Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Fringe Scarf - DIY

The first fringe scarf I saw put me in mind of a very special gal I know.  When I discovered it was made from a T- shirt, I thought. "I can do that!"
 
Nothing to sew!
Sooooooo simple!
Even the beading is a piece of cake.

All that's needed is a "tube" T-shirt (one without side seams) and a pair of scissors.

It doesn't matter if the T-shirt is a solid color or striped or has printing or pictures on it.

The orange lettering on my white T resulted in interesting little flashes of color on the white fringe.

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Lay the shirt out flat. Imagine a straight line from underarm to underarm & cut along that line.
2. Discard the top portion (the part with the sleeves) then cut off the hem and set it aside.
3.  Begin cutting strips, about 1" wide, (from what was hem toward what was neck) stopping about 3" short.


4.  Once all your strips are cut, PULL each strip as hard and as far as you can.  You'll be surprised how long they get and they curl (roll) on their own.
THAT'S IT.  YOU'RE DONE.  ALMOST INSTANT SCARF!
NOTES:
1.  An extra-large T-shirt will make a scarf that can be twisted into a figure 8, going twice around the neck, resulting in a bulkier look.
2.  When beading, it might be necessary to narrow the strips that are going to take beads so that they will fit through the bead holes.  I just cut those strips in half, making two narrower strips out of the ones I was going to bead and knotted the strips below the beads so they wouldn't come off.

THE "INFINITY" SCARF
It doesn't get any easier than this.
Start cutting strips, this time across the body of the shirt tube instead of up and down.  Make the strips 2 1/2' to 3" wide.   Don't worry about being neat or exact measurements.  It doesn't matter.  Once cut, you need to pull/stretch each piece as far as you can.

  Your arms probably aren't long enough so use your foot or loop it over a doorknob or get a friend to help.  These make really long loops.  Once they are all stretched, cut a small strip from the discarded t-shirt top to use as a tie to join the long loops together in a bunch.  

To wear the infinity scarf, just toss it over your neck, twist and repeat 2 or 3 times.  Keep the place where the loops are tied together at the back of the neck.

SO - WHAT TO DO WITH THE "HEMS"?
I can't stand the thought of wasting anything, so help me find a use for these hem pieces.  Could they be hair scrunchies?  Bracelets?  Ankle wraps?  They would make good ties for staked plants in the garden.  Any ideas?  Leave a comment.
So here they are, 4, over-the-hill, T-shirts turned into 4 scarfs on a rainy afternoon. Cost...$0.  I'm still finding cash!
 

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