How to Rip/Make a Scarf

Directions for Making a Scarf

1.  First, acquire at least 2 yards of fabric.  Up to 2 1/2 yards.  Maybe 3 yards if you are very tall.  I've never used that much fabric.  This will make two scarves.

Caveat one:  The type of fabric bought really makes a difference.  Usually regular quilting weight cotton won't work real well because it doesn't drape very nicely.  Finer, softer cottons work much better.  Those are the fabrics that feel ultra-soft/smooth when you caress them.  (We all caress fabric, don't we?  I hope I'm not the only one?)  It's because they have a higher thread count than quilting cotton.  Some fabrics from Italy, and as you'll see, London are made like this.  The downside is that they usually cost more than regular quilting cotton.  But the good thing about this method is that two scarves are made in the process.  One for you and one for a friend.  Also, it is really a plus if there is very little color difference between the front and back sides.  Because both sides will be showing in this scarf.

Caveat two:  Caveat one is not a hard and fast rule.  I have made a few scarves, as you will see below, that were made from slightly heavier-weight fabric.  Sometimes one gets lucky!!

Now, continuing with the "sewing" instructions:

2.  Make a small snip with a scissors and rip off each of the selvedges.

3.  Make one more rip down the exact center, in the same direction (lengthwise), which will rip the fabric in half.

4.  Now there are two scarves.  To add the finishing touch, wash and dry on normal settings.  Do NOT iron.  Any slight wrinkles will just look natural, like they belong.  Usually the long edges will curl a little bit around on themselves and the short ends will fray slightly.  Remove any long threads remaining.

This scarf is a very lightweight, soft cotton.  You can see below how nicely the ends have frayed.

And here you see how the lengthwise edge has created folds on itself.

This scarf is an exception.  It is a solid, quilting-weight cotton.  But I wanted to try it because it was such a great fabric!  Those little squares are sewn onto the black fabric, not merely printed on.

The edges folded over nicely. . .

and the ends frayed well, too.

This is a Liberty cotton lawn fabric.  Its basic gray/white color scheme really appealed to me.

And it drapes very nicely.

This is the first scarf that I ripped!  I remember buying it, though it was quite a few years ago.  I was in Britex Fabrics, and I really wanted some orange fabric so I could make a scarf to wear to Giants games.  (San Francisco Giants colors are orange and black.)  I was incredibly lucky to find this in the remnant section.  

This fabric is kind of gauzy, and was rippled when I first bought it.  It rippled even more after I washed it.

This lovely blue print is an Italian cotton, I believe.  It has a higher thread count than regular quilting cotton.

I was lucky that there is very little color difference between the front and back sides.  The front side of the fabric is shown on the left side of the photo below, and the back side is showing on the right side.

This is another fabric where I was lucky!  I think it might be called a shot cotton.  Not sure, but it's a fabric with the design woven in, rather than printed, so the colors are usually the same on both sides. And this is a regular quilting weight fabric, but it worked well.

The edges folded over--kind of wonky, but it's ok!!  There are always a few threads needing to be pulled/gotten rid of after it is washed.

And the ends look great, too!

Here is another gauzy fabric--I really like them for scarves!

I'm afraid the colors are a little washed out in my photos, but there are nice, soft pinks in this scarf.

This final scarf is a shear fabric, purchased again at Britex Fabric.  I'm not sure of the fabric content, but it sure has made a nice scarf.

It is very wide; my "half-scarf" is over a yard wide!

The ends (above) frayed nicely, and the long edges (below) frayed well also.