The Endless Tube Scarf and some Greedy Gift Stealing

Two years ago (pre-blog) I made several scarves based on the recipe from Threads Issue (November 2001, Issue #97).  I just made another one for a gift grab soiree, and with the holidays upon us, it seemed a good time to blog about it.  Not only does it make a unique and functional gift, but it's a great way to use up scraps (and come on now, who can't use a good reason to reduce that container filled with scraps-that-are-just-too-good-to-toss)!

The beauty of this design is that the looks you can achieve are endless!  Starting at the finish line, here's the scarf I just made:

Fully Extended:

All Scrunched Up:

Several Views of a scarf made from Knits

These are all the same scarf; the shots give an idea of how 

much variety you can get from one scarf!:

Cut and sew scraps of fabric together, so that you end up with a circle.  

Remember that final scarf will be half the  dimensions you start with.

In this case, the pieces were about 18" wide, and once pieced together, 

the total length was about 9' long.

This will give a finished scarf of about 8" x 4.5'

 NOTE:  This scarf used a number of fray-prone fabrics, so I used French seams, which required a bit of forethought (and a small amount of unpicking) while piecing it together.

Unfortunately I don't have photos of the final steps, so hopefully the words will suffice.  If I make another one (and I think I will), I'll try to document the details in pictures.

Fold your scarf in half lengthwise, RS together and stitch, leaving an opening large enough to reach in and turn the scarf right side out.    Reach through the opening, pull the scarf RS out, hand stitch the opening, and you have a scarf with endless possibilities!

Some Random Notes:  Silk is always a yummy option for a scarf, but I've found that you can't get the scrunchy look to stay in place with silk.  Knits will hold the scrunch very well.  For the black and white scarf, I used a variety of fabrics:  Silk, Silk/cotton blend, cotton/nylon blend, and a heavier brocade - the brocade gave it the "oomph" to hold the shape if you want a scrunchy look.

Regarding gifts, I have to say that my Very Favorite gift-sharing gathering is a white elephant or gift-stealing sort of event, where the guests draw a number, and gifts are opened one at a time, starting with #1, and subsequent numbers can either open a new gift or steal one that's already been opened.  Politeness and gentility have no place in such an event!

Last night I had the pleasure of attending a sewing-related gift grab, where laughter was abundant and the gifts (most of which were lovingly handcrafted) were ah-MAY-zing!   My b&w scarf was my contribution, and I went home with this bundle of delight, assembled by Mary Lou:

A lovely pincushion, some "fork" pins, a variety of very nice ribbons, a very nice linen cloth, all packed in a special round box, with a pair of Gingher Pinking Shears!  My beloved old (and I do mean OLD - at least 70 years) Wiss pinkers have served me well, but even a professional sharpening could not fully repair the abuse these have been through.

 I have it on very good authority that a charming and well-mannered rambunctious young child consistently needed wanted to use her Mother's pinkers to express her creative vision crazy ideas, and yards....perhaps miles....of paper and who-knows-what-else were lovingly viciously sliced with these scissors.  So a fresh new pair is very welcomed!

And, IMHO, it isn't possible to have too many pincushions!  I also can't wait to try those "fork" pins - they look intriguing!  I'll report on their effectiveness when I've had a chance to use them.  :)

My sewing motivation is definitely in high gear right now, so I'm going to go get lost in the sewing room for awhile :)

Are you sewing gifts lately?   Do you have any great ideas for fabric scraps?  (Now is definitely a good time to blog about them, if you do!)