DIY lace & knit infinity scarf + a sewing giveaway!

My sister texted me a photo of a pretty infinity scarf a few months ago with the note “can you figure out how to make this?” She’d found a photo on pinterest, only to be disappointed that it linked to a site overseas she didn’t feel comfortable ordering from. So I told her sure, I’d figure it out, but then I didn’t, because I really needed to re-watch all four seasons of Downton Abbey before the new one started… She got tired of waiting, and went ahead and made herself one without my help. It turned out so pretty I decided it was time I got around to making my own version. So, here we have the easy DIY lace & knit infinity scarf:

Most of the scarf is made from stretchy t-shirt fabric, making it soft and comfortable, while the lace section dresses it up a bit. It’s not as heave as a fleece or wool scarf, so it’s a nice option for spring. We’re nearly there, right?

Like most infinity scarves, this one is a tube of fabric sewn together into a circle, which you can loop around your neck twice. Doesn’t it look gorgeous on my gorgeous model/friend?

Here’s how to make a DIY lace & knit infinity scarf:

You’ll want to start with 3/4 yard of knit fabric. (If you want a slightly longer scarf, using 7/8 yard.) I purchased interlock knit, since it’s quite stable and easy to sew on because the edges don’t curl, but you’re used to sewing with knits you can use any type you have on hand. You’ll also want half a yard of lace fabric, and you’ll want to choose one that’s fairly soft (check the “fashion lace” section of Jo-Ann Fabrics). Cut your fabric as shown:

We want to sew these three pieces of fabric together to make one long piece of fabric, with the lace in the middle. Place the lace on top of one of the knit pieces, RST, and sew about 1/2 inch from the edge as shown below.

Press the seam allowance toward the knit, then topstitch about 1/4 inch from the seam, as shown. Since my lace has a loos weave with lots of “open” areas I ended up sewing two rows of topstitching just to make sure it was secure.

Repeat with the other piece of knit fabric on the other end of the lace. Your scarf will now look like this:

Fold it in half lengthwise right sides together, and sew the raw edges together, starting and stopping about 6 inches from each short end (as shown above).

If you choose a lace like the one I used, with lots of open areas, you’ll want to reinforce the edge of the lace before you sew it together. I used a scrap of matching knit fabric, but you could also use stay tape or even just a strip of interfacing (it will be barely visible in the finished scarf so don’t use a crazy color). Use a strip a little less than an inch wide and pin it right on top of the lace, then sew over it when you’re sewing the long edge of the scarf together. This will help keep that edge tidy and secure. (If your lace doesn’t have lots of open areas, go ahead and skip this step!)

Now, turn the scarf right side out. Fold it in half so the short edges meet. Take the two inside corners (shown with the yellow dots below) and pin them together.

Continue pinning all along the raw edges of the scarf, then sew those edges together. The scarf will look all bunched up as you do this (1st photo below), but once that seam is done you can pull it right side out and you’ll have a nice finished circle (2nd photo below).

Press the seams.

The last step is to tuck in the edges along the opening and sew it shut. You’re welcome to hand stitch it, but I simple stitched around the entire length of the scarf, about 1/4 inch from the edge, to finish it all off. I did switch to white thread when I got to the lace portion. You end up with a pretty infinity scarf with no raw edges.

I found that the scarf looks a little better once it’s on if you pull the two layers away from each other to fluff it up a bit. Beautiful!