How to Sew A Checkered Flannel Winter Scarf

Get ready for those cold winter days with this flannel winter scarf.  

This flannel scarf will keep your neck cozy and warm on cold days.  The flannel is soft against the neck, and it’s made of two flannel layers so it’s extra warm. 

This gorgeous checkered scarf pattern is easier than it looks. In this lesson, you will learn a quilting technique called strip piecing which makes piecing the scarf together quick and easy.  

Scarves make fantastic gifts.  Need a gift for a student?  Well, look no further. Use this pattern to sew a flannel spirit scarf in their favorite school or team colors.

If you’re looking for more scarf sewing tutorials then you may want to also check out our roundup of Hat and Scarf Patterns to Sew.

Learn how to sew this winter checkered scarf by watching our video Or keep reading this post for a step-by-step photo tutorial.

INSTRUCTIONS for making the fannel scarf :

STEP 1: cutting flannel for the checkered scarf

The first step in making the scarf is to cut the flannel into strips.  The strips will be 2 inches wide.  

Cut a straight edge on the flannel fabric; then cut the strips across the entire width of your fabric.

STEP 2: sewing strip sets together

Time to start sewing the strips together.  Have you heard of strip piecing? Instead of cutting each individual square shape, strip piecing is the process of sewing long strips of fabric together side by side into a strip pieced set.  Then with a rotary cutter, the strip set is cut to create smaller units. It’s a technique that can save a lot of time and fabric.

For this scarf, two strip pieced sets are needed to create the checkered scarf pattern.

The first strip pieced set is the orange/black combination shown below.

The second strip pieced set is this black/gray combination. Of course, again you can use any color combination or scheme.

With the right sides together lay one strip on top of the second strip aligning the long sides. Sew the two strips together lengthwise with a 1/4" seam allowance.

Sew the next strip to your first two strips.   It's best to alternate the direction of the seams as you sew. Sew the first two strips in one direction, then when sewing on strip number three, start at the opposite end. When sewing more strips together, alway start at the opposite end from the one you previously seamed.

Continue until you have used all the colors of the first strip set sewn together. Then, sew the second strip set.

STEP 3: press the strip sets

When all the strips are sewn together and you have two strip pieced sets, press the seams on the strip pieced sets all in one direction.

STEP 4: sub-cutting the strip sets

Return to the cutting mat.  Cut off the edge of the strip set, making it even and removing selvage.

Sub-cut both the strip sets into 2-inch pieces.

After cutting you are left with two piles of strips.

STEP 5: Sewing strips together in checkered effect

Next, sew the pieces together to get the checkered effect.  Refer to the picture below to see how the pieces will be sewn together.

To sew the pieces together, have the pressed seams on one piece going in one direction and the seams on the other piece in the other direction.

When sewing, you can align and pin the seams together or butt them up against each other while sewing the pieces together. Use a 1/4" seam allowance

To make the sewing process quick, sew two units together; then sew those units together to form a unit of four.

Continue piecing until there is only one long piece.

I was pleasantly surprised that after sewing everything together the scarf measures 60" long.  Exactly the length I wanted.

STEP 6: preparing scarf backing

From fabric A in this case the black fabric, cut two fabric rectangles 8" wide from selvage to selvage.

Pin the backing rectangles with right sides together and stitch one short edge with a 1/2 seam allowance. Press the seam allowance open. No need to trim this piece to make the size of the scarf piece now.  It will be trimmed later.

STEP 7: Sewing backing to checked piece

Place the backing fabric on a flat work surface with the right side down.

Find the middle of the checkered scarf piece and place it on the top of the backing piece with it right at the middle seam, right side down. Pin the main panel and the backing together.

Stitch all the way around the perimeter of the scarf using a 1/4" seam allowance and leaving a 5-inch opening gap on one of the long sides for turning. 

After sewing trim the excess backing fabric from the scarf.

STEP 8: Turn Right Side Out

Turn the scarf right side out through the 5" opening.

Press the scarf flat.  When pressing fold the edges of the opening inward 1/4"; so they're aligned flush with the seam.  Pin the seam to keep it in place.

STEP 9: Edgestitch

The final step is to edgestitch 1/8" from the edge all the way around the entire scarf.  This will also close the opening.   If you are not sure how to edgestitch, watch our Edge Stitch Tutorial. 

Our flannel winter scarf pattern is quick and easy to make and is a fashionable way to stay warm when the temperature starts to drop.

I hope you enjoyed this scarf tutorial and hope to see you again soon.  In the meantime, I would love for you to sign up for our newsletter, that way you will be notified each time we release a new tutorial! You'll get access to all of our new FREE patterns, FREE project tutorials and lots more!

Happy Sewing!

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