DIY Tutorial: Tubular T-Shirt Scarves
Winter is just around the corner, and you know what that means: scarf season!
Yes, one of the best parts of winter’s arrival is my favorite style basic: scarves. They’re easy to throw on and a definite staple for fall. Problem is, scarves cost money, so being the economically responsible person I am, I decided to whip up not one but TWO scarves from one shirt, and best of all, they’re FREE!
So do you know what time it is? That’s right- get your scissors out, girls: it’s DIY time! I’m going to show you how to make a fringed scarf AND a tube scarf from one t-shirt, all for $0 dollars. Eat your heart out, American Apparel.
What You Need:
1. An oversized, old, and/or unwanted t-shirt
2. A marker (or something to make marks with)
3. Scissors
How to Make the Fringe Scarf
Step 1:
Take the shirt of your choosing and turn it so the side you want to be visible is on the inside.
If you want to hide the decal or whatever, make sure the decal is on the outside and vice versa. However, I just want to make a note that if you use a shirt with a design on it, the design colors will probably become visible one way or another because the fringe will flip sometimes. So If you want a solid colored fringe scarf, use a shirt with no design on it.
Step 2:
Measure out about 10 or so inches and make a mark in the center of the shirt. Then make a mark on each side of the shirt about one inch above the bottom of each shirt sleeve. Connect all three dots in an arch-like shape (see above).
Step 3:
Cut off the shirt sleeves. (This makes it easier to cut out the scarf shape.)
Step 4:
Cut along the arched line you drew earlier and pull apart. (Make sure you cut both layers!) Put the bottom half aside (we will use it later).
Step 5:
Make a mark under the center of the neck hole and then measure about an inch away from both ends of the neck hole and make two other marks. After you make the marks, connect them by drawing another arch. (Don’t stress, it doesn’t have to be perfect, it’s going to be round no matter what.)
Step 6:
Cut along the arch line you drew and pull apart.
Step 7:
Starting at the center, cut a straight line until you get to about half an inch away from the top of the fabric. (Make sure you are cutting both the bottom and the top layers.) Then measure about 2 centimeters to the left or right and cut another line. Repeat this until you get the whole piece of fabric looking like the above picture.
Voila! Scarf 1 Complete!
It should look something like this:
My scarf has lots of colors because the inside of the shirt I used had red and blue designs on the shirt.
I really like it – it’s very Parisian. However, if you want your fringe scarf to be one solid color, try and find a shirt with no design on either side in the color of your choosing, or get creative and experiment with shirts with different patterns.
How to Make the Tube Scarf:
Step 1:
Take the remnants of the bottom half of the shirt. (The part I told you to put aside.) Draw a straight line across, then cut along the line.
Step 2:
Pull apart the two fabrics. Yay, scarf 2 is completed!
It should look something like this:
Or you can wrap it twice around your neck like this:
There you have it – two scarves from one t-shirt!
And just to give you some perspective, did you know that American Apparel’s circle scarf, costs a whopping $37 dollars?! Meanwhile Urban Outfitter’s similarly styled fringe scarves range from 30-40 dollars. I love my AA and UO as much as the next girl, but $30+ dollars for a scarf? I think I’ll pass- especially when you can make the exact same thing in 5 minutes and for free!
Honestly, this DIY is so easy, and versatile, I don’t know why you wouldn’t want to do try it out. You can experiment with so many patterns and designs – I get excited just thinking about the possibilities.
Your Thoughts?
What do you guys think? Did you like this tutorial? Are you gonna be rocking your DIY scarves proudly? Let me know in the comments!
Posted on on November 1, 2009 / Filed Under: Fashion Tips / Tags: American Apparel, DIY, Fringe, Scarves, Tube Scarf, Urban Outfitters, Winter
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Paula ♥
I’m excited to try this! I have so many shirts I don’t like any more.
mish :)
WOW! this is about recyle&being SO FASHION!
i love it?, i would do it ;)
Luinae
Yes, yes, and yes.
Looks like I now have something to do this sunday!
ling
so so so cool! thanks for a great idea!
Bryannah
Oh my God, I love you for this. :)
I’m so trying it on my old tees. (:
YOU ARE A GENIUS. (: <3333
xoxoxoxoxox
Aryn
Omg! This is genius! These are exactly the types of scarves I was looking into buying but was deterred by the prices.
