First things first, you MUST buy a gathering foot. (You don't really have to buy one, but it will make your life much easier. I would suggest ordering one online. They are different prices depending on the brand... anywhere from $5 and up. Totally worth the price. I got the original idea for the scarf from MADE. Let me just say, that I tried making this scarf a number of methods. I tried elastic thread, gathering by pulling the bobbin thread, gathering by hand... the list goes on. Using the gathering foot it what made it super easy.)
Now, you could just go to a fabric store and buy about 1/2 yard of knit. I chose to cut up an old t-shirt. The reason I chose knit was because I didn't want to have to hem anything... I was trying to make it super easy. I cut my scarf into strips about 3 inches wide. You can really do any width you want. I have done anywhere from3"-6" wide. I like all of the different widths and it makes them look a little different. Because I was cutting up an old t-shirt, I needed it to be as narrow as possible.
I took all of my pieces of fabric and sewed them into one long pieces using the regular foot on my sewing machine. You will want your piece to be between 4 and 5 yards long. I know it seems ridiculous for it to be that long, but once it's gathered, it won't be!Okay, now put your Gathering Foot on your sewing machine. There are a few tips and tricks involved with a gathering foot. One of the things is stitch length. The longer the stitch length, the more it will gather. I had my stitch length at 5... that is the highest it would go. The second thing is the thread tension. The tighter the tension the more it will gather. I had mine on about an 8. However, the other thing that you need to realize is the thickness of the fabric. The thinner fabric will automatically gather more. So, you are good with a stitch length of about 5 and a thread tension doesn't need to be too high. But when you get thick fabrics, you need to turn the thread tension up higher. I would suggest messing around with the stitch length and thread tension on some scraps until you think you have the amount of gathering correct. If it gathers too much, you will have a really short scarf.
This is where the miracle happens. You just start sewing down the middle of the scarf with the gathering foot and it gathers the scarf up for you. I back stitch at the beginning and end and snip the threads and I'm done!!
It is so dang cute!!! I love it and my growing collection of scarves. I will probably never wear them... because I'm not much of an accessories kind of gal, but I think they are so cute.
So, if you don't have a gathering foot, get online and order one. And while you're waiting for it to ship, start cutting your favorite t-shirt up into 3" strips!!!Leave a comment if you have any questions.
-Anisa
