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What Else You Can Do With Two Scarves

Yesterday's post was about how to make a caftan. Today's post is about how to make a poncho. 

After I made my summer silk caftan, I realized it did sometimes get a little chilly, especially with air conditioning. Wouldn't it be nice to have a matching cover up? 

Materials & Tools:

There are two steps to make the poncho — sleeve seams and cuff seams.

Sleeve seams:

  • Start with two large silk scarves.
  • Lay them wrong-sides together.
  • Find the center line at the long end and place a pin through one layer.
  • Measure the head circumference of the intended wearer.
  • Place pins centered a little more than half that distance apart.
  • Place more pins across the long edge all the way to the sides.
  • Try poncho on. Adjust pins until poncho slides easily over head.
  • Take poncho off.
  • Sew sleeve seams through rolled hem using silk thread.

For my example, I had a head opening of about 12 inches/30cm. I ran the sleeve seams all the way out. If you want something more flirty, you could instead break up the seam into shorter seams with gaps to reveal arms. As previously, I sewed through the rolled hem, essentially leaving no hem allowance. The two pieces of fabric just butt up against each other.

Cuff seam:

  • Pin sides of poncho together below wrist.
  • Put poncho on.
  • Add pins closer to the wrists, checking for fit and ease. Be sure you can get your hands in and out!
  • Add more pins directly below.
  • Check fit and ease once more.
  • Take poncho off.
  • Sew cuff seams through rolled hem using silk thread.

For my example, the seams started 7½ inches/19cm from the top and ran only 1 inch/3cm in length. I wanted the lower part of the poncho to flutter, but you could make the seam longer. 

As before, I ice dyed following Dharma Trading Company's tutorial on how to ice dye. Reminder you will need:

My notes:
  • I did not have the fabric on a rack. I left it in the muck. Trust the muck!
  • I folded the poncho the short way vertically.
  • I covered the fabric in ice then sprinkled the dye on top in a gradient starting from the top center.
  • I think I used 131 Imperial Purple, 189 Magenta Galactica, 46 Brilliant Blue, 153 Mermaid's Dream, and 33 Avocado?
  • I left the ice to melt and the dye to batch for three days, then rinsed as recommended.

If you want the turquoise to take better, expose it to higher heat (about 130°F/55°C) after the ice melts but before rinsing. A car on a summer's day will easily get to this temperature.

The long veils worked for me because I am tall and have long arms. If you are not as tall, you may want to cut the scarves shorter before you begin. Or you may stop the sleeve seam short of the selvedges, allowing the excess fabric to flutter. 

Because silk is thin and the accessory is just two long rectangles, I can also wrap the poncho around my shoulders like a shawl. 

This approach for a caftan and cover up can be used for handwoven fabrics, marbled fabrics, or similar goods. While I chose to make my caftan and poncho match, you could choose coordinating instead of identical fabrics. Given that the poncho/cover up is a very simple garment, you could also make a poncho from two marbled silk scarves and pair it with a purchased dress.

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