Are you struggling to find a great gift for a friend, sister or mother-in-law and you don’t have their measurements? Would you love to make a few gifts this year, but you just don’t know if you have the time? Or maybe you’re just starting to sew and want to make something easy but you don’t want it to look “homemade”. No matter the situation, an infinity scarf might be the perfect solution for you! No pattern needed, just use this guide and you can make one in less than 30 minutes. That’s not bad if you consider that a trip to the mall during the holidays could take you a lot longer!
If you want to step your gifting up a notch, scroll to the bottom of this page and check out a few of my favorite FREE PATTERNS to make an easy robe and an eye mask. Then just toss in some clay masks and face cream and you have the perfect spa gift set!
Infinity Scarf Tutorial
Supplies
- 2 yards of fabric (you can also use 1 yard and your scarf will just have two seams instead of one)
- Matching thread
- Regular sewing supplies (pins/clips, scissors, iron, measuring tape, etc)
Fabric Selection
- I’ve used burnout velvet like the Burgundy and Black Damask knit shown in this tutorial, jersey knit and chiffon. Some others that would make a great scarf include sweater knit, ITY/DTY, modal, rayon challis and lace. Yet another great choice, especially if you'd like to add a little sparkle to the holidays is Metallic Knits. You can use any woven or knit that has a nice drape. I would not recommend very structured fabrics like heavy double knits or stiff fabrics like quilting cottons, as they might look too bulky or stiff around the face.
Step 1 – Measure and Cut
Lay out your 2-yard* piece of fabric and measure and cut about 20” from the selvage, the entire length of the fabric. You should end up with a long rectangle that is about 72” long and 20” wide (most stretchy direction if using knit).
*If using a 1-yard piece of fabric, just cut two 20” wide x 36” long strips from your fabric. Put them right sides together and sew one short end of each piece together. This should give you the ~72” long by 20” wide rectangle needed.
Step 2 – Sew the Hot Dog (longest) Seam
With your long rectangle right sides up, fold one long side up onto the other long side, right sides together (like folding a hot dog bun). Pin and sew along the long 72” edge.
You should now have a long tube.
Step 3 – Create the Infinity Circle
With your tube inside out, reach one arm all the way through the tube and grab the short end where your hand pops out. Now pull your hand back through the tube until the short edge that you just grabbed matches up with the opposite short end. The tube should now be doubled over inside itself and have it’s right sides together. Pin and sew the two short ends together, leaving just a 3” opening for turning.
Watch this video for step 3 visual instructions.
Step 4 – Turn and close
Reach inside the 3” opening from the previous step and start pulling the right sides through the hole until the scarf is all right sides out. Click here for a short turning video. Stitch the hole closed. I usually just fold about ¼” of the fabric inward and sew as close to the edge of the fabric as I can to close the hole. This works great for textured or printed fabrics where the seams aren’t too noticeable. If you are concerned that the 3” hole closure will be noticeable, you can always hand stitch using a hidden stitch instead.
You’re done!
To summarize, this scarf took just 1 piece of fabric, 2 seams and a hole closure. That’s it!
Here are a few of my other gifting favorites. They’re both FREE, too!
Grab & Go Robe by Rad Patterns (Join their facebook group, and then grab the pattern from the group files. There’s a kid’s version, too!)
Eye Mask from Made for Mermaids
Beth Darrah is a self-taught sewist who enjoys strike-off sewing, blogging and photography.