• 0 items$0.00
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Hands Occupied

Contemporary yarn crafts by Heidi Gustad. Knitting, crochet, latch hook and macrame.

  • BLOG
    • Knitting
    • Crochet
    • Latch Hook
    • Macramé
  • ABOUT
  • Shop
  • Studio
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

How-to: Make a Scarf Out of Almost Anything

November 8, 2012 5 Comments

Every time I visit a clothing store that carries scarves, I end up going on and on about how ridiculously priced they are. Really? $70 for a rectangle of fabric? Let me do you a favor and introduce you to a little something called a rolled hem. You don’t even need a sewing machine.

How-to: Make a Scarf Out of Almost Anything | HandsOccupied.com

Sometimes I love someecards…

But really, take 45 minutes and learn to sew a rolled hem so you don’t have to resort to desperate measures for a scarf to style that outfit with. ;)

Supplies

fabric scissors

needle

thread

1/4 yard of fabric

Directions

The fabric I used for this is great to learn hand sewing on because it’s a gingham print. Any plaid or striped fabric works well for making your first scarf because you will always know you’re sewing straight due to the lines of the print. The whole point of this tutorial, however, is that you can use any fabric you want to make a stylish scarf for, uh, 50 cents instead of $70.

The fabric remnant I used for this project was just 1/4 of a yard, but the edges weren’t cut straight. Using the print as my guide, I straightened out the two raw edges, which became the long sides of the scarf.

How-to: Make a Scarf Out of Almost Anything | HandsOccupied.com

The short ends of the scarf are called selvage, for those of you new to sewing. Basically, these are the machine-finished edges of the fabric that can’t ravel or fray. Since the selvage of this gingham isn’t ugly and goes with the fabric’s overall pattern well enough for my taste, I decided to leave the ends of this scarf totally untouched.

Begin sewing a rolled hem on one of the long sides of the scarf. They don’t called rolled hems “rolled” for nothing. They’re literally made by rolling the edge inward (toward the center of the wrong side of the fabric) and sewing it into place. Rolling the hem isn’t like rolling a sleeping bag or cigarette or whatever you commonly roll – it’s much more subtle. When I sew rolled hems, I lick my finger and carefully roll the fabric into place with my thumb and forefinger, but you can use a damp sponge if you’re more sanitary than I.

To begin, thread your needle and knot the end of your thread. Insert the needle into the end of the roll and come out the top of the roll, like this:

How-to: Make a Scarf Out of Almost Anything | HandsOccupied.com

Next, bring down your needle just below where you pulled your thread through to catch a few threads of the fabric and pull your thread through.

How-to: Make a Scarf Out of Almost Anything | HandsOccupied.com

Then, pierce the top of the roll with your needle directly above where you sewed a moment ago. Draw your thread through a centimeter or two of the top of the roll, like this: How-to: Make a Scarf Out of Almost Anything | HandsOccupied.com

On the right side of the scarf, you don’t want tons of sewing to show through, which is why you only catch a few threads at a time when sewing the main body of the scarf. See how my stitching looks here:

How-to: Make a Scarf Out of Almost Anything | HandsOccupied.com

Just keep repeating this process over and over again until you reach the end of your scarf. Tie off your thread and repeat the process on the other raw edge of the scarf.

Rolled hems are also used for making men’s pocket squares, which is how I first was introduced to them, before I decided to try one out on a scarf. With the holidays coming up, you can use a rolled hem to sew the men in your life pocket squares. Just cut a 12×12 inch square of fabric and sew a rolled hem all the way around. The dude will think you’re really crafty and fancy, and you’ll have only spent a few bucks.

Want to see this explained another way? Check out this tutorial from The Purl Bee or this tutorial from The Zen of Making. They’re both great, and focus on creating pocket squares rather than scarves.

Filed Under: DIY Style, How-to, Sewing Tagged With: diy, fashion, gingham, handkerchief, pocket square, rolled hem, scarf, Sewing

About Heidi

Heidi Gustad is a craft book author & content creator in love with primary colors & vintage vibes. She specializes in knitting, crochet, latch hook and macramé, and her first book, Latch Hook: 12 Projects for the Modern Maker, is out now!

Previous Post: « The Discover Paper 2012 Holiday Guide is Out!
Next Post: Cozy Picks »

Reader Interactions

DID YOU LIKE THIS POST?
Visit similar articles...

  • Knitting Needle Case DIYKnitting Needle Case DIY
  • DIY Light-Up Cuff BraceletDIY Light-Up Cuff Bracelet
  • Faux Woven Cowl – The Warmest in the World!Faux Woven Cowl – The Warmest in the World!
  • How-to: Toothpick-Stamped Place MatsHow-to: Toothpick-Stamped Place Mats

DON’T MISS ANOTHER UPDATE

Comments

  1. Anna

    October 19, 2013 at 9:05 pm

    This is so simple and great! Thank you for the confidence to do this. I have so much fabric and not enough scarves! Ha, I don’t think there’s such a thing as too many scarves these days…

    Reply
  2. Rafique

    September 7, 2014 at 5:19 am

    Thanks! now I can make as many pocket squares as i want. Yay!!!

