Upcycle Scarves into Hats

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I saw this on Pinterest and had to try it.  I had a scarf that wasn’t really wide enough to keep the wind out, and even though I don’t have a sewing machine my remedial hand-sewing skills were enough to get it done.  I think it took the original artist about 10 minutes to make her old scarf into a hat.  For me, by hand, it took an hour.  Still, not bad.

What You’ll Need

Lay your scarf flat on the ground, inside out.
Fold it in half, then cut it several inches longer than you think you’ll need it to be.
Pin the two long sides.  Sew those sides together using a whipstitch/overhand.
Flip the scarf inside-right.  (Should be a long tube of fabric.)
Put a simple, single running stitch in the top near the fringe.
Wrap your thread below the fringe several times to make your pom-pom.
Use your needle to create a knot that is sewn into the fabric.  Cut off excess thread.
(Note:  My thread was thick enough to hold this.  If yours isn’t, consider using yarn or quilting thread.)
Turn the bottom of the hat up in on itself about 1/2 inch to an inch.
Hem the bottom of the hat so it will not fray using a running stitch.
Your hat should be too long.  Fold the hemmed edge inside until your hat is an appropriate length.
Do a small, single running stitch over the side hems several times to keep the hat’s length.
(Similar to back stitch.)
If your hat’s still too long, you can fold up the bottom and have a brim without anymore sewing.
If your fringe is so long that it looks silly, trim it down until it looks like a pom-pom.
Congrats.  You have a new hat.
SixSistersStuff.com

35 thoughts on “Upcycle Scarves into Hats

  1. Megan

    So cute!

    This is really timely for me – I’ve just unpacked all of my winter gear, and have more scarves than is really necessary. (Read: an embarrassment of scarves.) Now I’ll have several extra home-made Christmas gifts!

    Reply
    1. femmefrugality

      Haha I’m not crafty either. I get all these ideas, but most of them don’t turn out pretty. So everything I post on here is either a display of my inabilities or a testament to the easiness of the project.

      Reply
    1. femmefrugality

      Oooo mad kudos to you. Knitting I don’t have mastered. I have extremely remedial crocheting skills and was thinking of trying that for a hat, but this just seemed so much easier lol.

      Reply
    1. femmefrugality

      Oh, man, I don’t know. I made one hat. That’s about the extent of my skills. The boyfriend just caught onto the Zazzle thing, though. So don’t be surprised if you see some inappropriate shirts popping up in my shop.

      Reply
    1. femmefrugality

      Haha I could see it. The material’s super soft/warm, though. And I’d wash that kitchen mat 20 times before putting it on my head. Buying new isn’t a bad thing, but if I can repurpose something to fit my current needs without spending a cent, you can bet I’m going to do it.

      Reply
  2. Maggie@SquarePennies

    Very cute! I have some scarves that would be great for this. And I think sewing it by hand might be the best way. Using a machine on knits can be tricky if you don’t have the right settings. Great job!

    Reply

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