Inspired by Alfia’s refashioning class, I took a look at my wardrobe and pulled out a couple of scarves that I’d bought in Thailand.  I wear lots of scarves, but these two hadn’t been getting many outings.  It was time to turn them into something else!

The pattern that I used was a vintage one – Simplicity 8686, which looks pretty 1980s. I am often surprised at how current the 80s patterns are again – as long as the armholes aren’t as deep and shoulders as wide! Otherwise they really do seem to fit with current aesthetics.

I used view 1, the striped version on the pattern cover, and lengthened it considerably. As well as wanting to keep my tummy covered, I wanted to make the most of the scarf fringe. Then I played around with the yoke pieces and the remaining scarf to figure out what layout would work best for it.

The scarves were of quite different weights, and this has affected the way that the top sits, especially at the centre back of the yoke. The yoke scarf is very loosely woven, and it really needed stabilising. I did this by using scraps of the other scarf to make inside bindings for the neckline edge, and also used the more stable scarf for the sleeve cuffs.

This was a really fun experiment, and I am confident that it has resulted in a top that will definitely get summer wear.  It’s definitely worth examining the line drawings of those 80s patterns, as it doesn’t take much to transform them into something that works well now.