A Hooded Scarf...A Scarf-ed Hood? a Schood? a Hoodarf?

If you want to add a little warmth to a winter day, here is an option! I still haven’t decided what it should be called. A scarf-ed hoodie? A hooded scarf? A Schood? A Hoodarf?

Regardless of what it is called, I will show you how I made this one! This isn’t a beginner project, per se', but if you know the basics of sewing and how to sew straight, secure seams, this could be right up your alley!

Every picture will have a corresponding underlined section in the written step. Bolded words are there to help you stop and think before moving on.

Fake Fur Fabric (I purchased one yard, but didn’t use it all)

Silky Fabric (1 yard or less) or a complimenting fabric of your choice

Sewing Machine

Complementary Thread

Scissors or Rolling Cutter

Pins and/or clips,

Chalk or Marking Pencil

Seam Ripper (Just in case!)

Optional items:

Liner Fabric (1 yard or less)

Cutting Mat

Straight Edge

Hand sewing needle, thread

Comb or pick to part the fur for cutting

Paper bag or other paper for making a pattern

Before I jump in, I wanted to give some thoughts and lessons that I learned while planning and sewing this project.

The fake Fur Fabric I used had a rough-textured backing. I did not want it to damage or snag the beautiful, silky fabric used, so I chose to add a piece of cotton fabric between the silky fabric and the fur. It is optional but highly recommended if you are using a more delicate fabric on the inside of the hood. I will refer to the cotton fabric as the Liner Fabric. If you are not using a Liner Fabric, please skip the steps that are specific to it.

The Fur Fabric I used has a direction in which it lays. Check yours. You will want to make sure that you place your patterns on the fur knowing the direction of the fur and which way it will lay once complete.

While fake Fur Fabric is messy to work with, it is worth it for the warmth! You will want to minimize the mess by parting the fur before you cut it and pulling any excess fur from the cuts by hand. While it might make less of a mess to tear some types of Fur Fabric, I have found that tearing when trying to make angles or curves is impossible. I recommend keeping a small vacuum nearby to keep the loose fur under control.

One last thing—after I made this project, a friend recommended that I use a humidifier in the room I was working in to minimize how much fur is floating around. I am glad I know for the next time I am using fur for a project!

You can either use paper to make a pattern or use the Liner Fabric. I chose to make my pattern right onto the Liner Fabric since it will never be seen and patterns intimidate me.

For the Hood:

Find a hood you would like to use to replicate the shape. You can use a hooded sweatshirt or, in my case, I made a lighter-weight version of this same project a couple of years ago, so I used that.

On the Liner Fabric (or paper), decide your seam allowance, use chalk or a marking pencil and trace around the outside of the hood. You can trace the hood with or without a seam allowance, just remember which way you did it. This project was pretty forgiving with its allowances, and I did both (traced with and without a seam allowance) in this project. I used roughly 5/8-7/8 for most of my seams. I say ‘roughly’ because this is a loose-fitting accessory and I will never claim perfection with any of my creations.

If you do not have a hood, check out the diagram with rough measurements. The finished measurements of this hood are roughly 14 inches tall and 10 inches deep (without any seam allowances). Make sure to round the back corner!

I placed the back section of the hood onto the fold of the fabric/pattern to reduce the need for a seam in the back. If you are using a paper pattern, mark it so you know to place that part along a folded edge.

For the scarf sections:

Decide how wide you would like your scarf. I would suggest a minimum of 5 inches at its finished width. I tapered my scarf sections from 5 inches at the top of the scarf to 7.5 inches at the bottom. The length depends on how long you want it. Both of the scarf lengths (after it is attached to the hood) are 27 inches. All those measurements are their finished sizes.

Take those measurements, add your seam allowance, and use chalk or a pencil and a straight edge to make your pattern. If you are using a paper pattern, trace your pattern onto the Liner Fabric and/or Silky Fabric.

Using a cutting mat and roller or a pair of scissors, cut out the two scarf sections from the Liner Fabric and the Silky Fabric. You can fold the fabric and cut two pieces at once. Just remember that there must be two separate pieces of each fabric for the scarf.

Next, cut the hood's Liner Fabric and hood's Silky Fabric.

Now onto the fur.

Remember to check the direction of the fur before you cut it! If your Fur Fabric lays a certain direction, place the top of the pattern at the 'top' of the fur. Visualize how it will lay before you cut it and take your time! Only cut one piece at a time.

If you tapered your scarf ends (narrow at the top, wider at the bottom), the narrow part of the scarf should be at the top.

Use the pattern or the Liner Fabric to lay over the Fur Fabric, part the fur, then carefully use scissors to cut it.

Pull off any straggler fur that was cut in the process.

If you are not using a Liner Fabric, move to the next step.

