Spring Scarf Tutorial: Part IV

Midweek already and on to scarf #4! This one is a happy scarf. Bright. Bold. I love it! I started out making t-shirt yarn with a top my mom had donated to my stash. This yarn required the fold-over-zigzag-and-invert method so as not to lose the multi-colored print. I then grabbed two different widths of cobalt blue jersey knit that were offcuts from a thrifted remnant I turned into a skirt. Finally, I grabbed the cutoff cuffs-turned straps that I'd originally thought to use on my green granny silk top found here.

I looped the braids around and sewed the ends together, then sewed the braids together at the ends. All of the raw edges and stitching will be covered up in the end.

Next step was to convert the two lengths of cobalt jersey knit into tubes by sewing up each side, inverting and then sewing the ends together. I lined up the braided knit so that all of the seams were in the same spot.

Finally, I grabbed my straps and buttoned the two together to make one long strap. This I wrapped around and around joining at the front with the button closure effectively hiding the seams! Now you can tack this in place with hand stitches to ensure that the strap doesn't slide down revealing the seams, or if your what you use is tight enough, you may not need to.

Here's the final product! I cut everything to be long enough to just hang at the perfect length without having to wrap a second time. There's no need for adjusting it to make it lay just so...its just so easy to throw on and it completely amps up a basic outfit. Can't wait to style this one :). My favorite color is green and my second favorite is blue, so this color combo is right up my alley!

You could definitely make this longer if you wanted to be able to wrap it, and any color/pattern/print combo will completely change the feel to the one you're after. So far, these scarves have been great stash busters. I'm finally finding use for some pieces that've just been sitting for a loooong time! And hopefully this convinces you that having at least a small stash of scraps and such really can be useful when looking for a quick project to brighten up your wardrobe.

Just a couple of quick alternatives on making this one 'less-sewing' or potentially no-sew. You can absolutely just tie your braids ends together or glue them with fabric glue (making sure to glue each strand together). I'd suggest glueing so as to avoid a lot of bulk where everything connects. You don't have to create tubes with your base fabric if you have wide enough strips of jersey knit that can be pulled and curled over. Also, if you want to use a cotton, silk, or other fabric for the yarn or the base, you can! Don't be afraid of raw edges (as long as its not fraying to the point of falling apart). Cotton strips can be braided and look so cute with raw edges and a mix of patterns and colors. Oh, and pinking shears can help to check any fraying as well as add a pretty detail. I've got a couple of silk remnants that I thrifted that'll be showing up in a later scarf to help illustrate the use of raw/frayed edges as a feature instead of a flaw...so stay tuned!

Peace,
Andrea