I’m going to go do this right now! Thanks for the awesome ideas!
abbyll
I really love your blog, it helped a lot in the last weeks.
Can´t you do more DIY tutorials?
Lisa
i really like DIY. here is a link to a great blog about it, sometimes the ideas are a bit crazy, but i mostly use it for inspiration http://www.lovemaegan.com
alana
super cute! i just made a fringe scarf i love it
Lori
love love love! awesome idea. more diy stuff please!
Jess
Love the idea. I am going to try it with many different shirts i don’t use. You should do more DIY post.
Jessica
I’m am in awe… How did you think of this?! They’re absolutely gorgeous! Thanks to you, I’ll be able to transform my boring outfits into something really cute!
Liza - University of Minnesota
This is seriously SO cool Kim! I love it! What a great idea!
Pan
I made the fringe scarf with a tie dye shirt… AMAZING!
Thanks soooo much! It is really cute.
USE TIE DYE!
Janet
Kimmi, this is really great. Time to DIY it up today, thanks!
Keep the blogs coming sweet thang.
Kaci
I love this! I can’t wait to try it. I wear scarves all the time and this was perfect for winter. I would love to see more DIY posts, too! Especially ones involving old articles of clothing.
Choon
wow, kim! i love it!
you’re such a genius. :)
Good girl gone blog
What a fantastic project. Keep the DIY stuff coming :)
Lalalina
I love the DIY article! I too would love to see more! These scarves aren’t my style but I love that they are super easy to make yourself!
Ysa
cool idea ~ i’m gonna make one too~
Kenna
I.LOVE.THIS! I am going to try this today. Thanks for the post! Lets see some more DIY!
M
This is fantastic! I wanted to try out these style scarves but wasn’t sure they looked good on me and didn’t want to spend the money to find out. This is a perfect way to try it out!
Would love to see more DIY tutorials, esp. easy ones like this one. There’s one on YouTube for making a tote bag out of a shirt and duct tape (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6yDxK68OZc)…it’s from the Today Show, I think.
Cara
I thought these would be a little odd to actually wear, but I made them an am really enjoying the chic arty-ness of the fringe one, though I still stink the plain one looks weird on me.
Arielle
This is a great post!
Please do more DIY tips!!
kc
ooooo yes i love your tutorial! can’t wait to try it!
Funny Tshirt
Hey that is quite odd stuff you have did. This is nice imagination i would say…
Kristina
I just did this to my shirt. i can’t believe i just got TWO scarves for free and they’re sooooo cute. Thanks man.
Alex
Check out this fab website for more DIY tips and trends! http://www.DIYStyle.net features video podcasts and step by step guides on creating some stylish pieces for your wardrobe!
Teala
You make your new fringe scarf look effortless and chique.
My new fringe scarf looks like I just cut up an old t-shirt.
Great ideas… I guess I’m just not that creative!
Carina
Very simple, but very interesting tutorial! I’m excited to try this out.
Kath
More DIY posts please. Expanding my wardrobe without killing my bank account is so much fun! I’ve been eying tube scarves in stores but didn’t want to spend that much on one (I have so many scarves already!). Now my new, free one is my favorite fall accessory.
It even inspired me to DIY a warmer version to wear once colder weather hits. I was just going to use your idea but with a sweatshirt instead of a T, but couldn’t find an appropriate one. Instead I bought a yard of thicker fabric, cut a big strip of it (so I had 36×20-ish inch rectangle) and sewed both ends together. It took only too a few minutes and cost $4.
chloe
love it! i’m always getting t-shirts for free and i never wear them… btw, you can also use the sleeves as headbands :) i’ve been doing that for years but never the scarf thing!
laney
omg i can not wait to try this!!!!!!!!
josie
i’m doing this right now! lol
Marie
This works so well! I love the tube one!!!
aish
omg
please put up more DIY
love this stuff
Rachel
Yes! This is amazing, I’ll be for sure trying this out when I can make a trip to the thrift store to pick up some super cheap crazy tees. All i can say is that I’ve loved your DIY posts, please keep em coming! :) they’re some of the more chic ones i’ve managed to find while browsing the net.