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How to Make a Cozy Spiral Scarf

February 13th, 2009 in sewing, fashion

Mary Ray, contributor

33 users recommend

This versatile spiral scarf can be worn in numerous ways.

This versatile spiral scarf can be worn in numerous ways.

Photo: Mary Ray

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This spiral scarf is reminiscent of the jabots seen in vintage blouses. I love the technique because it’s so easy yet kind of mysterious. At first glance, it’s hard to figure out how to achieve that cascading effect without stretching and shaping the material. But all you need is a circle of fabric with a hole in the middle—just like a donut. When you open the ring and straighten it out, you get those flouncy ripples. I used fleece to make this cozy scarf, but you could choose any soft fabric. The fleece requires very little finishing, however, so it’s quick and easy to work with and very cozy to wear. I added the yarn embellishment—which I couched on by machine—to dress up my scarf a bit.

You can use this technique to add a ruffle to the neckline of a blouse or the hemline of a skirt as well. Simply adjust the circumference and depth of the circle. Keep in mind, the larger the circumference of the inner circle, the fewer “ripples” you’ll have. So, to get more flounce, cut several circles—as I did for my scarf—and seam them together.

Tie it loosely around your neck.

Wrap it around to make a cozy collar.

Start with a circle.

Open and straighten the circle to form a flounce.

To make a spiral fleece scarf:

1. First, make a paper pattern by folding a sheet of paper into quarters. Draw the outer and inner quarter circles on the paper and cut.

Fold some paper in quarters to simplify patternmaking.

Use a compass or a ruler to make the outer circle.

Draw an inner circle.

2. Use the paper pattern to cut the desired number of fabric circles. (I used to four to make this scarf.) Note: If you’re seaming the flounce to a hem or neckline, be sure to add a seam allowance to the inner circle. And add a narrow hem allowance to the outer circle.

3. Seam the circles together. Since I used fleece, I butted the edges and zigzagged the sections together, creating a flat, smooth seam.

Connect the fleece circles by butting the edges together and zigzagging.

This makes a smooth, flat seam.

4. Shape the open ends by trimming to form a point.

Trim the ends to form a point.

Here’s the finished spiral.

5. Lay the yarn on top of the fabric and zigzag stitch in place. A cording foot makes this step so much easier because there is a groove on the bottom of the foot that allows the yarn to pass under smoothly. A cording foot usually has a hole on the top to guide the yarn as well, but the yarn I used had thick and thin sections and was too irregular to slide easily through the hole. I couched yarn to the outer edges of the scarf as well and formed some loops to add interest.

Use a cording foot to couch on some yarn or decorative thread.

A cording foot has a groove on the bottom to accommodate the bulky yarn.

posted in: sewing, fashion, fabric, yarn, scarf

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Comments (9)

Doggie101 writes: This is a beautiful scarf. I made one myself and I'm only 11.
Posted: 12:27 pm on March 2nd

Saphyra_Runa writes: Love this! I dived into my pile of fleece and made one up to go with a top for work today. This will help keep me cozy warm since the air conditioning is on all year round at my place of employment. Thanks!
Posted: 2:39 pm on February 26th

KMOM14 writes: I love the way it drapes. This is definitely going on my to-craft list.
Posted: 1:43 pm on February 17th

alpinelife writes: Simple. Stunning. Perfect!
Posted: 2:17 am on February 17th

Poppy7 writes: Okay, mybad! I skipped the last few frames where you explain what "couching" is. Glad this wasn't graded. Thanks again!
Posted: 8:58 am on February 16th

CreativeBusyHands writes: Love it! I will need to try this project for sure. I loved the line art on it. Thanks so much for sharing.
Posted: 8:09 pm on February 15th

Raechal writes: I have been thinking of making spiral scarves for my daughter plus copying a ready to wear blouse with a jabot. I was fairly sure it was done with a circle. Thanks for the confirmation and instructions. Your work is truly beautiful and gives me many ideas. You are an inspiration to many.
Posted: 4:16 pm on February 14th

Poppy7 writes: Oh, I LOVE this~! I wish I knew how you did the machine embroidery. I don't know what you mean when you say "couched" it on your machine.

But this is truly lovely and I might make one for my daughter, who has so much more style than I ever did! She wears scarves around her neck and manages to look so natural.
Posted: 12:39 am on February 14th

Tina_Hilton writes: Mary, You've done it again! The scarf is beautiful and the step by step is most helpful. I'm thinking what mine will look like...

Posted: 8:02 am on February 13th

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