Hooded Scarf Tutorial

You may remember that I made my mom and 3 sisters a fleece hooded scarf for Christmas.

I had a couple of people ask me how I made them so I thought I would do a mini tutorial.

Step One -- Cutting

Standing in front of a mirror, take a measuring tape and put it around your neck to measure how long you want your scarf.  I like mine to hang around mid thigh.

Cut a strip of fleece 10 inches by the length you feel you need. Mine is 74 inches long, but I am only 5' 2" so if you are tall you may want yours longer. (After mine was complete, I realized I would like it to be a little longer. This one was made for a short coat so it is about right. But, If I were wearing it with a longer coat, I would make it longer.)

Step Two -- Decorate

Add decorations to your scarf if desired.  I used machine embroidery but your could easily applique or your could leave it plain. Be sure to take into consideration that you will be fringing the bottom edges. My fringe is around 4 inches.

CJ sent me the link to Embroidery Library and that is where I got my designs. They are very inexpensive and stitch out beautifully.

Step Three -- Make the hood

Fold the strip of fabric in half and lay out flat. Now you will sew the hooded part. ( I stitched in blue so you could have a pattern to follow.) This is also trial and error.  I used 5/8 inch seams.  Then I tried it on to check the fitting. I did have to make some adjustments.

There may be a point at the back of the head. You will need to adjust it to fit your head. You will also need to check the back neck seam to see if it needs lengthened or shortened.After I was sure it was stitched like I wanted, I trimmed the seams.

Warning -- After I sewed mine I decided I should have stitched along the opposite edge. I am left handed and naturally sling the right side over my shoulder and the design ended up being on that side. So I have to be careful to remember to sling the left side over my shoulder instead so the design will show while wearing it.

Step Four -- Make the Fringe

Lay the scarf on a flat surface. I put mine on my largest cutting mat. Decide how wide you want the fringe to be and use your rotary cutter to cut through both layers at once. I cut mine about 3/4 of an inch wide.

 I do not know a lot about fleece but I have read that if you purchase the higher quality fleece, you do not have to hem the edges. I thought about doing a blanket stitch around it but decided I wanted to leave them plain.

And here's how it looks on.

Craig was my photographer. He told me after the first picture I should smile because it looked like a mug shot. Then, of course, I laughed. Oh, well.

Happy snipping, stitching, and quilting!