Handmade Holidays: Tshirt Scarf

I'm obsessed with crafting again. I blame Pinterest. I spend forever scrolling through the DIY & Craft section, looking for ideas of things to make. Most are things that are either a bit beyond my crafting skill level, or things that I'll never need. Ever. But every once in awhile an idea jumps out at me that says, "Hey! Even I could do that!" This is one of those. I swear, even if you're not the slightest bit crafty, you can do this one. It takes about 5 minutes and you probably already have the materials hanging out in the back of your closet! So why not wrap up a gift of handmade love this holiday season?

Scarves are totally in right now, and with winter quickly upon us, they're not just fashionable, but a necessary accessory. And this one couldn't be easier to make! Literally about 3 steps, and you're good to go.

What you'll need:
1 large tshirt (I used a men's XL)
Scissors

Seriously. Just pull, pull pull. Stick it around a doorknob and pull. Step on part of it and pull up. Play tug of war with the kids! Anyway you can, pull the crap out of it (without ripping it). The more you pull, the longer it'll be, so stop and try it on every once in awhile until you find the length you like. Simple as that!

Recycle a shirt you already have (that one with the holes in the armpits that you can't even give away), or hit up the clearance section or the thrift store for a cheap shirt. Use any color you like (or maybe a fun stripe pattern), or go the extra step and dye a shirt to create your own color. It's hard to see in the pictures, but I dyed mine to make an ombre color. (Ombre: French for "shaded" it's a graduated color,  light to dark.) To create an ombre look, place the very bottom part of the shirt in the dye and let soak according to the dye package directions. Every couple minutes, lower the shirt a little farther into the dye, until you finally get to the very top of the shirt. Dip it quickly, then remove and rinse the dye from the shirt according to the directions. The longer the shirt is in the dye, the darker it will be, so bottom should be pretty dark, while the very top should be fairly light, creating the ombre look!

(BIG tip--dye things in a bucket or a container you don't really care about. Not your kitchen sink.. Not that I'd know anything about that. Mine totally doesn't have a purple tint to it now.. Not at all..... In completely unrelated news, does anyone know how to get stains out of not-so-stainless steel?)

Now you've got a cute, totally easy to make scarf to wear or give away! It only took you 5 minutes and cost you next to nothing! Wondering what to do with the rest of the shirt you cut off? Check out Make it and Love it's braided headbands. I made one of these with my scraps and it's so cute!