Monday, November 26, 2018

Pashmina Scarves for the Big Apple

I’m long overdue for a blog post and since my last one, I’ve added a new hobby of digital cutting to my crafting fun.  I received a Cricut Maker for Christmas last year and oh what fun it’s been!  I originally wanted to it use with my embroidery, but I’ve gotten distracted and been using it for paper crafts, tee-shirts, household decorations, etc.  I have embroidery and digital cutting projects that I’m behind on blogging about, but I thought I’d start by sharing a project I just did today.

The first weekend in December every year, it’s a tradition for all the girl cousins in my family to get together for our annual cousin’s weekend.  It's a cherished weekend full of lots of love, laughter and fun family time.  We gather Saturday morning before heading out for an afternoon of Christmas shopping, followed by afternoon snacks, dinner and a PJ Party.  Sunday morning, we finish with brunch before everyone heads home.  We take turns hosting the event and it's usually somewhere in Maryland or Virginia, but this year we're heading to NYC!

One of my cousins who lives in New Jersey is hosting and she’s arranged for a party bus to take us into NYC for the evening where we'll have dinner, stop for pics with the NYC skyline, visit the tree at Rockefeller Center, etc.  We’ll have lots of great photo opportunities so I thought it would be fun to surprise everyone with a little something matching for our night out on the town.  One of my cousins actually mentioned the idea last year, but I didn’t really give it much thought until recently.  I wanted to make a monogrammed scarf for everyone but I knew I would not have the time to embroider 21 of them in time, so I decided I’d try adding the monogram with heat transfer (iron-on) vinyl.

I first tried a sample on an old Pashmina scarf that was headed for the discard pile.  I was a little worried about how heat-sensitive the material would be, but it worked out perfectly!  Once I felt confident it would work, I ordered the Pashmina’s for $5 each from Etsy and then today, I spent the day making them!

Creating the monograms:

I used the MonogramIt! App on my iPad to create each of the monograms.  I then uploaded them to Cricut Design Space to create the cut files.  I put all the monograms in one project so I could cut them all together.  I decided to make each monogram 4.5” wide. Depending on the letter combinations, they varied slightly in height, but I didn’t think it was enough of a difference to worry about it.  There was one that stood out a little more than the others so I did reduce that one to 4.25” wide so it was a not quite as tall.   


My Cricut Design Space Project

Cutting the vinyl:

Next step was to cut the vinyl.  I used Siser Easyweed Heat Transfer Vinyl in white.  I was able to cut them all in two 12"x24" mats (12 monograms on the first mat and 9 on the second mat).  After cutting, I weeded to remove the unwanted vinyl.

Cutting the Vinyl

Time to iron:

After weeding the vinyl, it was time to iron the monograms on to the scarves.  I used my Cricut EasyPress and Cricut EasyPress mat and followed the recommended heat settings for silk which was 280 degrees.  I used parchment paper between the scarf and EasyPress so the heat was never directly touching the pashmina.  I preheated the surface for 5 seconds, then applied head and a little pressure for 30 seconds from the front.  I then flipped it and did another 30 seconds from the back (the directions called for 15 seconds which probably would have been fine).  I then flipped it back to the front and peeled the liner off warm.  I then put the parchment on top again and ironed for another 5 seconds.  This probably wasn't needed either, I just like to do it in case anything lifted a little when peeling the liner off.

Ta da! The finished result:

The monogram blends into the pashmina scarf so nicely.  If you close your eyes and rub your hand over it, you can hardly tell it's there.
Finished Scarf

I folded and rolled the scarves so the monograms were showing on the outside and finished them off with a ribbon.  I can't wait to share them with my cousins next weekend!

All 21 Scarves Ready to Gift!


I was really happy with how they turned out and how easy they were to create.  I think I may be making some more of these as gifts before the Christmas season is over! :)

Happy Crafting!





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