From rags to riches

Scarves.  Something that most women have as a foundational accessory.  I saw a vendor at Bastille Days selling scarves made from t-shirt material and was inspired to create them on my own.  After a bit of Internet searching I discovered there are many t-shirt scarf patterns out there, including t-shirt flower pins.  That was it for me, I was hooked.  So this weekend I created six unique scarf and pin sets for our "Friends Christmas" gift exchange.  It's just July and I've got half my holiday shopping done and in the bag! 



Step 1:  You'll need an old T-shirt.  I discovered that while I thought a patterned shirt would look GREAT... the fabric turns into the print, vs. the other way around.  So if the inside of shirt is white... that's what will show. So start with a plain colored T. 

Step 2:  Collect all your "garbles"... you know that stuff you have, metal parts, nuts bolts, stickers, postage stamps, old buttons, ribbon, rhinestones, beads, magazine images etc... as you'll use these to embellish your t-shirt flower pins.  I used six bowls for the six t-shirt scarves I was working on to keep them organized. 

Step 3:  You have to cut the bottom of the t-shirt off under the arm-pit.  The tube you create will become the scarf.  Cut the bottom hem off.  You'll use this later to create a support for the neck of the scarf. 

Step 4:  Eye-balling... cut the t-shirt into strips, from one side-seam to about 1" below the other side-seam.  Don't cut all the way through, as the seam will hold the whole scarf together.  I started in the middle, then divided each cut I'd made until the strips were about 1" - 3/4" wide. 

Step 5:  Here is where various techniques will vary.  From here you can do many different things to create the look of the scarf. 

a.  If a solid color shirt, start pulling all the strips, so the fabric curls in on itself to create a "sting-scarf".  You can use multiple solid shirts to create a thicker scarf effect.  Use monochromatic colors or contrasting colors. 

b.  As I discovered, patterns aren't visible as I'd expected, so I decided to not pull the strips, but leave them whole.  I did do some "tangling" to give them a ruffled appearance. 

c. I also tried braiding some of the strips, so some of the color would show through.  I used the hem I'd removed earlier to tie the braids to the strings for a combination effect. 

d.  Instead of cutting strips from side to side... you can cut them from bottom to about 1/2 - 3/4 of the way up, to create a "fringe" look to the scarf. 

Step 6:  Using the left -over hem, I used 3/4 of it to wrap around where the scarf would hang from the back nape of your neck.  This will help hold the scarf in place.  The 1/4 remaining from the hem, I wrapped around the area where the pins would go.  It helps to hold them in place because it creates a steadier base for the clip or stick of the pin. 

Step 7:  Attach pins.  (See more about making pins in Arts and Crafts)