Tube scarf

Tube scarf#

Nothing much to this, a super simple Buff-like tube scarf

  • 52cm x 52cm piece of fleece, wool, or other cozy fabric

  • fold it in half, right sides facing together

  • sew a seam to make it a tube

Materials#

Material

quantity

main fabric

0.5 meters

0.5 meters of 1.5m or 1.45 m wide fabric is enough for up to three tube scarfs.

Merino wool knits#

Merino wool knits fabrics make for nice outdoor clothing, and are well suitable for tube scarfs.

Examples of suitable fabrics

  • shelby outdoor Merino Wool Fabric 19.5 Micron 125cm Mulesing Free https://www.shelbyoutdoor.com/product_info.php?products_id=5393

  • eurokangas.fi merino wool: https://www.eurokangas.fi/merinovilla-vihrea-5605872v100

Polar fleece (polyester)#

Polar fleece is a good option for nice warm and thick tube scarf for winter us. The fabric is cheap, easy to sew, and does not fray.

Fleece can be difficultl to breath through due to its thickness. If you move enough to get winded, you’ll need to breath forcefully to get enough air through the fabric. For example when bicycling in negative temperatures I’ve found myself taking the scarf off my face to breath easier, just to put it back in a minute because by face is freezing.

Cut#

The tube scarf is made from a single rectangle of fabric.

Sizes I’ve used

tube length

tube perimeter

fabric

52

50

thinner but not too stretchy

50

45

thinner & stretchy fabrics (wool knit)

36

50

thick & less strechy (polar fleece)

Fabric orientation: the stretch of the fabric should be along the perimeter of the tube, not lengthwise

  • 50 x 45 rectangle

  • 50 cm edge is the length of the tube once sewn

  • 45 cm is the circumference of the tube

  • my head circumference in 59 cm when measured at eyebrow level/above the ares

  • the merio wool knits have more stretch than the polarfleece, hence the smaller tube circumference

Construction#

A serger is probably most suitable. Personally I use a household sewing machine with stitch setting that stretches, such as the “Red 7” stitch on my singer Samba 7. This is one of those stitches that look like this __/__/__/__/.

Alternatively set the zig-zag stitch width to 2mm, stitch width 5mm /\/\/\/\/.

Make a small bar tack at both ends of the seam, or copious amounts of back tics. The end of the seam is the most vulnerable place of the tube scarf.

Accessories#

Make a matching beanie with the same fabric.

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