Little Bluebell: anna maria horner

Like a siren calling me to create something, Anna Maria Horner inspires me again and again. I purchased a scarf kit for my birthday. It's a mix of Field Study patterns on voile and velveteen. So beautiful, so colorful and so luxurious. Oh my!!

I have made this style of scarf several times for gifts using a combination of voile and shot cotton. In the past, everything went smoothly. This scarf, my scarf, I've been working for a week. This simple rectangle brought me to tears sewing it, or more specifically ripping it out again and again. It's humbling when things aren't as easy as you thought they would be, or as easy as it seems for everyone else.

When I searched the web looking for tips I felt like everyone got it but me. The voile was so slippery against the velveteen, I could not get it to stay where I wanted it no matter how many pins or clips I added. The fifth try (or maybe it was the sixth), I let perfection go and decided that close was good enough. It will be wrapped, scrunched and draped. No one will be able to tell, right?

Well, it was worth it in the end. I think all you see is the beautiful fabrics! Here are some of the things that helped me a little.

**If you have anything else that might help, I would really love to hear and learn for next time.

TIPS:

Trim both pieces to exactly the same size. Exactly.
Pin parallel to your seam line, rather than perpendicular.
Match your pins on either side. If the first pin starts 1" down on the right, add another pin 1" down on the left.
Adjust the foot pressure to accommodate the voile. Check your manual for setting information.
Sew with the voile on top and the velveteen on the bottom
Two words: Walking Foot

INSPIRATION:

This tutorial has been around awhile and there are lots of gorgeous Figure 8 scarves (also called infinity scarves) out there. Here are some of my favorites. Click on the links below to see the original photos.