MIY (make it yourself) // Printed Scarf

   I love printed scarves. But for some reason, I have a really hard time spending $2-25 on them.... It's just one of those little things that you really don't want to spend the money on, you know? So, being in a creative mood, the other day I put to the test an idea of mine that I had been mulling over in my mind for a while- that is, to make my own printed scarf! Using certain markers (yes, markers) and about a yard of polyester material, I came up with a very, very pleasing result, that I would love to share with you all how to make :D

What you will need:

*Permanent Markers

*About 3/4-1 Yard of Silky, Transparent/Semi-Transparent Material (I used a polyester chiffon)

*Work Surface

*Scissors

*Straight Pins

*Yard Stick

*Handwashing Soap (I used Woolite)

1) TEST! Round up your non-washable markers, snip of a bit of the material you will be using, and mark what ever you want all over it, making sure you use all of the markers you will be using to print on your scarf. Wash your test strip in whatever hand-washing soap that you prefer (I used Woolite), making sure to scrub at those markings. Rinse and dry. Inspect which marks faded or washed out completely and eliminate those from your selection. Those which held, you can use to mark on your scarf.
NOTE 1 I found that Prismacolor & Sharpie markers worked beautifully, and didn't leave any odor, even while marking!
NOTE 2 Make sure that your fabric is right for markering on! I used a polyester chiffon material for mine, and the markings held up splendidly!

2) NOTE Steps 2-3 are optional for those of you who already have straight edges on your fabric and/or don't want to trim it.

Fold your material in half and pin along the straightest edge or selvage. Shake out your material with the pins holding the selvage/straightest edges together. Lay your material back down and straighten out any odd folds or warping in the fabric.

3) Lay your yardstick down coming off of your pinned selvage/straightest edge, and pin along it, as long as you would like your scarf to be.

NOTE Remember, the bigger the scarf, the more you have to draw on!

4) Cut along pin line.

5) Set your sewing machine to a very small zig-zag stitch, and stitch along the edge of your scarf, taking care to catch all of the edges. This can be rather tricky with silky materials, so make sure you stretch out the edge as you sew to create tension for ease of stitching, and to prevent any puckering in 

the material.

6) Tape down your fabric along the corners and edges to your desired work surface, so as to prevent any shifting while you draw.

7) DRAW!! Brainstorm, if you like, on what type of designs you would like on your scarf. I just dove right in with mine and drew whatever I thought might pull off the style which I was going for. Just have patience, and have fun!

8) Enjoy your new creation! Tie up your hair in it! Belt a shirt with it! Tie it around your pretty neck!

I hope you enjoyed and were inspired by this tutorial!

Make sure to comment if you used this tutorial, and leave a link if you blogged/flickr-ed about it! I would love to see your finished creation :D

TTFN,

lwb

P.S- (hopefully!) Coming up in my next tutorial: A 50's Peplum Shirt, perfect for the beginning seamstress!