Scrappy Cowl

Today's refashion is the story of a mess-up turning into a great outcome. Sometimes while sewing I get moving too quickly and without thinking will put things together incorrectly...which usually means I have to unpick, sew the correct step, then move on to what I was jumping ahead to.

Case in point: what was meant to be an infinity scarf able to wrap twice around my neck...

I started out with this floral (?) print skirt that I'd picked up at the community swap. It wouldn't work as a skirt for me, but had definite potential as a scarf. The eggplant colored piece was a cowl neck I'd removed from a thrifted sweater and had plans to use as a scarf...for the past two years! Also, some bits of striped material leftover from this refashion.

I removed the waistband from the skirt, then the pockets. I'd thought that the waist, once ironed flat would be fairly equal to the hem, but I still had to straighten things up a bit. I then cut open the cowl along the seam and put together a grouping of the scraps. I sewed the eggplant knit to the stripy scraps to create a loop that matched the skirt circumference. But I'd already made a mistake. If I wanted it to be an infinity scarf that could wrap around, I should have cut open one of the skirt seams, and left the cowl/scraps in one long piece rather than a loop. Then, I would have sewn the two, right sides together leaving the ends open. Once I'd turned the scarf right side out, I could have sewn the two ends together overlapping them to create the infinity loop.

However, I put my two loops right sides together, sewed along one edge, then along the other leaving a 3 inch gap to turn it inside out. I didn't realize what I'd done until I turned the scarf right side out and it was a very tall cowl instead of a long infinity scarf ;). Here's how it looked upon completion. The openings are at the top and bottom.

Once scrunched down, however, it made the perfect cowl that was loose enough to put on but close-fitting enough to be just right! I love that I still get all of the options for showcasing the different colors/prints depending on how I scrunch or twist!

I'm home again today nursing a sick boy, and picked up what he's got, so I'll be nursing myself a bit as well. Perfect opportunity to wear my new cozy cowl! Here's a look at the different ways I can wear it:

Perfect with a chambray top and some leggings.

I guess the positive out of these past few days stuck at home is that I've been able to sew, blog, and spend lots of time with my boy!

Peace,
Andrea