How to Make Scarves With Elastic

Use light threads for light-weight fabrics and heavier threads for heavy-weight fabrics.

Elastic scarves offer variety and style to any wardrobe. Winter scarves are a great way to accent your winter wardrobe, and summer scarves add color and flare while keeping the chill off your neck and chest. The type of fabric used to make elastic scarves can vary from light cotton to heavy wool. However, to make the soft elastic gatherings, you must use elastic thread. Fabric stores generally carry fabrics and elastic threading to complete your scarf-making project.

Things You'll Need

• Fabric
• Scissors
• Tape measure
• Elastic thread
• Hemming thread
• Sewing machine

Instructions

1. Roll out the fabric you want to make the elastic scarf out of onto a clean hard surface.

2. Measure the material to fit the length and width of the scarf you are going to make.

3. Add one foot of extra material to the length of the scarf for a loose elastic gathering or two feet of material for a tight gathering. This ensures the scarf will still be the desired length after the elastic gathering is added.

4. Cut the material using a pair of fabric scissors.

5. Thread the bobbin on your sewing machine with elastic thread according to the manufacturer’s directions.

6. Place the cut piece of fabric on the sewing machine. Sew in the elastic thread along the length of the scarf, adding as many rows of gathering as you desire and placing them anywhere in the width of the scarf.

7. Replace the elastic thread with a hemming thread appropriate for the weight of the fabric. Hem the edges of the scarf to keep the fabric from fraying during wearing and washings.

Tips & Warnings

• The more lines of elastic you sew into the scarf the tighter the gathers will be.

• Use material from an old shirt or dress to make a scarf that accents your current wardrobe colors.

• Gathers can be added to one side of the center of the scarf, in the middle or can be evenly placed if several rows of elastic gathering are added.

• For shorter bolts of material, you can sew three or four strips of fabric together to make a full scarf.

• The more gathers you have the shorter the scarf will be.

• For best results, sew the elastic thread along the majority of the length of the scarf for an even gather.

References

• Dana Made It: Summer Scarf