Scarf obsession II + how-to

After making some scarves for other people, I decided I wanted to get in on the scarf action for myself. But it's still a bit mid-season here in Melbourne at the moment, so I wanted something on the light side.

Enter the pillowcase scarf - the perfect project for the time/money/skill- challenged among us!

I'd been looking at this lovely leafy vintage pillowcase all week wondering what to use it for. I don't think I've worn green in years, at least not in these shades, but it's the perfect addition to my mostly black/denim/red/brown wardrobe, and furthermore it's very soft pre-loved cotton and just the right weight for autumn.

Don't you love pillowcase craft? There are a million tutorials out there which do all sorts of fancy things with pillowcases. (Check out kootoyoo for some very cool projects). Funnily enough I didn't see one for scarves, so I've done one myself. I'm not claiming originality, but I figured I might as well show you how simple it is.

NB This little tute goes out to all the people who think you have to have a pattern, great sewing skills or fancy materials to make something. Well you don't. Get off your butts and make one of these, people! You could even hand-sew it. Go, steal your grandma's best pillowcase and get to it!

(If you are already a sewing genius, you can toddle off now and get on with flat-felling your selveges on the bias... or something).

Pillowcase Scarf How-To

1. Choose yourself a lovely soft old pillowcase. (Any will do, but this project will work best with cases that are made from one continuous piece of material).

2. Take a pair of scissors and hack open the two side seams. (Genteel seamsters may wish to use an unpicker. I say 'bah' to that!) You will now have one long piece of material.

3. Fold the scarf in half along the long edges, right sides together, and pin. This pillowcase was fairly wonky so I marked a line to sew along rather than aligning with the edges.

4. Sew up the long edge. Then sew up one short edge - but leave open the thicker edge formed by the original pillowcase opening, so you can turn it right-side-out! (Optional but recommended for longevity: zig-zag stitch along the seams and trim excess fabric).

5. Turn scarf right side out and press. You can then hand-sew the final side closed, or leave it open like I did (mine sits well anyway because of the pillowcase lip/facing/whatever-you-call-it!)

6. Find yourself a cutey-patootie to test out your scarf. Loop it once and secure with a brooch (and a bit of dribble) for a lovely mid-season look.