The book SY! by Ann Ringstrand was all the rage when it came out a couple of months ago. She kindly asked me to be her “sewing friend” and sent me a copy of the book, but I had in fact already bought it, so my interest in the book was granted! I’m still not done exploring the patterns, and here is my last foray into them: The sleeve scarf.

This is a design and a garment quite far from what I’m usually wearing. I tend to feel swamped by huge scarves, and the idea of adding sleeves to one felt very unfamiliar, too. At first, I was sure I would never make this pattern, but the idea grew on me. Not many others have made it so far, either, but since I saw a couple of others on Instagram, I couldn’t let it go – I just had to give it a try. It looks great in the book and on others, so why not?

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I’ve had this linen/wool double gauze in my stash for at least two years and never found anything to make from it. It is a popular fabric from Merchant & Mills called Woolsey, the color is Goodnight, and the feel and handle is incredibly soft and wonderful, but I never really understood what to do with it. It has a lot of drape, but also some volume, so I worried it would be too heavy for a scarf at 240 GSM. It definitely is pushing it.

The thing is, with the two different qualities it deserves to be visible from both sides. The wool side is supposed to be out, but I think the shinier linen in a slightly brighter blue is a fantastic contrast to the dark blue, matte wool. I had some trouble sourcing a ribbon for the middle back, but finally I found something I liked. My first choice would have been a more modern ribbon, preferably with stripes, but all I could find locally were very ornamental. So be it, then. At least it had a blue backing color, not black like most of them.

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The design itself is quite simple, and easily adapted to many lengths of fabric. You sew together two rectangles and add the sleeves into precut holes. The edges can be finished in many ways, but remember that they will be visible from both sides. I used a few different techniques to finish the scarf: Three sides have fringes, the fourth has a simple double hem. The sleeves are bound with bias tape to hide the raw edges and have a double hem. The seam down the middle in the back is covered with a woven decorative ribbon, as per the instructions in the book.

I have yet not worn it out of the house. Will I wear this out and about? Well, that remains to be seen, but I definitely think so. The past few weeks have been bitterly cold, but I can see myself wearing it in spring when it warms up. I do like the idea of wearing it over a light jacket, like a blazer or something, and I also really like how it looks over a shirt as shown here. I think it can be useful in a cool summer evening, too, over a sleeveless dress.

I think this is a successful make, and I love the proportions of it. The fabric IS a little heavy for this pattern, and I consider making another one in a very light wool if I find the right one. This is the fist time I’ve added fringes and ribbons to a garment, and it was fun to try something a little different.

To be completely transparent: I have received the book as a gift, but not until I already had received the copy I bought myself. I would have written about this book regardless of the gift, but it is of course a nice bonus which I appreciate.

This is my fifth make from this book, and more is on its way. I love how versatile the patterns are, and I love that Ann encourages you to be creative and playful in your approach. This time, I stretched my perception of what I can wear and not wear and had fun doing it.

Pattern: Sleeve scarf from Sy – 10 nya modeplagg av designer Ann Ringstrand (Swedish only)
Fabric: 2.5 m Woolsey Goodnight from Merchant & Mills
ca 1 m ribbon, ca 1.5 m bias tape
Time: A couple of hours

Read more about my other makes from the book SY