How to Sew a Spiral Scarf Tutorial

What begins as crosswise fabric strips, ends up in a completely bias scarf. Curious? It’s easy to sew a bias, spiral scarf with a little sewing savvy. My first recommendation is for you to watch or read the original scarf instructions. The book is  Sensational Scarves  and it features a total of 14 scarf options. You can watch part one, which features the Spiral Scarf, Click here to watch . (Also, consider watching  part two of this TV show online, or many other  Sewing With Nancy programs, anytime of the day at your convenience.)












Spring Green Scarf Sewing Tips
Fabric requirements:

We chose three shades of polyester-chiffon fabric. (Of course, you may select any color range or color combos.)
Light and dark colored fabrics: Purchase 1/4 yd. of 60″ wide fabrics.
Medium colored fabric: Purchase 1/2 yd. of 60″ wide fabric.

Cutting directions:


Cut two 3-1/2″ wide crosswise strips of the light and dark fabrics.
Cut four 3-1/2″ wide crosswise strips of the medium fabric.

Stitch or serge two strips of the same fabrics together, creating a long 120″ length. You’ll have four strips: one each of the light and dark fabrics and two of the medium fabrics.

Lay out the fabric strips in the following sequence: dark—medium—light—medium. The sequence will cause the colors to gradate after sewing.














Rotate every other strip before seaming, staggering the seams at either end of the scarf. Serge or stitch the strips together. Note: if you’re serging the seams, pin parallel to the edge of the fabric to avoid serging over a pin. Oops!
























Cut the fabric to a specific length.


In order to achieve the spiral effect, the fabric rectangle must be a specific length. As I tell my TV audience, the length must be divisible by the width. (If your forehead is wrinkled, relax, I’ll give you an ideal size.)
Cut the length to 84″ x 12″. If the width is wider than 12″, trim.













Did you watch the video? If not, now’s the time to watch the segment on the spiral scarf . It’s easier to watch me demonstrate the technique than to show it in photographs!

If your fabric is lightweight, use an anchor cloth, which is merely a scrap of fabric. Start sewing on the anchor cloth then proceed to stitch the scarf fabric. After completing the seam, clip off the anchor cloth.















When you’re finished sewing, there will be an opening in the middle of the scarf. Turn the scarf right side out through the opening. Then hand stitch the opening closed.

For more ideas, check out  Sensational Scarves and Sew Amazing Scarves from Nancy’s Notions.

The random winner of one of my laser-cut fusible appliqués, from the May 1 posting, is KarenJo. Here’s her comment: “…DEFinitely the “Fabric Cut Stitch Create” laser cut fusible applique! Those words DO tell my story.The precision of the laser cut letters makes these two projects so doable with a much cleaner cut than with my scissors! And I have an ombre piece of fabric that would be perfect”.

The random winner of Clover’s Rotary Cutter Cradle, from the May 3 posting, is Ester. Here’s her comment: “My Mother was a seamstress and later in her life an award winning quilter. She taught me how to sew, and I am forever grateful. She had a little dresser—waist high—with two narrow drawers at the top and three regular drawers below. The top two drawers always held thread. When I found a similar dresser at a garage sale, I followed her style! On the dresser is a basket with a ruler, some ordinary scissors, and my rotary cutters. My good sewing scissors hang on a little wooden strip by my sewing machine. I seem to always need a pin cushion—I have lots, but of course I have a favorite. Thanks for this article, Nancy. I haven’t figured out how to use a rotary cutter before now!! Thanks everyone for sharing—fun to read how ya’ll handle your sewing supplies.”

Bye for now,

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