DIY topknot

This winter velvet has been my all time favorite material. It is on trend, comfortable and you can easily pair it with jeans and look somewhat put together.

I have used it for quite a few DIY projects and I love that is it easy to finish because the raw edges do not fray! Hallelujah

In this tutorial I am showing you how I made little miss Etta a topknot out of a pretty plum velvet.

Below is the step by step tutorial for a hand stitched (read: you don’t need to haul out the sewing machine) quick and easy, 15 minute topknot. Depending on the size you cut your material, you can make it for a teeny tiny newborn all the way up to sized for yourself. As you can see, I used velvet, but you can use any stretchy knit material. I have made some of these for Etta from old t-shirts and I even used the material from an old nursing cover that I didn’t use anymore.

This post contains affiliate links, but you know I got your back and only share products I love and stand behind. I paid my own hard-earned money on the products I mention, and want to share what I love.

Let’s get to it!

To get started, you will need a piece of knit material. My favorite place to get knit is online at Charlee girl or Hawthorn Threads. I like both of these online stores because they have SO MANY options. I also have found super cute knit material at Joann’s or Hobby Lobby. This velvet was from Hobby Lobby and with the 40% off coupon, I just couldn’t pass it up. The amount of material you will need depends on the size of topknot you are using.

You will also need scissors. These are my hands down favorite material scissors.

Thread. I have this set from Guttermann and I love that I always have any color I would ever need on hand. Gutterman thread is one of my favorite thread brands because the thread is a great quality and It comes in so many colors.

You will also need a hand stitching needle and a measuring tape.

scissors / thread / measuring tape / velvet

Start by measuring the circumference of the head that will be wearing the topknot.

Etta’s head was right at 17 inches.

lay out your material and measure 17 inches from the edge (the measurement of the head circumference), parallel with the bottom edge. I didn’t add any length for seam allowance because I want the top knot to fit snug and the material has stretch.

Cut perpendicular to the 17 inch mark, and start cutting up the material.

I then cut straight up on a 90 degree angle to the edge of my material. You want the height of this cut to be 4-5 inches less than the circumference measurement. I cut my piece 13 inches from top to bottom.

After cutting the 13 inches up the material, I finished cutting the top portion of my rectangle.

After all the cutting I now have a rectangle that is 17×13. 17 was the measurement of Etta’s head circumference.

Next, you want to roughly cut the corners off of this rectangular piece. I say roughly because it won’t make any difference if your cuts aren’t perfect. I didn’t even mark where I was going to cut, I just eyeballed it.

As you can see, it definitely is not perfect. My lines are not straight and it isn’t a masterpiece. But in the end it won’t matter, so why waste my time?!

For this next step you will need to thread your needle and tie off the end of the thread so you are ready to start sewing.

Baste stitch around the whole curved edge of the material. A baste stitch is a big stitch that is about 1/2 inch long. When you do this sort of stitch, it not only goes quickly but after you are done, the material gathers quickly and easily. Which is exactly what we will be doing.

When you get to the other end of the curved edge, pull the thread (careful not to snap the thread!) so that your material gathers. It will make a sort of horse shoes shape in the center on the topknot.

Now you are going to sew the two ends together and close the horseshoe into a circle.

I did 4-5 stitches just to make sure it was secure and not going anywhere

After you tie off your stitches, cut the ends of the thread.

Set the body of the top knot to the side for a minute while we make the knot portion.

I cut a long rectangular piece of my material. It ended up being about 23×5. It doesn’t really matter how long it is, and if you don’t have a long enough strip you can piece a few scraps together.

Now start wrapping this strip around itself to create a little fabric donut shape. I started with a small knot and just kept looping the material through the hole and re-looping over and over.

You want to make sure that every time you pull the material through the hole that you are stretching in to lay flat. This way the velvet will always be showing and not roll in on itself.

Once you get to the end of your strip of material, tuck in the end to one of the fabric loops.

Now it is time to sew the knot onto the body of the topknot. I placed the knot so that it was covering the hand stitched gathered circle, and then started stitching around the whole knot and attaching it to the body.

Since my thread matched my material so well, I didn’t have to be as careful as taking tiny little stitches. I just made sure that the knot was attached securely.

Then tie off your stitching with a double knot and trim the thread.

And there you have it. Your very own DIY topknot. Mine took me less than 15 minutes from start to finish and every time Etta wears it, we get compliments!