How to Make a Fleece Scarf

Is anyone else totally over Christmas at this point?  Well too bad, I’ve got 3 more days to go!  On this 9th day of Christmas I am sharing with you the easy-to-make scarves you see all over the place.  We made a bunch for Christmas, including one for each of Smart Jr’s middle school teachers.  Wow, sometimes I really miss good old elementary school. 🙂

I first made these scarves for my fellow cheer moms to wear to cheer competitions.  Here is Lulu giving one to her coach.We made them for Valentine’s Day too.And if you don’t already know how to make them, I am going to show you how.   I had someone ask me to make her 8 of the cheerleading colored ones right before Christmas.  Once I had the sewing machine out Smart Jr and I decided to make a bunch more.  My younger kids gave scarves to their teachers too.  And we made one for my sister-in-law.  I even pre-cut a crap load of fleece into 6 in. strips, so we’ll be already to mix and match colors next time we decide to make scarves.

Materials:

• Fleece fabric cut into 6 in. strips (2-3 colors per scarf)
• Shiny fabric also cut into 6 in. strips (optional)
• Good fabric cutting scissors or rotary cutting tool
• Sewing machine (it’s an easy straight shot, and you don’t want to be doing this by hand!)
• Coordinating thread

How to Make a Fleece Scarf

1) Lay out fabric (floor or table) and layer all 3 pieces on top of each other the same way they will be in the scarf.  I always put the shiny material in the middle.2) Mark out 6 inch strips.  You totally DON’T have to draw the entire line, but this is the fool-proof method.3) CUT.  Again, I like to do all 3 pieces of fabric at once.  That way it’s all ready to sew as soon as you cut the strips.4) Sew two lines down the center of the strip.  I sew one way, turn it around and go back.5) Even up the ends by cutting off the excess, but be sure NOT to cut through the lines you just sewed.6) Cut notches into the fabric no more than 1/2 inch apart.  DO NOT cut all the way into the line you sewed, but don’t be afraid to get pretty close.  If you’ve ever seen a lame looking DIY fleece scarf that lays flat and doesn’t get all twirly, it’s because they didn’t cut the notches deep enough.  Their notches are probably also too.  Don’t worry, it’s so easy even a husband can help!7) WASH and DRY.  I always do this before I give them as a gift.  It fluffs up the fleece, softens the shiny fabric, and makes the whole thing look more twisty, which is how they’re supposed to look.

And there you have it.  I made 12 of the cheetah print scarves in one night.  Half were with white cheetah print and the other half with the brown, but they all had black fleece and gold shiny material in the middle.  The next day we made eight of the school colors and 3 other random scarves.  Smart Jr tried a little of the sewing, but the machine was acting up, so she mostly just cut.  There were 3 versions of the school ones.  Most had 1 maroon, 1 blue, and 1 shiny silver piece.  Some had 1 maroon, 1 blue, 1 white fleece.  One even had maroon, blue, white fleece AND the shiny silver. 

Here’s me.