It's about exploring and sharing my creative adventures (mostly sewing these days) ~
~those activities that sometimes obsess, usually inspire, occasionally frustrate
~and always provide a delightful maze to wander through.

Saturday, December 8, 2012

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!)

13 comments:

RhondaBuss said...

You gave away the b&w scarf????? Oh how I hope the recipient loves that scarf. I know I do!!!!!

Jillybejoyful said...

Thanks Rhonda - I'm actually planning on making a similar scarf for myself, greedy little me ;-D Also, I should have taken a picture of the packaging, because I used your tip and made a pattern tissue flower - I'll definitely be doing that again!

Jane M said...

Ah, yes, the much loved white elephant gift exchange. I held one decades ago and can still laugh out loud remembering the wonderfully varied reactions to the items contributed and then actually fought over among the receivers. And one thing that will never end up at such an exchange is that gorgeous scarf. I loved that article (was it from Linda Lee's lovely scarf book?) but haven't made one so thanks for th reminder. My only sewn present this year are polar fleece socks/slippers for the neighbors up north.

ElleC said...

Love the scarf, I may have to try it myself. Thanks for the reminder about that article!

RhondaBuss said...

Shams made the tissue pattern flower as well! I bet you both were the hit of the party. I'm glad that you can make another scarf because that version is simply wonderful.

Jillybejoyful said...

Shams' wrapping was much prettier than mine! I discovered that the tissue flowers are much happier when they're flat than when you try to attach it to the side of a bag - mine got droopy! But it's still SUCH a great idea!

glorm said...

A scarf is just a scarf? Not when you get creative with making one.

Hmmm, wonder who that rambunctious young child was who used the pinking shears? LOL

Jillybejoyful said...

I don't talk about her much, because it's a sad story, but you see, I had this evil twin sister...... ;-)

gwensews said...

That's a super scarf. I will have to try it, when I have scraps. Note: don't throw away scraps! I like the tissue flower bow also, and want to try one.

pdiddly said...

amazing the different looks from the one scarf, great idea - I also love the idea of the gift grab - brilliant.

twotoast said...

Gorgeous! I have some lovely 'short order' fabrics that I bought for making bags and smaller things like that, and they would be perfect for these scarves! I will have to play over the Christmas holidays!

Carolyn said...

That scarf is gorgeous, I love it! I've seen Marc Jacobs ones just like that, except all in plaid. Very very cool :)

Karin said...

This scarf idea is a great way to use up scraps that are big enough to make a sewist feel guilty. Thanks!
Your black and white version looks very chic!