How to make a hooded scarf

by Jo Anne Yada

Mookychick shows you how to customise an old sweatshirt to make a scarf with a hood attached. It's handy when you don't have a hood on your jacket, and it adds interest to a normal scarf when the hood is down.

Start with a long-sleeved sweater. Fleece, knits, anything warm will work. Size L or XL is also best.

Cut across the chest, under the sleeves.

I used a pattern that I used for my Circus Punks T-shirt re-do and cut out the shape from the body of the sweater. You can either free-hand it from this picture or find a pattern that works for you.

The pattern calls for two pieces to be cut out, which were already there - the front and back. I cut them out, pinned them together, and sewed around the back. If you're using a pattern, follow the directions for a size smaller.

Next, cut the rest of your sweater in a straight line, from sleeve end to sleeve end. If you have cuffs, cut them off. Only cut the sleeves from underneath - not the same side as the shoulders. Keep the scoop of the neck because that is where the hood will be attached. The sleeves should not be "tubes" anymore at this point.

Find a piece of scrap that has a seam - probably from the side - and cut it as shown above. Fold it in half and place it inside the sleeve with the seam on the bottom and fold the sleeve over it. Pin in place and sew all the way across. This will eventually be the fringe, but don't snip it now - wait till the end.

Now pin your hood to the scarf, matching the slightly curvy end of the hood to the curve where the neck was. Make sure the hood and the arms are inside-out. Pin like you see in the photo.

Sew the two together.

Now pin the entire length of the scarf and sew all the way from sleeve end to sleeve end. Trim excess fabric.

There's still an opening so you can turn it right-side-out. There's a lot of improvisation from here. You'll want to make sure the hood sits where you want it to. Fiddle with it (oh my God, am I 80 years old?) until it looks right to you. There's some tucking and snipping involved but in the end, the neckline should eventually be sewn closed.

Once everything is done, you can finally snip the fringe at the ends.

Craft tips for making your hooded scarf

• use another sweater or complimentary fabric and add lining to the inside of your hood
• it helps to model it often or use a mannequin/dress form
• the sides of the hood should be high on the shoulder so it's more open
• pins are your friends!
• add a drawstring or other embellishments

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