Brighten the dull, dreary months of winter with this fun, cozy, and fashionable Yo-Yo scarf! Yo-yos were all the rage in the 30's and 40's, and now, years later, are still extremely popular today! Making them is a simple, fun, and inexpensive process. Create a scarf for yourself or for your friend, roommate, co-worker, etc. Either way, you'll enjoy wrapping up in this fabulous scarf! Best of all, it takes only a half hour out of your day.

Let's get started, shall we?

Step 1: What You'll Need

Supplies needed:

1 yard of fabric (I used a cotton/poly blend, but lightweight fleece or cotton will work, too!)

Tracing paper (parchment, freezer paper, or thin cardboard)

A sewing machine (not essential; you may follow my instructions with needle and thread.)

Matching thread

Pins and Needles

A pen

Scissors

Step 2: Make Your Template!

Once you have rounded up your supplies, you'll begin by determining the size of your template. The basic method for making fabric yo-yos is that your finished circles will end up half the size of the diameter you started with. For example, my scarf started out as fabric circles 11" in diameter, and the finished yo-yo was about 5" across. How big you would like the finished yo-yos to be is a matter of taste and is entirely up to you. Either find an object to trace or measure it out yourself. Just don't go too big, now! :) Cut your template out of your tracing paper; you should have a large circle.

Step 3: Cut Out Circles

Smooth your fabric out in a single layer, and lay the pattern on top of it. Pin it in a couple of places along the edge to secure. Cut around your pattern into the fabric, being sure the curves are smooth and not jagged. Make as many circles as you possibly can from your fabric. From 1 yard, I got thirteen 11" circles.

Step 4: Sew the Yo-Yos!

Take out a circle, and place it right side up on your sewing machine. Starting about a presser foot's width (1/4 inch) from the edge of your fabric, run a single line of basting stitches all the way around your circle, keeping the threads plenty long on either end (you'll thank me for this later!) The length of your stitches will determine how the center of your yo-yo will look. Short stitches= large, very open center with loose gathers, Long stitches=small center with tight gathers. I did mine somewhere in between. Repeat this procedure for the remainder of your circles.

Step 5: Gathering the Circles

Take the 2 ends of the threads you left long and GENTLY pull them, creating little gathers. As you pull the gathers with one hand, move them away from where you are pulling with the other hand. Keep pulling and shifting away until you have it gathered all the way around and it will begin to look like a little shower cap. When it is gathered as much as you like, knot off the threads very close to the fabric, and trim the ends.

Next you will simply tack down your yo-yo in various places to keep them from poufing too much. Sew 3 or 4 stitches at different points around the center of the yo-yo to keep it stable. You may want to stitch over your knotted threads as well.

Repeat this process with the rest of your yo-yos.

Step 6: Sew It All Together

Take 2 yo-yos and sandwich them right sides (gathered sides) together. Sew from one edge to the other, leaving a overlap of about a 1/2 inch. The photos below will perfectly illustrate this. Keep adding yo-yos, sewing on one at a time, until the scarf is as long as you like.

Step 7: Fun (and Funky!) Variations

Because variety is the spice of life, here's some variations for you to try:
1. Try using thin fleece for an extra toasty scarf!
2. Make your yo-yos smaller for a skinny scarf, i.e. start with a 6'' diameter fabric circle and get cute little 3'' diameter yo-yos.
3. Instead of use a solid color like me, go with different fabric variations of the same color scheme, using print, solid, and polka dot fabrics in your scarf for a chic look.
4. If you're realllly bored, make a whole passle of yo-yos and sew them together on all sides for a totally awesome throw that will be the envy of everyone you know.

I hope that this has been an inspiration for your own creativity. Enjoy your new scarf!