Tuesday, December 16, 2008

simple scarves for a chic gift



It's crunch time! Only 8 days until Christmas, and you're still looking for a great gift for your sister, friend, babysitter, child's teacher, or all of the above. Here's a quick and easy answer. Scarves are not only functional, but super stylish. If you don't have time (or inclination) to knit or crochet one, cut one instead. Seriously--it's that easy. Find a rayon/cotton knit or jersey knit--something that is soft and has a little stretch. Mine came in 60" width, so I could get four single-layer scarves out of one 2-yard piece. I folded it a couple of times length-wise so it would fit my cutting mat, then used my quilting ruler and rotary cutter to cut it in four equal pieces. The raw edges curl slightly, which gives it a finished look. WOW--I just made four fabulous gifts in about 3 minutes--no sewing required!



For a little thicker version, cut your 2-yard length of knit fabric in half lengthwise. Then take each piece, fold it in half lengthwise, and sew it in a big rectangle, leaving a small opening to turn inside-out. You can quickly hand sew the opening closed. I then got my scarf wet and twisted it, securing it with rubber bands and leaving it twisted until it dried. This just gives it a wrinkled texture, which relaxes the jersey knit fabric nicely (and covers up your not-so-straight sewing!).


We took this project one step further and embroidered a simple bird to give it some more interest. C'est tres chic!


Check back for more quick and easy gift ideas coming up this week--because we know we can't be the only procrastinators out there!

share this on »
{Facebook} {Twitter} {Pinterest}
15 Comments

15 Responses to “simple scarves for a chic gift”

Missie Krissie said...

Love the lime green one! And I'm not usually a green fan- they are just so lovely and simple!

Anonymous said...

OHHH!!! Such a cute and simple idea!!! I love it! =]

Letti said...

I love this idea and they look adorable.

Rachel@oneprettything.com said...

Fantastic idea, they look fabulous! I'll be linking.

Melinda said...

Great idea! I love the blue one with the embroidered bird. Now to add an embroidery machine to my ever-growing Christmas list : )

Heather - Dollarstorecrafts.com said...

Great idea! They look great!

Found via oneprettything

Little Birdie Secrets said...

You don't need a machine to embroider this. It was all done by hand :)

Kim L. said...

i had this same idea a few weeks ago...I got enough knit fabric for 3 scarves on sale for like $3.00.... Easy Peasy! I didn't however try the embroidery...I will be doing that tonight! thanx... love the colors you chose!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the great idea! I just made mine - couldn't have been any easier and the result is great! I am a fan of simple things. I want to run out and get more fabric now!

Christina Lane | The Sometimes Crafter said...

I love this idea and will be making a few for family for Christmas, but I want to clarify what lengths your cutting on. Does the finished scarf end up being 15" x 72"?

Little Birdie Secrets said...

Christina, Yes, the finished measurements on the single layer scarves are 15" x 72". :)

~mandy

Rhoda said...

looove it! i finished up my gifts, so i will save this idea for birthday gifts and just to spoil myself! :)

Lori Ann said...

linked to this weekend on simplemakes - http://www.simplemakes.com/2008/12/last-minute-links-holiday-gifts-foods.html

thanks for a great post :-)

Danielle said...

didn't turn out 15x72......UGH! LOVE LOVE LOVE the brown one. can't find fabric in brown though. what a great gift idea!

standandshine said...

Love this simple idea! We were hoping to feature it in Stand & Shine Magazine as a simple scarf idea for teen girls to make...but I can't seem to find contact info on your site? Is there a way I can get permission to share this in our upcoming issue? Thanks ladies!

LinkWithin Related Stories Widget for Blogs