Inspired by the Forever21 scarf I bought (as seen in my May Birchbox unboxing video and below), I decided to make a few more.

Forever21 scarf

I will note that it is actually cheaper to just buy a scarf from Forever21 because you will need 2 yards for the length scarf I made. You however get a larger choice in fabrics by learning to make your own.

Here are the two scarves I made:

   

 

Try and ignore the purple shirt under the sarong. I didn’t want to change to demonstrate some possible tying options. 🙂

Supplies needed:

  • Sewing machine. I’ll try and do a few no sew projects in the future but this you probably need a sewing machine for.
  • 2 yards fabric. Something that’s thin and drapey. Chiffon, silk, even a light polyester. This is where going into the store and feeling fabrics is actually a good idea. This will be against your skin so if you don’t like how it feels, don’t buy it because you’ll be less likely to wear it if you don’t like how it feels. You’ll be using the full length for the scarf but you will only need a 16-17 inch strip for the size scarf I made. Both of the fabrics I chose were $4.95/yard. You can use the remainder for a sarong like I did above or to make scarves for your friends.
  • Thread to match. Around $3 each. Don’t forget an empty bobbin if you don’t have one at home.
  • Rolled hem sewing machine foot. Between $9 and $30 depending on your machine. Again, I already had this at home. I can’t imagine doing this project with a regular foot however you might be able to do a single tiny fold with zig zag stitch depending on your fabric but it’s not going to give you quite the same clean finish.
A couple of quick photos mid-process:
 

Videos I referenced:

Sewing a rolled hem:

via YouTube by ClaireOKC
via YouTube by ClaireOKC

I found this video useful to correct some of the mistakes I was making on my first attempt at sewing a rolled hem on light fabric. I’ve actually done a rolled hem on cotton before and the machine foot did a lot of the work but with the lighter fabrics you have to pay attention to the details more.

Scarf tying (European Loop is my favorite, then fake knot and braid):

via YouTube by wendyslookbook

Sarong / pareo tying:

Pareo and Sarong Tying for Womenhttp://pareo.com 20 Ways How Women can Wear a Pareo or Sarong from pareo.com.

via YouTube