When I first began sewing a few years ago, one of my very first projects was the infinity scarf. This was partly because I knew I wouldn’t have to worry about making it fit (perfect for gifts!) and also because I could wear it all year round.Best part is, you can easily finish this project in an afternoon — impatient sewists, rejoice! Thanks to a wonderful tutorial by Spoonflower blog contributor Emma Jeffreys of Hello Beautiful, I had the confidence I needed to dive right in.
For this scarf, I’m using two yards of Modern Jersey. I love the four-way stretch, drape, and cozy softness of this fabric! You can make two scarves with this yardage, but note that you cannot make one scarf out of one yard, unless you’re sewing for a tiny human! For a regular-sized scarf, you need to make full use of the length that two yards gives you (72 inches or 183 cm). You’ll also need to work on a large flat surface so that you’re able to fully lay the fabric out.
Once you have your 2 yards of fabric in hand, gather your materials and get sewing!
Materials
– sewing machine
– ballpoint needles
– fabric scissors
– straight edge
– rotary knife
Directions
First, a few tips for sewing with knit fabric — always use a ballpoint needle and a zig-zag stitch to allow some “give” when the fabric stretches. And, make sure the fiber content of your thread matches that of your fabric. For example, if you’re sewing with polyester, be sure to use a polyester thread. Ten bonus points if you’re using a serger!
Lay your two yards of jersey on your work surface folded in half (hamburger style) with the wrong sides facing (Linen diamonds by Mrshervi is shown here). You should have one yard of fabric laying on top of the other.
Find the halfway mark perpendicular to the fold you just created and cut the fabric in half. This is where your straightedge (preferably a translucent plastic ruler) and a very sharp rotary knife will come in handy.
You will now have two separate cuts of fabric each measuring 72 inches x 18 inches (182.88 cm x 45.72 cm) and each can be sewn into a scarf. One for you and one for a friend!
Next, trim the excess white fabric (known as the selvage) along the length of the fabric, as well as the white border on the top and bottom. These pieces can be saved for future sewing projects. They’d be the perfect size for sewing sleeve cuffs or neckline binding on tops and tees.
Take your fabric and fold in half lengthwise with right sides together. Pin the two long raw edges together and sew down the entire length to create a long tube open at both ends. Keep the tube inside out, with right sides together.
Now, bring one short end up toward the other by rolling the right sides of the fabric against itself. It’s easiest to reach down into the tube, grab the bottom edge with your hand, then pull that end back up through the tube. Once it’s pulled through, match up the two raw edges. Pin the two edges together around the circle, matching up the seam.
When pinning, leave a 4-inch hole that will remain unsewn. To remind myself not to sew over the hole, I either use different colored pins or place my pins in an X shape on either side of the hole I want to leave, and start/stop sewing at those marks. Now machine-stitch with a quarter-inch-seam allowance all along the edges of your tube (except for the 4-inch hole).
You’re almost there! Turn the scarf right sides out through the 4-inch hole you left. You’ll be able to pull the entire thing through the hole.
Hand-stitch the hole closed using a ladder stitch, which will give your scarf a very neat, professional look. Voila! Now throw on your scarf and prepare for lots of compliments!
Watch the video below for more inspiration!
SOURCE:http://www.marthastewart.com/1123504/how-make-infinity-scarf