small band (part C, called a "bow") to the seam allowance of the band so the seam of the "bow" wouldn't migrate out to the public side.