Pin the Liner and the Silky Fabric together, right-side out. It truly doesn’t matter which side of the Liner Fabric is out, as it will not be seen, but just be sure to use the correct piece if your scarf pieces are asymmetric like mine.

Using a ¼ inch seam allowance and using a straight stitch, sew every side of the Liner Fabric and the Silky Fabric together on all three pieces.

This seam will be hidden when we attach it to the Fur Fabric. Remove all pins.

Take one of the now-attached Liner/Silky scarf pieces and the corresponding Fur Fabric scarf piece and lay them right-sides together. Tuck the fur in, if needed, and pin the two long sides and the bottom together. (Leave the top side open.)

Sew the three edges, using a wider seam allowance than what was used to sew the Liner/Silky piece. I use a rubber band around the arm of my sewing machine to make sure I have a wide enough seam allowance.

Remove all the pins, trim any excess fur or internal seams that might add extra bulk, then turn the scarf section right-side-out.

Admire how well the fabric compliments each other!

Repeat this for the other scarf piece. Set aside.

The top of the hood needs to be sewn on both the Liner/Silky piece and the Fur Fabric piece, then they need to be sewn together. We are going to leave the bottom of the hood open for now.

First, fold the Liner/Silky hood piece so that the silky sections are facing each other. Sew the top edge of the hood with a wider seam allowance than was used to sew the Liner/Silky Fabric together. If you want, you can sew a small seam down the back of the hood to keep the pieces together. Keep the liner-side facing out.

Next, fold the Fur Fabric hood so the right-sides are together. Tuck in any fur that might be sticking out, pin the top, rounded edges together, then sew the top seam of the hood using your desired seam allowance. Do not sew down the back of the fur hood. We only want to put seams in the fur if they are needed. Turn it right-side out.

Now, place the Liner/Silky Fabric hood over the Fur Fabric hood so the Liner Fabric is facing out, and the Silky Fabric and Fur Fabric are touching (right-sides together). Make sure the top seams are lined up.

Tuck in any stray fur and start pinning from the top seam down the front of each side of the hood. (Do you see the 1/4 inch seam on the back of the liner in the image?)

Sew around the front of the hood with a wider seam allowance. Don't be afraid to pause and re-tuck any fur that pops out!

Remove any pins and turn it so it is right-side-out.

Don’t be afraid to pause and think about what will happen when you do these next steps.

Lay the hood down so the front opening is to the right or left. Take that side's scarf piece by its open end (the one that will be attached to that side) and hold it so that the Silky Fabric side is touching the Silky Fabric side of the inside of the hood. The open end should be parallel to the open bottom of the hood, with one edge of the scarf in alignment with the front edge of the hood. Tuck in any fur and pin the open end of the scarf to the Silky/Liner side of the hood only, making sure the scarf is pinned taut along the width and not bunched up along its opening.

Repeat the process on the other side after you flip the hood over. You may find it easier to pin if you allow the end of the scarf to bunch up inside the hood, Silky Fabric sides together. Again, make sure the edge of the scarf is lined up with the edge of the hood and that the fur is tucked in before pinning.

Double-check and visualize what will happen once you sew the scarf to the lining of the hood. Make any adjustments, if needed. If the ends of the scarf are not tucked into the silky piece of the hood, tuck them in now to keep them out of the way when sewing.

Sew using a ¼ seam allowance to attach the scarf to the Liner/Silky hood part only. Remove all pins and turn the scarf right-side out. The entire bottom of the hood should still be open, but now the scarf ends are attached to the liner/Silky side.

Next, turn the hood wrong-side out (the lining and the rough side of the fur should be facing out). Tuck the scarf ends inside. Tuck in any fur and pin the bottom of the hood to the scarf sections and about 2 inches beyond the edge of the scarf. See diagram.

Sew one side of the bottom of the hood, then the other. Make sure to leave a several-inch section in the back, center of the hood so that it can be turned right-side-out. Remove all pins.

Now that the majority of the bottom of the hood is sewn and the pins are removed, turn it right-side-out through the hole that was left open. This open gap still needs to be sown, so we will use a top-stitch.

Part the fur the distance of (roughly) your seam allowance, and, if desired, give the section that will be inside the hood a quick trim. Tuck any fur back into the hole. Next, pin the seam together.

Sew a top-stitch along this area, tucking in any fur that wants to pop out. I used roughly 1/4 inch for my top-stitch seam. Trim any loose threads.

It is almost done! This next part is not necessary but I pinned the innermost corner of my Silky Fabric to my Fur Fabric, but here is how I did it.

I threaded a needle with a thread and tied a knot in the end. I went in through the outer, Fur Fabric seam, through the Silky Fabric seam, then back out through the Fur Fabric seam. I did that three times, then tied it off and trimmed the thread ends, being careful not to cut any fur!

I hope you enjoyed this project as much as I did!

I recommend hand washing only, in cool water and line drying.