Today is the first of three guest posts written by sewing bloggers especially for One Week, One Pattern. We kick off with Winnie from Scruffy Badger Time, woop, woop! Winnie is an amazing seamstress. with a colourful and classy hand-stitched wardrobe to match her warm and vibrant personality. I'm lucky enough to have met her countless times over the years and now consider her a true friend (amazing fact: my husband Jon use to deliver the paper to Winnie's house as a teenage paperboy!!!!) When she's not running marathons or trying out a new wig, Winnie is a dab hand at accessorising with scarves. Here's what she has to say on the subject….
Have Scarves Will Style
When Jane asked me to write a guest post on style as part of OWOP I didn’t flounder on the concept of articulating my own personal style, which is haphazard to say the least and subject to all sorts of whims, occasions and functionalities...no! I immediately thought “accessorise". I mean if you want to get more mileage out of an outfit during OWOP, accessories can be a lifesaver. And for me that means accessorizing with scarves primarily. There have been so many style icons and stylists along the way that have extolled the virtues of the right accessories to transform an otherwise sad outfit into one that is starlet fit, or just plain classy. So it is nothing new. But this is about One Week, One Pattern and as with many of our online challenges this can often bring insights and new ways to looks at things you’ve made. And if there’s a message through this post, it is to say “don’t forget about your accessories!
Have Scarves Will Style
When Jane asked me to write a guest post on style as part of OWOP I didn’t flounder on the concept of articulating my own personal style, which is haphazard to say the least and subject to all sorts of whims, occasions and functionalities...no! I immediately thought “accessorise". I mean if you want to get more mileage out of an outfit during OWOP, accessories can be a lifesaver. And for me that means accessorizing with scarves primarily. There have been so many style icons and stylists along the way that have extolled the virtues of the right accessories to transform an otherwise sad outfit into one that is starlet fit, or just plain classy. So it is nothing new. But this is about One Week, One Pattern and as with many of our online challenges this can often bring insights and new ways to looks at things you’ve made. And if there’s a message through this post, it is to say “don’t forget about your accessories!
So I’ve put a few combinations together to show how I use
scarves, Scruffy Badger-style through lots of snaps of clothes I’ve made
carefully arranged on my bedroom floor, hopefully having smoothed out any
storage creases!! (But not all – oops!)
I choose to wear scarves to:
- Bring some pep to an outfit that is made up of a lot of solid neutral colours
- Bring some pep to an outfit that is made up of a lot of solid neutral colours
- Pick out colours in the pattern of a skirt to ‘finish’ an outfit
- Add some jauntiness & interest – it’s
amazing what a polka dot scarf can do when paired with some nautical stripes;
- The right scarf (with a more solid pattern) can
also bring a touch of harmony to combining prints even;
·
- Raise a neckline that is a bit low or chilly;
- Change the shape of a neckline to suit my face shape – eg a boatneck / slash neckline doesn’t suit me so well, but creating a focus on a scarf to draw a round neckline suits my face shape much better.
- Raise a neckline that is a bit low or chilly;
- Change the shape of a neckline to suit my face shape – eg a boatneck / slash neckline doesn’t suit me so well, but creating a focus on a scarf to draw a round neckline suits my face shape much better.
I like to wear a
scarf around my neck, primarily, but from there it varies. Depending on the neckline of the garment I am
wearing, I might:
- Tie it around my neck, as a strip/band – almost
like a very wide choker;
- Tie it as above but with a cute bow to the side;
- Folded into a triangle then tied into a knot at the front of the garment’s neck edge;
- Folded into a triangle then tied into a knot at the front of the garment’s neck edge;
I do not like too much volume though and I tend to take larger scarves, fold them into a triangle, then roll along the long edge (a bit like a cub scout scarf!) to get the volume of fabric under control and therefore able to be tied in a bow, or wrapped around itself.
I’ve messed around with different combinations in these photos, but look here at how different scarves look with the same outfit
I’ve messed around with different combinations in these photos, but look here at how different scarves look with the same outfit
Most of these scarves are RTW – some vintage even, but I
have made my own too, using precious fabric leftovers and extending their
appearance and wear in another form. I
have made a couple of Brigitte
scarves from Tilly’s “Love at First Stitch”- one of these and its many ways to wear shown here.
But jumped on this opportunity and quickly posted a tutorial on my
blog for using
your overlocker’s rolled hem to make a natty scarf. So if you like the idea of accessorizing,
why not have a go at making your own?
Wow Winnie, I think that must be the definite guide to accessorising with scarves, THANK YOU! I love how the outfits are styled too, and have to agree - a polka dot scarf paired with nautical stripes really is a winning combo! I hope Winnie's words of scarf-wearing wisdom have given you some pointers for OWOP and using scarves as a wonder accessory. Look out for another OWOP styling instalment next week. x
