Fleece cowl scarf FAIL

Madigan made...  a {failed} attempt at a reversible cowl scarf.

Yeah, I don't look very happy in this picture, right?

This fleece cowl scarf was supposed to be reversible.

I wanted to show you a scarf that was gray on the outside and maroon on the inside.
...Then *bam!*...
I'd show you a picture of it maroon on the outside and gray on the inside.

This half-in-half scarf was not the scarf I had in mind!

Now, why did I want to make this scarf? Well, this is how I normally look when I walk the dog in the winter:

This winter has been brutally cold.
When I walk the dog in the morning I bundle up like a two-year-old going sledding for the first time:

• Heavy, long, down puffy coat.
• Thick knit hat.
• Thermal-insulated gloves.
• Boots. (not shown, but they are polka dot and darn cute)
• And usually two or three scarves around my face.

I wanted to streamline my need for 2 scarves into one piece that was warm with full face coverage.
I know. I could invest in a ski mask. But then I'd look like a bank robber... not very cute.

I wanted to make a tapered cowl-neck scarf that I could use to cover my nose when walking... or push down and just drape around my neck. I also wanted it to be two-toned and reversible. That way, I could use it with different coats.

  

If you remember in this post, I told you that I taught myself to sew. After lots of trial and error, I figured out how to make purses. My first purses were train wrecks! I did not blog at the time and I wish I had saved them to show you. Darn.

I never follow a pattern (they scare me for some reason). I want to figure out the construction of something.  I figure that the process helps me learn, too.

I thought it would be soooo simple to sew this dumb scarf. But as always... projects are never as easy as they seem.

I took pics of the steps with plans to write a tutorial. Then things started to go awry...

I used the seam ripper WAY too many times that night...I tried sewing the two pieces together at first and then realized that was wrong.

Then I sew two 'tubes' (one gray, one red) and connected them with one inside the other. I left a little opening on one seam and turned it right side out.  I don't want to lead you astray... so I will stop and not go into the details.
Bottom line, I think I connected the wrong parallel sides of each color of fleece. Maybe. I'm still not sure.

Look at the shape... even that is wrong.

The scarf should be tapered with one opening smaller than the other. (and you can see remnants of where I stopped using the seam ripper and just cut off one seam to start over!)

I'm chalking this scarf up to a learning experience... just like my trials and errors with purse making.

I think I know how to fix it... but winter is almost over at this point. (I hope!) I'm moving onto other projects and I will just continue to use my two scarves on really cold walks.

So, I'm off to find and read a few tutorials about how to make this scarf... the right way. I'll be back with it if I do figure this out!

Maybe I'll have a great tutorial for a fabulous scarf by next fall. Maybe.

Posted in: crafts, misadventures, sewing