Spring Scarf Tutorial: Part VI

Did ya miss me yesterday? I had a job to finish for a client...my first! Simple panels of fabric to be placed over a ceiling. Seemed simple, anyhow, but I had my share of mishaps and learned A LOT! But on to the tutorial that I missed posting yesterday!

I started out with a thrifted t-shirt that had some tiny holes here and there but was a pretty color. It also just so happened to coordinate with two pieces of silk fabric that I'd thrifted several months back.  Now, I had different ideas on how to make these scarves but in the end I went the easy and safe route. 

I started by making my t-shirt into yarn. I did not pull it, but instead folded the entire length in half, then in half again, and then into thirds. Each 'strand' of my braid would therefore have four strands of yarn. I braided up the length which turned out to be long enough to double over. I used scraps to tie over where I'd sewn the two ends of the braid together. If you want it to be absolutely no-sew, just tie the ends of the braid together nice and tight or use some strong fabric glue before wrapping.

Now, here's where I balked a bit on my original plans. I had thought to make an actually infinity scarf with each of these pieces of fabric, but in the end couldn't do it! So, I decided I'd go the route of knots. The piece on the right was folded in half and where the corners met, I tied double knots. The bottom piece was closer to a square shape so I folded it into two triangles; the outer corners will be tied together.

Once I'd tied each one up, I looped the first around my neck just once, laying the braided scarf over the top! Again, I put on the second, looped twice around, and layered the braid over it. Two looks, and I didn't make any 'permanent' changes to the silk so that if I want to do something else with them later on, I can :). And I probably will.

Leaving the raw edges of the t-shirt yarn and the silk remnants visible may not be to everyone's taste, so feel free to do more finishing work if your fabrics require it. Otherwise, be creative with what you have and feel free to play with scarves you already own, and layer them with some of these simple braided ones.

One last look at the before and after:

Because I'm a day late, I'll do the post with all of the styling shots and mixing and matching tomorrow. Happy Saturday!

Peace,
Andrea

Spring Scarf Tutorial: Part V

We are nearing the end of the week, and today you get two for the price of one! And that's because I didn't do a 'real' tutorial for either one....oops! But I'll talk ya through it, k? Cool. First things first, grab some old t-shirts, tank tops, scraps, whatever! Make tubes...you can either do this by taking a squarish shaped piece and fold it over, sewing along the long open side and then invert (make sure you are sewing right sides together); or, you can cut two long rectangles, sew up the two long sides and invert. To make a long chain of these tubes, you turn one inside out, slide it over another and line up the ends and sew around the edge...and continue to add another length until you have a scarf long enough to wrap as many times as you want.

Now, at this point you need to do something to join the ends, and I chose lace. Similar to the first scarf, I'm wrapping a section of lace around the raw edges of the jersey knit and sewing it in place. You can go a step further and finish off the edges of the lace, or make another tube as with the other pieces of fabric and then topstitch it over the scarf ends as shown below. 

And there you have it! I chose a mix of mustard, blush, and tribal print along with the white lace, so that I could add interest to a basic outfit (which most days my style is pretty simple). Easy to throw on for a bit of color or print and can be easier and cozier than jewelry :). Though, I love jewelry, so this can just be another layer to your accessorizing!

This next scarf/necklace is one that uses a common finger-weaving technique. A great tutorial for learning how to do this (if you don't already know) can be found here. I made this t-shirt yarn from an old stretched out top that I wore through/after my pregnancy. I loved the floral print and combination of rich colors, but it had seen better days as a top (it was thrifted and already slightly worn). This is also another example of a fabric that, when stretched, covers the print and so I weaved it trying to keep the outside of the fabric visible. Once I'd reached a length that I liked, I simply knotted the ends together and trimmed them to be the same length. I like all of the colors and raw edges (a minor obsession of mine).

And paired over a simple top it really stands out. I definitely see this as more of a necklace than a scarf, but it could also be layered over another scarf to create a different look. And, the fact that it's no-sew makes this such a quick project! Love it :).

One last day for scarves and I'm thinking this final one will be my favorite! Stick around to see how it turns out...

Peace,
Andrea

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