I started with a white scarf that I had made for this purpose. Only use a fabric that is made of %100 natural fiber like cotton, linen, silk or rayon. The fabric I used is %50 linen and %50 rayon. If you choose the right fabric for dying, your scarf will come out bright and rich like mine did!
I didn’t take any photos of how I made the scarf. I kind of just looked at one that I have from Anthropologie and reversed engineered it. You will need about two yards of faric if you only want two seams. Here’s a drawing of how I made mine.
- Cut and measure fabric that is about 72 inches wide by about 24 inches tall. Fold longways, like a hotdog 🙂
- Sew along the opposite edge of the fold. I left about a 3/4 inch lip, since the linen I was using unravels easily.
- Turn righside out, basically creating a long tube with two open ends.
- Sew the two ends together. I lined them up with the outsides facing together and sewed them with the machine until I couldn’t any longer. I was left with a little mouth, so I tucked in the ends and sewed them on the mat chine.
- Wrap around your neck twice and wear!
You could totally use a patterned or colored fabric and just wear your scarf as it is. But since mine is just boring white, here is how I tie-dyed mine.
Tightly wrap rubber bands wherever you want to create a design. I just made a stripe pattern.
Prepare your dye bath according to the directions on the package. I used Rit in “Teal”, which comes in a powder form. I dissolved a half packet (since I was only dying 1 item, and the package was for 3 pounds of fabric), in two cups of very hot water from the tap. In a large steel pot, I heated about 8 quarts of water to a low simmer, added my dye solution and stirred. Add your fabric and stir constantly for about 30 minutes.
Carefully remove your fabric from the pot and place in the sink or basin. Rinse with warm water and then gradually cold water.
Hang and dry.
Tips
- Be sure to wear an apron or clothes you don’t care about, because this stuff will stain.
- At first I thought that the linen would be cool and breathable for the summer and that it might soften after a wash, and it is. But I would like to go for a softer, lighter fabric next time. So when selecting you fabric think about how it will feel against your skin.
- When the directions say to dissolve the dye in 2 cups hot water, do this very thoroughly. I didn’t take this step very seriously, and I came out with speckles of pigment in yellow and blue. It’s actually kind of interesting in a way. But if you don’t want this make sure to stir until all the powdered dye is dissolved.
