A Tale of Two T-Shirt Scarves

Find t-shirts you think would work well as a scarf. This part is all about your style. I used an old solid tee. You could use something with a pattern or a design on it, but keep in mind you’re cutting the entire thing up, so the pattern will look different in strips and as fringe. That being said, choose your own scarf adventure.

Our first attempt: an infinity scarf . NO SEWING REQUIRED.  And if you’re anything like me, those three words are music to your ears.

Step 1: With the shirt on a flat surface – cut the hem off the shirt (cutting through both the front and the back).

Step 2: Make another cut under the armpits of the shirt. What’s left is what looks like a crop top…but more importantly – and more useful for this DIY – a piece of fabric that we’re about to cut up to make the aforementioned infinity scarf. Could you wear it as a scarf without cutting it up? Of course. In which case, we’re done!

Except we’re not.

Step 3: Starting at either end, cut 1-inch horizontal strips. The terrific part of this process is that it doesn’t have to be perfect or even. Once you’re done, you’ll have a pile of ringed strips of t-shirt fabric.

Step 4: Pull and stretch them until they curl in on themselves. (The more you do this, the more they’ll loosen up.)

Now we’ve reached the part of this scarf adventure where you have two choices. If you’d like a scarf with infinite possibilities: leave things as they are and mix and match with strands from other tees.

Step 5: To complete the scarf, gather it at the seams and use the hem scrap to cover. Do so by wrapping the hem (thread-side down) around the seam and then tying it off with one of the strands and then tucking the little knot under the cover of the wrap. (This may sound confusing, but in reality, it’s very simple, and will make a lot of sense when you’re doing it.) I also went and ahead and did this to the other end too. And there you go. One finished scarf.

Now for the next one, we’re going to get a little fancy. With fringe. This scarf starts off like the last one.

Step 1: Cut off the hem, and cut below the arm pits. Is this turning into a crop top tutorial? Would that be such a bad thing? On second thought, let’s get back to our scarf .

Step 2: Tape off a line about five inches from the bottom (and later five inches from the top).

Step 3: Cut 1-inch vertical strips up to that piece of tape. Again, the great thing about t-shirt scarves is their versatility and that they’re so hard to mess up. P.S. When measuring, you don’t have to be as type A as I am about this (or you can be and know that you’re not alone).

Step 4: Once you’ve cut your strips, pull each strip as if they were curling ribbon. I found it easier to separate each layer of the shirts to get better results. I also cut the seams out.

Step 5: After you’ve made all your cuts and pulls on one end of the shirt, switch around and do the other.

And that’s really it – an infinity scarf with fringe benefits. Double it up or wear it full length. This is your scarf adventure – live your dreams, girl!