Upcycled Holiday Gifts

Some of you have already completed your holiday shopping. Some of us have barely started.  I often have an itch to make the presents but rarely can follow through. However, this year I stumbled on...
embellishing a scarf as a fairly easy upcycled present for a woman, man or child.  

My local thrift stores seem to have a wealth of pashminas, wool, cotton, and cashmere neck scarves.  I check every time I go and have built up a collection.  

For embellishment, I've been screening the skirts (and some garments) for designs I can cut out with pinking shears and then hand or machine sew onto the scarves. 

As usual, I wash everything when I get it home (regardless of care tag instructions) and if it survives I use it.

In this case I found a cotton skirt with beautiful embroidery on a rich purple background.  I've already harvested some of the embroidered bits.

Here you can see the bits I added onto a cashmere scarf.

I sewed each piece on by hand with a running stitch.  I matched the thread to the color of the scarf so that the stitching on the back side would barely show. The purple pops on the pale green background. 

This scarf reminds me of painted easter eggs.  It sold in August at the San Jose Quilt Museum gift shop.  I hope the new owner is enjoying it!