Thursday 16 May 2013

Currently Making......

I've had a bit of a lull in the making department recently.  I don't know why but I just seem to have been busy with other things and my workroom has got a bit cluttered up of late with things that shouldn't be in there, which is putting me off going in and getting started on anything.

As a consequence I am going easy on myself over this and trying to coax myself back in there with the idea of something small and simple that will not take much thinking about.  Inspired by this jersey snood/scarf I bought for £4 from Primark a good month or so ago, I have decided to try to make a similar thing myself as it seems to be very simple in it's construction.  It is just basically a width of jersey fabric sewn together at the ends.  The edges aren't even hemmed or overlocked so this seems like a great project to get me restarted.

 
Original Primark bought scarf

I had a root around one of my fabric drawers to find suitable fabrics to try to use for this project and came up with quite a few.  I attempted it in various types of fabric namely cotton lawn, jersey, and a couple of polyester type fabrics.  I cut a width of the fabric approximately 24-30 inches long by at least 56 inches wide for this project and sewed the short ends together.  This seam forms the back of the scarf which sits on the back of your neck and by double looping it around your neck you have an attractive summery scarf for slightly cooler days or to keep the sun off your chest.  This is so simple I would almost call it a genius idea.  You could perceivably even sew it by hand as it would never actually be seen.  Here are some pictures of the scarves I made in just one hour.


Navy/white polka dot polyester/sheer crimpolene (sounds awful but is actually quite nice).
 
 
Lightweight cotton lawn
 
 
100% Polyester.  I would say this was the least successful fabric to use but I do like the pattern.
 
 
Slightly heavier jersey with vertical as opposed to hoizontal stripes.
 
 
Lighter jersey, similar to original but with back clearly different to front.  A pretty fabric but I had to arrange it carefully on the mannequin to prevent the back showing. When wearing it this would be impractical and would look untidy if it showed.
 
I would say that by far the most successful fabric to use was a light jersey similar to the original as this does drape well, but it is important to use a print that is almost the same on the back as on the front as the back can show when wearing it.  Spots and stripes are pretty good usually from this point of view as are plain colours.  Having said this, however, I do like the navy spotted one which was made from a vintage polyester, almost like a sheer crimpolene, and will wear this one with a skirt I made in the same pattern but a different fabric.  I may make some more scarves in different jersey fabrics if I can source some as this seems virtually foolproof and will work out remarkably cheaper than the £4 I paid.  I would say that most of these scarves cost less than 50p to make as the fabrics were all bought either at charity shops or car boot sales for £1 for much more than I have used.   I have in the past been reluctant to use jersey as it can be difficult to sew with, but for this simple garment it is perfect as it drapes beautifully.

Anyway, it was good to get making again and even better to use some fabrics that have been languishing in a drawer and that I have had difficulty deciding what to do with.  Are you making anything at the moment?

2 comments:

  1. These are lovely. I tried on a very pretty one at a craft fair but it was over twenty pounds. I mumbled that I'd be back after I looked at a few more stalls - but didn't go back !

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    1. I was pretty pleased with them and have worn 3 of them already. I must admit I do still prefer the original so I am going to try to find just the right fabric to replicate it more successfully. I was pleasantly surprised at how it was so simple.

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