Keep-it-together Scarf

In my stash, have a piece of burn-out velvet that I thought would make a nice scarf. I cut a piece across the width, folded it in half lengthwise, and stitched it up. Easy!

Well, when I wore it, it 'walked' all around my neck and just generally wouldn't stay in place. So when I found the instructions for the Keep-it-together Scarf, I thought that was just the ticket I needed!

I had been thumbing through some old magazines and found these instructions in the Holiday 2007 edition of SewStylish GIFTS to Make. Of course, I had to make a few changes...that is just my nature!













Cut two rectangles across the width.
Althought the instructions want you to make your pieces 9" wide, I wanted a slimmer scarf, so make mine 7". Later, when I had to sew inside a 7" circle, I could see why wider might be easier!


Next, I folded these rectangles in half lengthwise and marked a spot that was 5" from one end on both pieces. (The instructions had you mark 4.625", but I had selvedges to later remove, so I marked a bit farther.)

I sewed from the end to this mark...5"...on each of the strips. This is to creaste the 'eye' portion of the scarf.

These seam allowances were pressed open. Here again, you can understand how a WIDER scarf would be easier! It was a tight fit on my sleeve board.

One strip was turned right side out and slid inside the 'tube' of the other strip. Once the seams of each rectangle were aligned, I sewed around the end...this was a tight little circle to sew! Like making doll clothes...

Then I sewed the other two sides of the scarf, beginning each seam with the last stitch of the 'eye' seam and sewing to the other end of the scarf.

I decided I wanted my scarf a bit shorter than the full width of my fabric, so I measured and marked and cut off 2" before turning right side out.

Once the length was as desired, the end was sewn closed (don't forget to turn it right side out!).

When finished, this looks like a giant sewing needle (except with no sharp point)....long with an 'eye' at one end.

To wear, you drape the scarf around your neck and put your hand through the 'eye' to grab the other end and pull it through the eye.

Well, as luck would have it, when I put my scarf on to wear it, the nap of the velvet caused the 'eye' to creep UP the scarf, making it tighter and tighter around my neck...choking me!

So you know what I did...yep, I ripped it apart and recreated the 'eye' in the other end and closed the first eye...so that the nap would now make it creep the other direction...make it looser around my neck rather than tighter! This means I practically made this scarf TWICE! So much for a quick and easy project!

Ideally, perhaps I should have turned around ONE of the initial rectangles so that the nap of each ran in opposite directions...but I am not certain that would have keept it in place during wear! Overall, though, I think this scarf design is nice. It is especially good for when the width of the fabric is narrower (45"), such that the resulting scarf length is too skimpy to tie...because this way, there is no tie and there is only one long 'tail' hanging down!