sewing: hooded infinity scarf
This post is written by Jenelle Clark of Echinops & Aster.
As the weather has been getting colder here in Seattle, I’ve found myself reaching for my warmest accessories to keep the chill away. Our winters are notoriously rainy, so having a good hood on hand is never a bad idea either.
My “nice” coat is a black wool trench from J. Crew that I bought while living on the East coast. It does not have a hood. It does have a very fashionable collar that you can flip up for added chic, but it’s not especially useful when I catch myself in a drizzle. I decided that I needed to make myself a scarf that could also convert into a hood, so I started looking out for a pattern that would not only be functional, but also look good.
I decided to try out the Hooded Infinity Scarf Pattern by Gina Renee Designs. The photos of her finished scarf are so cute and stylish. The design also has a simple, modern feel to it that I thought would work perfectly with not only my dress coat, but the other outerwear in my closet too.
Gina was kind enough to send me a PDF copy of her pattern to review, so I got right to work printing/taping my pattern together and choosing the perfect fabric combo.
I decided to sew my scarf with some Shetland Flannel in Redwood and Double Cloth in Black and White, both by Robert Kaufman. I wanted to make something soft and warm with kind of a retro, northwest vibe to it. The marled flannel has a subtle herringbone pattern that adds a really nice dimension to the fabric, and the double cloth is extremely soft with the same hand as a double gauze. One of the best design features of this pattern is that it’s completely reversible, which allows you to really showcase and enjoy two kinds of fabric, making for a pretty versatile accessory.
The scarf lining and outer are each sewn in two pieces, which allows the project to be quickly cut out and started. I also chose to add in the recommended interfacing for the hood portion to give it a little more structure. I think this step is really essential as it lends the finished scarf a more polished look. I used a woven interfacing (SF101 by Pellon) since I was also working with woven fabrics.
The pattern is written for extra-wide, knit or woven fabric (56″ and over), but subbing in a 44″ wide fabric -as I did with the shetland flannel- was easy to do. I simply split the long pattern piece into two panels and added in an additional seam at the bottom of the scarf loop. It worked perfectly!
The construction of the scarf is also pretty straightforward as you sew the lining and outer pieces first and then join them. The trickiest part of this pattern is figuring out how to sew the final seam that joins the lining to the outer while still allowing the infinity part of the scarf to work properly.
As a quilter and bag maker (who occasionally takes forays into the world of garment sewing) it took me a fair amount of brainpower to work this step out. Based on this, I would say that this pattern is probably for more experienced garment sewers because the directions seem to assume some construction knowledge. In the end, I did feel like I had learned an important technique that I can now take into future projects. I was glad to have to opportunity to try something a little more challenging too.
My scarf ended up working out perfectly for my needs and will surely help to keep my head warm and dry as I skip around town this winter. With Christmas fast approaching, I also couldn’t help but notice how great it would be to make this scarf for a friend or relative.
It’s such a versatile piece that also seems like it would appeal to lots of people, both women and more fashionable guys. By simply switching out the fabrics (using wovens or knits) this pattern can also be adapted for any season of wear, which makes me think that I’ll be sewing another one of these in the near future.
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