Infiniti Scarf Tutorial

If you've had an opportunity to read around the ol' blog here, there's a good chance you've heard me go off about one obsession or another. Mid-century furniture, chairs in need of re-upholstery, bags in a rainbow of colours, black and white photos, scarves...

That last one is new, at least newer than the rest. And Etsy is feeding my obsession. Honestly, if I'm caught hiding in the bushes outside the sewing room of one of their many talented scarf creators, drooling over printed fabrics, that site will be 78% to blame.

I may or may not have an entire pin-board of scarves - and a real-life closet of a dozen or so... but I find that nowadays, when I find a gorgeous new scarf online, I don't rush to see how much it is, or if they ship to Canada, because I know I really don't need it. And if I bought all the scarfs that I really really wanted my family would have to contemplate an intervention.

Think I'm being dramatic? Don't feel bad, it's been known to happen from time-to-time. Check out these posts I've written recently, here, here, and here. - Yes, 3 in a month and a half, this one makes 4. It's a sickness really...

Anyways, onto the tutorial...

On Saturday I was able to slip in a little thrift shopping. In addition to a great striped skirt (floor length for the summer) I found some beautiful gray plaid fabric. $3.99 for 2+ meters (80ish inches) - I knew immediately that I wanted to do something with it, my mind went to upholstery first, as always, but then it hit me, infinity scarf all the way!

*Note, I'd never made an infinity scarf before.

Step 1: Wash and dry the fabric. Iron if needed.

Even if your fabric isn't from a thrift store it's always a good idea to wash and dry it to save a lot of headaches later on. No one likes shrinkage.

Step 2: Cut the fabric to size.

The fabric was quite wide (52 centimeters, 20.5 inches) so I cut it in half length wise. That made the piece I was working with about 2 meters long (80 inches) and 27 centimeters (10 inches) wide.

Step 3: Sew

I folded the fabric in half lengthwise, good sides facing each other, and made a stitch along the raw edge. This left me with a long fabric tube.

 After turning the fabric good side out, I turned my attention to the ends.

Take one end of the scarf and turn the raw edge in on itself - like a hem. Stitch the end, be careful not to sew the end closed!

At this point, I put a twist in the scarf before stitching it all closed - it gives the scarf some extra oomph when worn. The easiest way I could find to do this, without enlisting a friend to help, was to hold the hemmed end under my chin, take the raw edge and twist it once, then place the ends together on a flat surface.

Next, place the raw end inside of the hemmed end. Stitch closed.

Step 4: Show off!

That's it, infinity scarf complete!

Well there you have it, a great scarf for less than $4 and 30 minutes.

Enjoy!

Calli

By the way, I'm sharing this tutorial over at...
Brassy Apple
Skip to my Lou 
Fun to Craft 
Today's Creative Blog 
Night Owl Crafting
Beyond the Picket Fence 

Sew Cute!

A few weeks ago I found an adorable tutorial on Thimble.com for this fantastic Pleated Beach Bag (first mentioned here). Although my sewing skills leave much to be desired (my experience is mostly made up of some high-school projects, pillow covers, and a shower curtain - pictures to come!) I decided to give it a try...

I am thrilled with the final product.

I wouldn't label this a beginner level project (the lining and assembly make it more intermediate) and I probably should have read the instructions completely before starting (instead of skimming quickly) but I was able to find my way through it and am really happy with the results. So happy in fact I think I will make another one - and soon!

It took about 5 hours from start to finish but I think I can cut this down the second time around. A good portion of this time was spent taping paper together to make the patterns because I didn't have anything big enough. I pondered altering the sizes for a few minutes. In the end, I decided to stick with the tutorial just as it is.

More time went to corrections - I messed up the measurements on one of the pattern pieces (I'm blaming it on my cold and not poor math skills) and had to fix it. Then I got tripped up on the assembly and had to pull out the seaming to re-do a step or two. I think most of these errors came down to my sewing experience and not the tutorial - but I did have trouble following along at the point where I put the liner and outside pieces together and added the strap. 

I am really excited about the fabric that I used  - I think that it looks great. I opted for the blue fabric on the bottom after considering how dirty the bag may get, although I really love the strap fabric and could have used it everywhere! I found the fabric pre-cut at Wal Mart* and the great pink polka dot lining is from Value Village (gotta love a bargain!). 

*Unfortunately my local Wal Mart got rid of its fabric department and now only sells pre-cut fabric kits. I've found that the pricing is still affordable, the patterns and colours are fantastic, and for the most part the pieces are plenty big enough for a project like this (but probably won't cut it for upholstery projects...).

Now that I've completed the bag I think I will give it another try and maybe change the dimensions a bit. It's the perfect size for the beach (I could easily cram into it a swim suite, suntan lotion, book, towel, and a whole lot of  beverages) and I've never been one to shy away from a huge purse, but I'd like to make a narrower style to use when running around town. Also, a (tiny bit) smaller bag may force me to carry less stuff around - a blessing for my back and shoulders as well as my ability to find anything. 

I didn't make the zippered pouch included in the tutorial but I think I'll try that next time - I'll keep you posted on how well it goes. Although I had some stumbles along the way I'd rate this as an A...the finished project is great and I didn't throw anything in rage along the way (I may or may not have a bit of a temper).

Enjoy!

Calli