Have you heard about our soft and stretchy Modern Jersey? It’s the perfect fabric for garment sewing. Our guest author, Emma Jeffery, stops by the blog to share her first sewing project with the new jersey, a perfect option for beginners! Prefer to learn from a video? Skip down to the bottom of the post where Spoonflower team member Jessica recreates this project in a video tutorial. 

Emma models a finished Modern Jersey Infinity Scarf

For this scarf, you’ll need two yards of Spoonflower’s Modern Jersey (56″ (142.24 cm) wide). You can make two scarves with this yardage, but note that you cannot make one scarf out of one yard. You need to make full use of the length that two yards gives you, to make a scarf. You’ll also need to work on a large table or even a hard floor so that you’re able to fully lay the fabric out. You don’t want the fabric to hang over the edges of a small, narrow work surface, as the weight of the overhanging fabric could pull the rest of the fabric down and you won’t be able to cut straight lines.

Materials

  • 2 yards of Modern Jersey fabric
  • Sewing machine
  • Pins or sewing clips
  • Scissors
  • Measuring tape

Step 1. Fold your fabric in half.

Lay your two yards of jersey on your work surface folded in half with the wrong sides facing (I used Linen Diamonds by mrshervi). The fold will be along the imaginary 1-yard line, so you have one yard of fabric laying on top of the other.

Folded Modern Jersey fabric

2. Cut your fabric in half.

Find the halfway mark perpendicular to the fold you just created and cut the fabric in half. If you have a patterned print like I do, it’s best to cut one layer of fabric at a time, following the pattern for a straight line.

cutting Modern Jersey

You will now have two separate cuts of fabric each measuring 72” x 28” (182.88 cm x  71.12 cm) and each can be sewn into a scarf. One for you and one for a friend!

two cuts of fabric

3. Trim off excess selvage.

Next, trim the excess white fabric at the edges of the print. I recommend saving these for future sewing projects; they are great for sewing sleeve cuffs or neckbands on tops and tees.

trim excess

4. Pin and sew the long raw edges together.

Take your fabric and fold in half lengthwise with right sides together. Pin the two long raw edges together and sew down the entire length to create a long tube open at both ends. Keep the tube inside out with right sides together.

pin

5. Pin the two shorter sides together.

Now, bring one short end up toward the other by rolling the right sides of the fabric against itself. It’s probably easiest to reach down the tube, grab the bottom edge with your hand, and pull that end back up through the tube and match up the two raw edges. Pin the two edges together around the circle, matching up the seam.

Bring short ends together

6. Sew the shorter sides together.

When pinning, leave a 4” (10.16 cm) hole that will remain unsewn. To remind myself not to sew over the hole, I place my pins in an X shape either side of the hole I want to leave, and start/stop sewing at those marks. Sew.

leave 4" hole

7. Turn scarf right side out.

You’re almost finished. Turn the scarf right sides out through the 4” (10.16 cm) hole you left. You’ll be able to pull the entire thing through the hole.

Turn Scarf to Right Side

8. Sew the remaining hole closed.

Machine stitch (or hand stitch for a neater finish) the hole closed.

Hand stitch closed

You’re done! Your scarf can be worn loose by looping twice around the neck, or more snugly by wrapping three times around. Enjoy! Looking for more quick beginner projects? Try this zipper pouch DIY!


About Our Guest Blogger

Emma Jeffery, Spoonflower guest bloggerHi! I’m Emma, and as well as working on the Fiskars Design Team, I blog over at Gather & Grand. I’m an obsessive sewer, often leaping into projects with more enthusiasm than talent, more bravado than skill and more good luck than anything else. This technique has worked well for me so far and more often than not, I make things I love, even if they’re not absolutely perfect. And though I’m no expert, I have a passion for fabric, color and design. I know what I like and what I like makes me smile.