    Reply
  3. Vanessa Hand

    January 23, 2017 at 9:09 pm

    Thank you! Got some reason I ended up with yards of silk, and was afraid to do scarves because I didn’t want to have to buy yet another foot for the sewing machine.

    Reply
  4. April

    June 25, 2018 at 9:31 pm

    Thank you! I searched for this how to and yours the first I chose. You’re instructions are perfect and in my minds eye, I could see my mom sewing that hem. I picked up a gorgeous piece of material with a nice weight and I wondered how I was going to hem it. Thanks!

    Reply
    • Heidi

      June 27, 2018 at 9:15 am

      You’re welcome, April! <3

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Heidi Gustad from Hands Occupied / Craft Book Author and Knitting, Crochet, Latch Hook and Macrame Designer

Hi! I’m Heidi, an author, yarn craft designer and content creator specializing in knitting, crochet, latch hook & macrame. My work unapologetically features primary colors and vintage-meets-modern style. My first book, Latch Hook: 12 Projects for the Modern Maker, is now available!

Professionally I’m most known for: advanced intarsia knitting design & modern latch hook design.

work with heidi

UPDATES BY EMAIL

Get a free pattern + biweekly updates sent to your inbox.

Let’s be friends!

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
Latch Hook by Heidi Gustad

Footer

INSTAGRAM

handsoccupied

Craft book author & content creator in love with primary colors & vintage vibes. / #latchhookbook out now!
.
knitting, crochet, latch hook & macramé

Heidi Gustad 🧶✂️
“You’re telling me words can be pronounced in “You’re telling me words can be pronounced in different ways and mean the same things?!” 👀 Posting this here, just to make it clear: when anyone says skayne, skeen, or skyne, it can be safely assumed we’re talking about a bundle o’ yarn,  a SKEIN. It’s not necessary to shame someone for using a word that is known to have MULTIPLE common pronunciations. 🧶
.
.
Can you plz comment sharing how you say SKEIN and where you learned it? The OED happens to say SKAYNE, but it’s not a personal attack if someone says SKEEN and you say SKYNE or even Saskatoon. I’m legitimately curious. We don’t all knit or crochet the same way, and craft evolves a bit like language - it is passed on. There is so much value in having conversations about & embracing these variations! ✌🏻
.
Pictured: A blond woman holds a skein of mustard yellow yarn up to her head like a phone, looking shocked. She’s wearing glasses & a knit sweater. 
.
#handsoccupied #heidigustad #skein #yarn #yarncraft #knit #crochet #yarnaddict #knitincolor #soldotnacrop #language #englishisweird #oed #oxfordenglishdictionary
Sometimes my weekend projects involve hair rather Sometimes my weekend projects involve hair rather than yarn. Here’s the latest mediocre-but-improving result of my slow quest to learn to set vintage inspired curls. 💇🏼‍♀️ I’m hoping to be able to wash my hair less using a regular vintage set, but we’ll see if it ends up being practical. 😆 Hair frustrates me so much more than crafts! 
.
Do you also style your hair using vintage methods? If you have any tips for vintage hair styling or good resources to share, please do!
I suppose this is one way to decide what yarn colo I suppose this is one way to decide what yarn color suits your pooch. 😆 Navy really might be Woodrow‘s color - what do you think? 
.
Pictured: A medium sized, brown, senior dog asleep on a green bed. For some reason a donut ball of navy wool yarn sits on his head.
The first stitch tutorial of the new year is live The first stitch tutorial of the new year is live on YouTube! Diamond Brocade is a great knit+purl only stitch for beginners or anyone wanting a classic look for their knitting project. Find the video with a written stitch pattern on the blog or head directly to the video on YouTube. Both are linked in bio. ✌🏻 
#kpambassadorsfeb21 #sponsored
When your WIP loves ya back! 🥰 This may or may When your WIP loves ya back! 🥰 This may or may not be the third sample I’m making for an upcoming YouTube series on knitting seamed & vintage sweaters. I figure I’ll get to wear them all at the end, so why not? 🧶🤓 
.
Pictured: A few rows of knit ribbing on long circular needles arranged in the shape of a heart on a cream background. The yarn used is @knit_picks Twill worsted weight in Crabapple (wine red). The glasses stitch marker was a diy. 
.
#kpambassadorsfeb21 #sponsored #handsoccupied #vintageknitting #sweaterknitting #redyarn #knitinspiration #knitincolor #wool #redheart #handmadewardrobe #knit #heidigustad #knitpicks #knitpickstwill
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Copyright © 2021 / Foodie Pro Theme On Genesis Framework / Branding by Ink + Mortar
All Site & Shop Policies / Privacy Policy / Cookie Policy