The 30-Minute Scarf

‘Tis the season for wearing and making scarves and mittens, classic handmade gifts for just about anyone on your holiday list.

But while devoted knitters may wield their needles all winter long, you don’t need to toil for weeks in order to turn out a scarf. With nothing but a couple of t-shirts and a needle and thread, you could be on your way to haute neck couture in the space of a single afternoon—leaving you plenty of time to wrap up your new gift and stash it under the tree.

(Don’t worry, we’ve got something for the knitters too, particularly those of you looking to get into lace-knitting this holiday season. Check out this handy guide to chart reading from Judith Durant, and you’ll be well on your way.)

Bonus: Sometimes a scarf is not just a scarf—in this case, it’s also a shape-shifting transformer that turns into a shirt you can wear four ways.

Transformer Scarf/Shirt

One garment. Infinite possibilities. A scarf, a tube top, a tank top, or skirt, Transformer is sexy no matter how you drape it. Wrap it any of the suggested ways, or invent your own stylish way to wear it. It ain’t called DIY for nothin’.

Ingredients

• 2 T-shirts of the same size (L or XL)
• Scissors
• Ruler
• Chalk marker
• Straight pins
• Needle
• Thread

 

Instructions

1. Lay both T-shirts flat and cut off the bottom hems, just above the seam.

2. Lay one T-shirt on top of the other, lining up the bottom edges. Mark and cut horizontally across the chest region of the shirts 17″ to 20″ up from the bottom to create two equal tubes.

3. Cut vertically through each tube to create two wide rectangles.

4. With right sides facing, pin the rectangles together along one of the short edges. Use a running stitch to sew along the pinned edge. Remove the pins and unfold.

5. Wear it traditionally as a scarf or wrap it any of the four ways shown below—or invent your own!

Variation: For a NO SEW version, cut 2″ fringe into each short edge and knot them together.

Variations for Wrapping

1. Tie the ends tightly at the bust, leaving one 12″ end dangling. Wrap the other end around your torso and tuck.

2. Wrap one end over your shoulder and twist it several times. Stretch it across the back, and around the front. Wrap it around your bust and continue down the torso, tucking the end.

3. Wrap one end around the back of your neck, covering both boobs. Fold the long end over itself and wrap it around the torso.

4. Wrap one end over your shoulder, across the back, and around to the front. Wrap it around your bust and continue down the torso, tucking the end.

For more projects like this, check out Generation T: Beyond Fashion by Megan Nicolay—just $2.99 for the holidays!

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