How-to: Infinity Scarf from a Shrunken Sweater

D’oh! It seems that I sent one of my sweaters through the dryer, and it shrunk beyond the point where I can salvage it. Technically, what’s happened here is that I accidentally felted my sweater. Yep! Felting a wool sweater is so easy that you can do it without even meaning to. My closet’s loss is my accessory stash’s gain, though, because I turned that shrunken sweater into a super cozy infinity scarf.

Vegan crafters, don’t fret! You can do this project, too. You just need to use a thicker sweater, since non-wool doesn’t tend to shrink down as densely. We’ll finish the edges of this scarf, so you don’t have to worry about things unreveling.

Do you have a shrunken sweater that needs a little love? Here’s how you can make your very own infinity scarf.

Materials

One felted wool sweater
Fabric scissors
Sewing machine, thread, and straight pins
2-3 vintage buttons

Directions

1. Grab your sweater, and cut off the rigged bottom. Then, cut straight across the body, so you’re left with a fabric tube that’s 5″ high.

2. Flip your tube inside out, and snip it open along one of the side seams – cut the seam out completely.

3. You’re ready to sew! Run your sweater piece through the machine, using the zig zag or your overlock stitch. I left a 1/8″ edge around my sweater, because I like a sort of unfinished look. You can sew closer to the edge if you like it to be more finished.

4. Now, you’re ready to close off the scarf! Lay it flat, and take one of the edges and fold it over by about 1/3. Then, grab the other edge, and fold it over so your edges overlap by 1″. Now, take that top edge and flip it over, then lay it back down and pin it in place. I used different colors of thread for the top and bottom when I sewed around the edge of my scarf, so you can better see what’s going on here:

5. Grab your buttons, and sew them on. If you used two buttons, sew them each about 1″ from the top and bottom of the scarf. If you used three, you’ll start the buttons closer to the edge and sew your third one in between those first two.

6. Pull the pins out, and you’re done! Put on your cozy new scarf, and go enjoy this lovely fall weather!