When I transferred to my new school, I left my store-bought movement scarves behind. I spent last year without them since I had no music budget. This year, I decided to make my own. My students LOVE moving to music with these scarves so when I went into JoAnn Fabrics and saw that tulle was on sale for $1.33 a yard, it was a no brainer. I got 5 yards for a grand total of $6.65 or $0.17 a scarf!!
One great thing about tulle is that it won't fray! Even though the fancy nylon movement scarves from the music catalogs are hemmed, I found that after a year of use, the hems would wear off anyways. These D.I.Y. scarves aren't as thick but they will get the job done.
Getting Started:
Look for tulle in the store where you see fabric for formal dresses. There is tulle with little rhinestones and other bedazzlements, but I'm keeping it simple. When I purchased this, the fabric was doubled-up, so I really got 10 yards as opposed to the 5 that I paid for.
Then I just cut them with fabric scissors. The general, small commercial size is between 14" and 27" squares. I prefer cutting them larger than smaller.
Just another tip, don't iron these directly because the material will melt. Always place a towel over them. If you do decide to hem these for whatever reason, place a piece of tissue paper under the tulle or else it will bunch up under the foot of your sewing machine.
Compare Costs
Music is Elementary 12 scarves = $15.95
West Music 12 scarves = $25
Music in Motion 12 scarves = $24.95
Homemade 40 scarves = $6.65
Breakdown Per Scarf
Music is Elementary = $1.33
West Music 12 scarves = $2.08
Music in Motion 12 scarves = $2.08 Homemade 40 scarves = $0.17
I have PreK-1 students use their scarves as "rocketships" and during the 5-4-3-2-1 countdown, they lower their scarves to the ground and on "Blastoff!" they throw them in the air! During the verses they "fly" their rocketships to the sun and the moon. On the verse about going to the stars, they pop their scares in the air and try to keep them up (kind of like when you have a balloon and you don't want it to touch the ground). On the verse about going home, they take their scarves back to their seats and do one last "blastoff." My students love this and I hope yours do too!
Whoa! Yes, you'll save lots of money just making them, and I've found that they don't fray as much as the commercial scarves and they work just as well. :)
Thank you for this tip! Much appreciated. I have 90 kindergarteners needing red and green scarves for our program!
ReplyDeleteWhoa! Yes, you'll save lots of money just making them, and I've found that they don't fray as much as the commercial scarves and they work just as well. :)
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