The "Anyone Can Sew It" Infinity Scarf Tutorial-KC Royals Inspired

I'm still in SHOCK that my Kansas City Royals, whom I've grown up cheering for all my life, are in the World Series for the second year in a row!  For so many years we were always in last place.  It almost seems that I'm in some sort of dream every time the announcers mention the Royals and the World Series in the same sentence.



Well, since we have not been a winning team for a long time, I really do not have any royals shirts to wear as I watch the game, and t-shirts really are not my thing.  So, I thought a cute "Royal" blue infinity scarf would be perfect to wear to cheer them on.

An Infinity Scarf has been on my "things for me to sew and wear" list for a long time, so let's get to it!

WHY ANYONE CAN SEW AN INFINITY SCARF?

Because it's SUPER EASY.  If you can use scissors and if you can get your hands on a sewing machine for 15 minutes, you can make this scarf.  Now, I've seen tutorials where you make a tube for the scarf.  That may seem a little more scary to a non-sewer, so I'll tackle that one in another tutorial, but this scarf is just one layer and is how most of the inexpensive scarves in the stores are made.  My advice to you is to go grab your favorite scarf and check it out.  You'll be amazed at how simply it is constructed.  If you can sew a straight line, you can sew an infinity scarf!

Most infinity scarves are one long strip and the only sewing involved is on the long edges where they just fold over a small section and sew all the way around to create a nice clean edge.  Depending on the material, you may not even have to do that!  As you travel along your scarf, you should also find a seam that runs across the width of the scarf. This is where the one long piece of fabric was sewn together to make the complete circle.

MATERIALS: 

Fabric of your choice
Rotary Cutter/Scissors
Cutting Mat
Pins
Matching Thread
Sewing Machine
Appropriate sewing machine needle for type of fabric chosen

Ball Point Needle-best for Knits

STEP 1:  SELECT YOUR FABRIC

I chose a lightweight knit fabric.  I just scan the fabric isles, touching anything and everything until I get the look and feel that seems perfect to me.  You'll know it when you see it.

STEP 2:  MEASURE AND CUT

Cut your fabric to the desired length.  I measured my favorite scarf and it's final measurements were about 61" x 12", so I cut one long piece 62" long and 13" wide.  (My fabric is folded over on the left edge in the picture below).  The width determines how full your scarf is, so make it wider if you want. Your scarf needs to be long enough to wrap around your neck twice, and 60" is the standard length to pull that off.

STEP 2:  SEW THE LONG SIDES UNDER 

Now, the edges of my long sides rolled over onto the backside naturally.  I tried to sew it, but it was too difficult.  I decided to just leave it.  Many scarfs at the store are left raw on the edges too, which really makes it hard to buy a scarf when you know so little effort was put into it!

If you decide the long edges need to be neater, then you can use a serger around the entire edge.  If you do not have a serger, just fold over approx. 1/4" of fabric and sew an 1/8" all the way around to secure.

STEP 3:  SEW RAW ENDS TOGETHER

I did not want a sloppy edge on my seam, so I decided to try a french seam.  To do this, place your WRONG sides together and then sew a 1/4" seam and trim (I forgot to trim).  Then, flip the seam over so that the RIGHT sides are now facing eachother.  Sew as close as you can to the seam.  Now, your messy edges are gone!  I had never sewn a french seam before, so this was very cool to me.  :)

Now, you will notice that my seam does not look nice at the point where it reaches  the long edge. That is because I did not sew a hem on the long edge (remember?).  I should have at least sewn over the edge where the two pieces were going to come together.  Lesson learned!  Yours will be nice and neat if you serge or sew the long edge all the way around, as mentioned earlier.

That's it!  Wasn't that easy?  I hope you give it a try, because it is so rewarding to make something with your own hands.  If you're in high school or college, this would be a great way to make some extra money.  Take all your girlfriends to the store and have them pick out their own fabric.  That would be so much fun!  Can I come?!

This was a smaller scarf I made.  It was just 30"x13".  This is what I wore when the Royals went into extra innings Tuesday night and finally WON!  It's my lucky charm, so I wore it last night and they won again!

Thanks for stopping by!  Are you in love with scarves as much as I am?