DIY Network

Leather Chamois Scarf Step out in style with a leather chamois scarf you make yourself. From "B. Original" episode DBOR-113

Drape yourself in buttery soft leather with this easy scarf from Michele Beschen.

Michele Beschen can find glamour in the most unlikely places—like the auto parts store, where she found the leather chamois she used to make this wonderfully soft leather scarf. It's a sure attention-getter, and the B. Original host's simple how-to makes it a great project for even a novice sewer.

There's only one trick to making this scarf: Getting the right chamois. Make sure you purchase a pair of leather chamois, not microfiber. The microfiber cloths are great for drying your car, but they're just not the leather you're looking for.

Scroll down for the rest of Michele Beschen's tips on making your own elegant leather scarf.

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Materials:

2 large pieces of leather chamois
straight edge
craft knife
sewing machine with leather needle (optional)
decorative stamp and solvent ink (optional)

	Figure A
	Figure B
	Figure C
	Figure D

Note: Some chamois you find at auto parts stores have cod liver oil added. Do not use these—they have an unpleasant odor.

• Lay out one chamois on a flat work surface. Use a craft knife and straight edge to cut a 6" wide strip out of the middle of the chamois (figure A). Don't square off the ends—the irregular edge will work with the design. Repeat for the other chamois.

  Note: Michele Beschen doesn't recommend marking on the chamois, because the marks can be difficult to remove later. If you have one, use a 6" wide quilting ruler; you can simply slice up both sides of the ruler.

• Cut the irregular side pieces you trimmed away in the previous step into 6" strips. These pieces will be straight on three sides and irregular on the fourth side, and will form the flaps on your 6" wide scarf. You can line the pieces up on the main scarf strips to when cutting if you like.

• Arrange the flaps, overlapping them, on the large scarf sections. Do not pin in place; pinholes don't disappear from chamois they way they do from fabric. Instead, sew the flaps down one at a time either by hand or with a sewing machine using a leather needle (figure B).

• Once all the flaps are sewn to the long strips, sew the two strips together to form the scarf (figure C).

• Embellish the scarf, if you like, by stamping with a decorative stamp and solvent ink (figure D).

Your unique chamois scarf will look great in all kinds of weather. And, if you get tired of it, you can always use it to dry off the car!