As I type, it was 63 degrees here today. It was the first day I’ve been out of the house since Thursday. (We’ve all been sick, and we’re not all better yet.) It was so nice to go outside for a bit and see some sunshine. You know I love rain, but days and days and days of clouds make you start miss the warmth and the light. Something in the air today reminded me that spring is coming.

But winter’s not over yet. Rain and snow and blizzards are still in the forecast for much of the US.

On a cool, rainy day, there’s nothing I love more than some warm, cozy layers – puffy vests, wool cardigans, warm scarves. Today, I’m going to show you how to make your own warm flannel scarf.

(You might have been around that other time I made a scarf – out of pajama pants. Yep, that was a thing I did. You know me, always up for a DIY challenge!)

This time, I’m making a scarf from “scratch” – if “scratch” is buying flannel at Jo-Ann and cutting it and making a quick running stitch and calling it done. I’m gonna go ahead and call that “from scratch”.

It’s simple.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• A couple of yards of flannel
• Seam ripper (a large needlepoint needle will work, too)
• Sewing machine and coordinating thread

Start by cutting your fabric into a square. My flannel was 54″ wide, so I cut it to 54″ in length as well.

Use your sewing machine to run a straight stitch down the sides of the square to keep threads in place. (We are going to fray the edges a little, but you don’t want it to all unravel on its own.) I found a stripe of black in the plaid – about 1/2 inch from the edge – and used that as a guideline.

After stitching, tie off your thread. I do this by pulling up on the top thread, which pulls the bottom (bobbin) thread up, too. Pull the bottom thread all the way through to the top of the fabric and tie it off with the top sewing thread. Trim loose ends.

Now, flannel is a woven fabric with warp and weft. (See more posts about warp and weft here and here.) You can create a little bit of fringe on the ends of the scarf by removing a few of these threads.

Use a seam ripper (or large needlepoint needle) to pull some of the flannel threads loose.

Pull these threads out the length of the scarf.

Continue to remove flannel threads until you have a desired length of fringe. (I did just under half an inch.)

Tie it around your neck, and off you go. Ready for a winter’s day.

I have worn these rain boots WAY more days than not this winter. I see in this picture they are still filthy even though I tried to wipe them down before taking photos. Here’s why:

One day, on the way to school, the storm drain was clogged with lots of leaves, so the kids and I used our boot-clad feet to clear the drain so the water could flow down the street better. Now, every single time it’s raining and we walk by a drain, both kids start cleaning, and BB says, “Mom, you better use your big boots.” Even if the water is flowing fine. Even if there are only 4 leaves.  Even if it’s barely sprinkling. Afterward, BB and BG act like we’re superheroes, saving the neighborhood from enormous puddles. I love it.

Better keep my superhero cape scarf out and ready – there’s more rain coming!