Do It Yourself - Delightful ways of putting your old scarves to new uses
Scarves are beautiful pieces of clothing. Beautiful rectangles of varied design that thrill the senses, they not only succeed in raising the style quotient, but those small areas of colored cloth also offer very many other possibilities when one tires of wearing them.
Some uses are already known, different people know different uses, so why not pool them to allow very many more people to know what they didn’t know and what they could try out? Maybe many more ideas could be added to the list?
1.Make a shirt
When your old printed scarves lie more in the cupboard rather than on your person as interesting accessories, it is time they were used differently. Two different printed scarves can be used in the manner of covering yourself as two portions of a stylish shirt. Funky is it not? Attaching them at two points in the front and two at the back with barely visible safety pins, below the neck and at just above waist level , you have two scarves fashioned to be like a shirt. Very innovative and definitely eye popping!
2.A nice Vintage Scarf Pillow for your sofa
Scarves serve as interesting pillow covers. But what if the stuffed pillow had two different sides with two scarves with a zipper about two or three inches above the end border on one side. This gives comfort and convenience. Common scarf size could be 22“ to 20”. If you have the oblong scarves that are often very long then it becomes convenient to try size pillows bigger as well.
Try out a mix of square and oblong shaped pillows to decorate your sofas.
3. Turn it into a handbag
Spread the scarf on a flat surface. Take each of the corners by turn and either knot them at the end or bunch like a knot and put a rubber band. Do this for all the four ends. Now taking two adjacent ends together tie a small scarf from one end to another. You have two handles with a deep bottom like a bag. Mind-blowing isn’t it?
Good floral designer scarves would look so attractive.
4. Make sun catchers
Use a silk scarf fitted in a fabric hand held vice that is used during embroidery work and hang it from any convenient place so that the sun glint catches now and then. It would be a nice sun catcher. For info, A sun catcher or light catcher is a small, reflective glass or iridescent piece that is hung indoors at windows to "catch the light" from a nearby source. It is in fact like the optical equivalent of a wind chime. Some designs are simple and abstract with perhaps some mobile-like chained elements, while more complex designs often evoke plants or animals. Many designs combine sun catchers with wind chimes. It is believed that sun catchers were first made by the Southwestern Native-Americans.
Sun catchers may be mass-manufactured, or created by hand, and can be of varying simplicity of design from an arts and crafts project to a professionally handmade glass sculpture.
5. Wrap gifts
We use a lot of paper in gift wrapping during common gift sessions, parties etc. which nobody thinks twice about unwrapping them nicely so that they could be used again. If old scarves with good prints were used instead the purpose would be served and they would just be untied and kept aside to be re-used again. A novel idea that would catch on .
6. Make a quilt
Good floral handkerchiefs and scarves when laid side by side, and arranged to quilt size could be stitched at adjacent borders to form the desired quilt that could also be soft, light and extremely attractive with so many ‘cheerful’ designs as well.
7. Frame them
With so many diverse designs and in different fabrics you could frame them and arrange on the wall of your choice to have created your own art gallery. Novel and enterprising effort that would earn praise all round.
8. Fashion a tunic
There is nothing like a good Batik design or Bandhani scarf if done with a little ingenuity would result in a self-styled tunic that would draw the ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’.
9. Turn it into a camera strap
If you are bored with your standard black strap that comes with your camera, a designer scarf could serve as a refreshing change.
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10. Refashion an old shirt
When you have scarves to do what you please with, use lovely designer scarves to adorn plain shirts that you feel seem very plain and boring. Wrap the scarf you choose around a certain portion of the shirt and make the border stitches to make it a permanent affair till you want the next change. Then just remove the current one and replace with another.
11. Spruce up your bun
A simple, but very cute way to use a scarf is to simply wrap it around a low bun and tie a bow underneath it.
12. Make a silk jacket
Want to do things with your scarf yet not lose it completely? Tie the two adjacent ends and create the openings on both sides and wear them like a jacket. The colorful silk jacket would be a welcome change, light and designer over your outfit. And the best part – you get back your scarf intact any time.
13. Make strappy sandals
And how do you get attention combining a scarf with strappy sandals? Well one way is to simply make two portions of the scarf. Then wrap each portion around the straps and continue onto the ankles and wrap the little that is left, there. It is simply amazing how jazzy it actually looks.
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14. Fashion a twisted bracelet
Who doesn’t have gazillion scarves that never get worn?
Cut a strip from an old piece of scarf about 6 inches wide. Hold one end while you firmly start twisting the fabric at the other end. When done twisting, bring the end pieces together and the material will twist together.
If the scarf be extra long then you could let the bracelet wrap a couple of times. Cut the length if needed, making sure you keep an extra couple of inches on the end for the bead. After cutting, you might need to re-twist to keep it tight. Add a bead to the open ends of the scarf and attach via the loop on the other end. You’re done!
15. Wear it as a head scarf
Here is one of many ways to use the scarf as a head accessory. You use the scarf on the days you feel your hair is a bit on the oily side. You cover the back portion of your head and take support by tying around the bun, covering it.
16. Make a braided bracelet
If you have a metal bracelet then you can use the colorful scarf to wrap around the bracelet tightly and neatly all around it with chinks of metal showing at intervals to make the fabric appear and feel like a braided bracelet.
17. Make it into a bib
For your tiny toddlers, scarves can be fashioned into good attractive bibs. All that is required is a little fashioning with some plain sewing.
18. Tie it into a shrug
One of the easiest ways to re-fashion scarves is to use them like shrugs. No sewing simply tying appropriately.
19. Sew them into shorts
Yes! That’s right shorts! If you have the knack of stitching, you could make real attractive, soft and comfy shorts for casual use.
20. Make them into a curtain
Colorful abstract painting scarves or floral offerings make for great combinations to stitch together for lovely curtains. Try out!
21. Adorn your shoes
With this simple little trick, you can give your shoes a more expensive and custom look. Make two appropriately sized bows for your old footwear and fix the bows prominently in the front and at the centre of the footwear. The vibrant colored bows should spruce up the otherwise dull pieces covering your feet. Use your imagination to create shapes other than bows.
22. Bunt them
Decorate a party in a totally unique way by bunting some scarves together. Bunting is a a coarse, loosely woven cotton fabric used for flags, etc. So scarves are a great substitute to use for decorating whenever there is an occasion. You shall have variety, color and novelty.
23. Make a stamped scarf
What you are going to do is a DIY no sew stamped scarf. And how do you do it? Here’s how! All you need is to make stamps on fabric.
The method:
- trace your block onto the back of a craft foam piece to get an accurate size.
- draw out your desired shape. You could try a simple shape or striped lines or whatever else catches your fancy. You may not get it perfect but they add to the charm.
- once done, remove the backing and stick your foam onto a wood block.
- cut out a piece of fabric that seems like a good size scarf.
- lay your fabric down flat on a work surface and tape down to secure.
- brush paint onto your stamp and stamp away!
