One Yard – Four Scarves
by Debbie Henry
‘Tis the season for … scarves! It is a gift that will actually be used (and enjoyed). We’ll show you just how easy it is to make four scarves from one yard of fabric. Depending on how you finish them, they can be worn throughout the year.
I chose Peony Pink and Red by Mary Jane Sarvis/artlicensing. Its vibrant colors provide broader coordination across any wardrobe: blue, purple, black, red, orange, pink, fuschia, and green. Gorgeous silk crepe de chine, which has a wonderful, soft drape, was the fabric of choice.
Start by squaring up one edge of your fabric, selvages together.
Align the fold along a line on your cutting mat and trim the right edges, cutting on a perpendicular line.
Cutting silk crepe de chine has its challenges. Fold the bottom fold to the top, keeping the right sides even with each other.
Carefully pin in place across the piece using fine silk pins. Otherwise, the layers will shift when cutting.
Cut four pieces 7.5” wide.
You will now have fabric for four 36” scarves.
Edged Wrap Scarves
The first two scarves will have decorative serged edges. One is lined. The other is not. If you don’t have a serger, you can use a decorative edge stitch on your sewing or embroidery machine.
The lined scarf, left, has a rolled edge. At right, a single-layer scarf with a narrow overlock finish. The edging serves mainly as a way to keep the delicate silk crepe de chine edges from unraveling. As a bonus, colored threads provide additional embellishment.
Use a coordinating silky fabric for the lined scarf and carefully pin the two pieces together, wrong sides together. If you want to wear this scarf with a coat, you could substitute a piece of flannel or flannel-backed satin for warmth. Stitch the rolled edge around outside edges according to your serger’s recommendations.
For the narrow overlock-edged scarf, right, simply serge a three-thread overlock stitch around the outside edges. Two down, two to go!
Tube Scarves
By creating a simple tube, these scarves make a classy addition to collared shirts and cozy sweaters.
Fold one cut scarf piece, right sides together, and serge along the raw edges to join them. The back of this fabric is really beautiful too, soft and muted.
Turn the tube right-side-out and lightly press with the seam in the middle. This will be the under side of the scarf and will not show when it is worn. Simply serge the open ends of the tube and it’s ready to wear!
Because the back of the fabric was so lovely, I decided to make the second scarf the same way as this one, using the back as the “right side” of the fabric.
One bright, one pastel!
Tips:
- To make longer scarves, use two pieces of silk crepe de chine or order a yard and a half of material.
- Tie off serged threads, trim, and apply fray check to keep they from unraveling.
- Stitch slowly to prevent ruffling and snagging of the delicate fabric.