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| Two Completed Chou Chous (along with a fabric covered book) I made for gifts |
Web Resources
Enchanted by Sewing Show Notes and Links to Shows http://www.enchantedbysewing.blogspot.com/2014/12/ench-by-sew-027-festive-holiday-tees.htmlAudio-Only Link http://ec.libsyn.com/p/7/1/3/713e354889f7b167/FINALcastFestiveTeaAndTeesdec2014.mp3?d13a76d516d9dec20c3d276ce028ed5089ab1ce3dae902ea1d06c98e3ed7cf5d5260&c_id=8063812
What is a Chou-Chou or a Scrunchie? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scrunchie
Although I made chou-chous for holiday gifts, they are a perfect cleanup-for-the-New-Year or anytime, sewing cleanup/recycling project. You can't get more green than using up scraps of fabric that are too pretty to toss. You can also use the ends of stained or recycled clothing. You can even repurpose old worn elastic!
In the current - Festive Holiday Tees and Tea - Enchanted by Sewing Episode (audio/podcast) , I described the process of sewing Chou-Chous, which are also known as Scrunchies. You can listen to that episode on your computer or download it to your favorite mobile device.
Here's the idea in picture form, to help you follow along with the Technicos segment of that show.
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| I can never toss really pretty scraps But at some point, I need to use them! |
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| I measure out 10 inches of 1/4 inch elastic |
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| I fold a 20 (or slightly longer) tube of scrap fabric This one isn't perfectly straight and it has one edge hemmed as a result of a long-ago project trim. No problem |
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| I pieced on one extra scrap, to make the tube about the right width An extra seam at an odd place isn't a problem when you are scrunching up the fabric anyway |
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| I cut a piece of string longer than the length of the tube |
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| And lay it inside the tube, along the fold line |
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| Stitch down one side of the tube and across just ONE open end Make sure not to catch the string when you sew the long side But DO catch it when you sew across the open end At this point, I chose not to trim along the seam line, to give a sausage-like look to the finished chou-chou |
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| Push the sewn across end down into the tube |
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| Pull the string end through the tube, so the outside pulls through |
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| Note that this is a very thick, fabric like chou-chou That's because I chose not to trim the seam after I sewed it, to give that sausage-like appearance. |
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| Remember, the chou-chou fabric tube should be about twice as long as the elastic, so that the fabric scrunches up You also want enough elastic to be able to double the band around the hair Otherwise, it will slide off. |
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| Open the sewn-across end, by snipping off the string Now you have two open ends |
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| Add a safety pin to your 10" of elastic Pull the elastic through your tube |
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| I set the zig-zab stitch on my machine |
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| I caught up/secured my elastic end on both ends with a zig-zag stitch. Be careful not to lose the elastic ends down either end of the tube, at this point! |
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| Then I sewed the two secured ends together |
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| When I doubled the finishing off seam back to get a neater finish I broke my needle So after that, I wrapped my second, neatening seam with a hand stitch That takes less time than changing my machine needle! |
