The Sassy Ski Scarf

I'd like to introduce the Sassy Scarf.......as modeled by Buddy the Bear.
Ummm....I was home alone....and he was a willing model. Anyway, I'm going on a ski vacation to Telluride next week. And as I was packing up all my dark, boring, neutral cold weather ski clothes I decided that I needed something with a little more color. Something a little more fun. And the Sassy Scarf was born. It's sooooo quick and easy. So here's how to do it: You'll need 1/2 yd of your main fabric and 1/4 yd for the ruffle. Or you could get 3/4 yd each of 2 different fabrics and make coordinating scarves! One for you and one for a friend. Or one for a giant stuffed teddy bear.
Trim off the selvage edge from both fabrics....
Cut the main fabric in half lengthwise. You'll end up with 2 pieces that are each approximately 44" x 9". And I stress the word approximately. The 2 pieces only need to be the same size as each other. They don't have to be exactly 44" x 9".
Cut 2 pieces from your Ruffle fabric that are approximately 4 1/2" x 16". Again, this is approximate. Don't you love it when you don't have to be so precise all the time!
Now, sew the 2 long sides of the scarf together. That means the two sides that are 44" long. Oh, and right sides together, of course. But leave the 9" ends open. I used a 1/4" seam. Here's an action shot....
Now it's off to the ironing board. Iron the seams nice and smooth. Then turn the scarf right side out and iron your scarf nice and flat. Now, do you see that 9" raw edge at the end of your scarf?
Turn those ends towards the inside. About 1/2" inch. And iron it nice and smooth. Do this on both ends.
And Eeeeek! Note to self: Get rid of ugly, old ironing board cover before you take pictures for a tutorial. Oooooh...maybe that should be my next tutorial - a Pretty Ironing Board Cover. Anyway, on to the next step. Take your pieces for the ruffle and fold the short ends (the 4 1/2" ones) in about 1/2" inch and iron.
Now fold this piece in half lengthwise. Wrong sides together. And iron flat. You will now have a piece that is approximately 2 1/4" x 15". There will be one raw edge and 3 nicely ironed and folded edges. Do this for both ruffle pieces.
Then, pause to take a picture of your adorable dog sleeping near the ironing board....
Now, use your favorite method to ruffle about 1/4" to 3/8" from the raw edge. And if you have a ruffler attachment for your sewing machine now's the time to whip it out. You'll want to gather it up to be about 8 1/2" long.
Now tuck the ruffled edge inside the nicely ironed and folded edge of the scarf. Slide it up about 1/2". Obviously, you want to hide your ruffling stitches inside the end of the scarf. Pin the ruffle in place. Do this on both ends, of course.
Now, top-stitch all the way around the scarf using a matching thread. Yes, the short sides to hold the ruffle in place AND the long sides. And don't forget to put the matching thread in the bobbin! I went about 1/8" to 1/4" from the edge. Oh, and on the first one I sewed too close to the edge on the short side with the ruffle and missed the "back" side of the scarf. So you can learn from my mistake!

Now take goofy self portraits of yourself wearing your scarf. As I said before, I'm home alone so I gotta make do. Here's my Santorini Scarf....
And my Pop Garden Scarf....
And my Andalcuia Scarf....
Oh, and I folded them in half lengthwise before I tied them around my neck. It helped them lay nice and flat. Now I have scarves to wear out to dinner and to Aprés-Ski. I won't be wearing these as I make a fool of myself attempting to ski - I need more rough-and-tumble clothes for that.

So, this was my first tutorial. I'm hoping I didn't forgot any crucial details - please let me know if I did!

I'm gonna go finish packing for my trip now.
Happy Sewing,
Jenny