Embroidered Corduroy Scarf

Coats & Clark Design Team icon By: Coats & Clark Design Team
Embroidery
designed by Heather Jones for Coats and Clark
This easy project is made with super soft corduroy which makes the perfect fall scarf. The scarf is sewn by machine, and then embellished with some simple hand embroidery stitches using a variety of Coats and Clark threads for a great finishing touch.
Please read through all of the instructions before getting started. All seam allowances are 1/4″.
Supplies:
2 yards corduroy fabric A (I used Paisley Red Corduroy from Denyse Schmidt’s Chicopee line for FreeSpirit Fabrics)
2 yards corduroy fabric B (I used Duet Dot Red Corduroy from Denyse Schmidt’s Chicopee line for FreeSpirit Fabrics)
sewing machine
rotary cutter
ruler
cutting mat
scissors
hand sewing needle
pins
iron and ironing board
optional: turning tool or chopstick

Instructions:

1. Square up the ends of both corduroy fabrics with the rotary cutter and ruler on a cutting mat. Then, cut Corduroy Fabric A along the length of the fabric into a strip that measures 7 1/2″ x 72″. Repeat with Corduroy Fabric B.

Note: Because we are cutting the fabric lengthwise, this amount of yardage (2 yards of each corduroy print) will create up to seven finished scarves. Great for holiday gift giving!

2. Place the two fabric strips on top of each other, right sides together, making sure to line up the corners and the edges.

3. Pin the two strips together. Be sure to use a lot of pins, as the corduroy can be a bit slippery, especially as you sew them together.

4. Leave a four inch section along one of the sides open. I place a pin in the opposite direction there as a reminder for me to keep that part unstitched.

5. Using the Coats and Clark 100% Mercerized Cotton All Purpose Thread, sew the strips together, making sure to back stitch at the beginning of the seam to lock the stitches.

6. When you reach the corner, stop the machine 1/4″ from the next side of the strip. Keep the needle down…

and pivot the fabric towards you, so that the machine’s foot is just along the edge of the next side.

Continue sewing along the next side, and repeat this step at every corner to ensure nice points on each of them.

7. When you get back to the section you are keeping open, backstitch a few stitches to lock the seam and remove the fabric from the sewing machine.

8. Using a pair of scissors, snip some of the excess fabric in the seam allowances away from the corners, making sure not to cut the seam.

9. Find the section you left unsewn…

open it up, and turn the scarf right side out.

You can also use a turning tool or a chopstick to get the corners turned out nicely, but be careful to use it gently so as to avoid poking a hole in the fabric.

10. Press the scarf with an iron.

11. Turn the edges of the opening in so that they line up with the rest of the scarf, and press with the iron.

12. Using the Coats and Clark Cotton Machine Quilting Thread, topstitch around the scarf, about 1/8″ from the edge.

Make sure to pivot at the corners just as you did in step 6.

13. When you get back to the beginning of your seam, backstitch to lock the stitches. Remove your scarf from the sewing machine.

14. Using a hand sewing needle and the Dual Duty Plus Hand Quilting Thread and the Dual Duty Plus Button and Craft Thread, plus some simple hand embroidery stitches, embellish parts of your scarf. I used the design of the paisley fabric on the front of my scarf as a guide and embroidered some simple running stitches. I used a single thread that was doubled in the needle for all of the stitching. Be sure to knot your thread securely on the back of your scarf to keep your embroidery from unraveling.

And some very simple satin stitches in shades of red and cream. You can embroider as much or as little as you’d like. In my project, I stitched a few areas on the bottom edge of the scarf.

For tips on embroidering, please visit http://www.welovefrenchknots.com/ or your favorite embroidery site.

Heather Jones is a designer and modern quilter. She lives in Cincinnati with her husband, Jeff, and two young children, Aidan and Olivia, who are her biggest supporters as well as her greatest sources of inspiration. Heather founded the Cincinnati chapter of the Modern Quilt Guild and she recently completed her first line of quilting patterns. Three of her original quilts were chosen as winners of the Modern Quilt Guild’s Project Modern Challenges, a year-long national quilting competition. For more information on Heather and her work, please visit her blog at www.oliveandollie.com.