Learning to tie a bandanna on your arm can be a good way to get a new look from an old bandanna. A bandanna is essentially a rough square of fabric that usually bears a simple, repeating design on either side. Generally they are worn around the head, but some people wear them in a back pocket or wrapped around the arm. Most people who wear bandannas on their arms tend to do so low on the forearm, but it can be worn on the upper arm.

Open your bandanna out and lay it down on a flat surface. Check the underside of the bandanna to make sure there is a pattern on both sides. If your bandanna only has pattern on one side, turn it over so that the pattern side is facing the table. When you fold up the bandanna, the side that is facing the table will end up on the outside.

Locate the crease running down the center of the bandanna. Rotate the bandanna so that this crease runs up the center vertically. If there is no crease in your bandanna, look at it carefully. It appears square at first glance, but in reality bandannas are ever-so-slightly rectangular in shape. The longer edge of the bandanna should be running from left to right to provide the most fabric possible to wrap around your arm.

Fold the edge of the bandanna closest to you up over onto the rest of the bandanna. Fold it so that you make a 2-inch strip which is folded over on the rest of the bandanna. This is the size the bandanna is going to be when it is on your arm. Adjust it if you wish to either make the bandanna strip thicker or thinner.

Fold the long rectangular strip you’ve just formed over again. Keep the end of the bandana you just folded over in the same spot and fold the closest edge of the bandana over onto the rest of the fabric. This keeps the rectangle roughly the same size, but takes up more material from the bandana. Repeat the process until the bandana is entirely rolled up into your rectangular strip.

Wrap this strip around your arm. Lay your forearm down on the table on top of the bandana. Lay your arm in the center of the strip. Loop one end of the bandanna around the other and then tie it in a knot around your arm. Thread the end of the bandanna underneath the cross made by the two overlapping ends of bandanna and pull it tight. Adjust the tightness of the knot to move the bandanna up or down your arm.