It’s a well-known fact that making presents for people makes the world a better place. Not only are you taking time to create the perfect gift for your mother, brother, or girlfriend, you’re making sure there’s one fewer person at the mall and lessening the chance that someone will get trampled to death by the shopping masses. If you’ve got a little extra time and want to use your very own hands to show someone you love them, this is just the miniseries for you.

The thing is, just about everybody likes scarves. Whether you rock a soccer/football scarf, a pashmina, a keffiyeh, or a wooly plaid number, chances are you’ve wrapped a bit of cloth around your neck, head, or waist a time or twelve.

This scarf falls on the feminine end of the spectrum and is a good gift for anyone whose idea of gay apparel is pretty and shiny.

You Will Need

• 1.5 yards of fabric, ideally something silky
• 1 yard of big, fat lace
• Thread that matches the fabric and lace
• An iron
• A sewing machine or a needle

Instructions

1. Measure a 24″x54″ wide rectangle.

2. (a) Turn the fabric inside out, pin the edges together, and (b) sew along the long edge, leaving a 1/4″ seam allowance. Now sew along one of the short edges.

3. (c) Turn the tube of fabric right side out and iron along the seams and the folded edge so that you have a rectangle instead of a tube. Turn the edges of the open side 1/4″ in and iron them. Pin around all the sides and then (d) sew around all the edges to help the scarf keep its shape.

4. Now that you’ve got the scarf part made, it’s time to add the lace. Start by cutting two 24.5″ pieces of lace. To hide the raw edges, fold 1/4″ of the lace in, iron, fold another 1/4″ in, and iron again. Pin these folds and sew them using the lace-colored thread.

5. At this point you have an option. You can keep the lace straight across the top, or you can take little scissors and cut along whatever pattern is in the lace. I opted for the latter because I liked how it made the lace blend into the fabric. Pin the lace pieces onto the ends of the scarf, overlapping about 1″ of lace and fabric. This means that you’ll have a “good” side and a “bad” side of the scarf, but chances are no one will really notice.

6. If you’re using a sewing machine, make the bobbin thread the color of your fabric and the top thread the color of your lace. With the lace side on top, (e) sew once across the edge of the scarf using a straight stitch. Sew one more time across — this time closer to the edge of the lace — using a zig-zag stitch. If you’re sewing by hand, use verrrry small stitches to camouflage it.

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