{"id":2129,"date":"2026-09-07T08:00:33","date_gmt":"2026-09-07T12:00:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.guides4guides.org\/?p=2129"},"modified":"2026-09-01T10:48:21","modified_gmt":"2026-09-01T14:48:21","slug":"making-a-sash","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.guides4guides.org\/index.php\/2026\/09\/07\/making-a-sash\/","title":{"rendered":"Making a Sash"},"content":{"rendered":"

Have you run out of room on your OSG uniform for all your badges? Are your arms just not long enough? One of our pathfinders faced this problem \"\"recently, so a wonderful group member figured out how to make her a sash to hold those extra badges. As a group, we agreed sashes for our members would match our neckers. We have a group member who makes the neckers every year- and she was willing to also make the sash.<\/p>\n

OSG has no official guidance on sashes as this time (2026), so we made a plan that worked for us. If you are reading this in the future, you may want to check if OSG has come up with any further guidance.<\/p>\n

Below are instructions with pictures of how to make a sash for a guide.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Level: <\/b>Advanced Beginner<\/span><\/p>\n

No advanced sewing is required, but this should not be your first project on a machine.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Equipment:<\/b><\/p>\n

Sewing machine<\/span><\/p>\n

Fabric scissors or rotary cutter, pins<\/span><\/p>\n

Clear sewing ruler<\/span><\/p>\n

Metal ruler or other pressing tool<\/span><\/p>\n

Electric Iron<\/span><\/p>\n

Newspaper or other suitable scrap paper<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Materials:<\/b><\/p>\n

Fabric: 44\u201d width all-cotton or cotton-poly blend.\u00a0 Woven only, no knits.\u00a0 Amount determined by the pattern (instructions below).<\/span><\/p>\n

Thread to match.<\/span><\/p>\n

Notes on Yield\/Yardage:<\/b><\/p>\n

If making a sash for a teen\/adult, around 30\u201d from shoulder to hip, assume 1.125 to 2 yards. (If using lesser quality cotton, add another \u00bc yard, to allow for more shrinkage).\u00a0 Assuming that your fabric doesn\u2019t shrink too badly, you can assume 36\u201d of usable width of the fabric.\u00a0 In this case, 2 yards of fabric yields 3 complete sashes with no shoulder piecing.\u00a0 You can try to get 42\u201d out of the width, but as cotton fabric quality goes down, this has become more difficult.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Make the Pattern:<\/b><\/p>\n

\"\"Measure the recipient from top of right shoulder, across the front of the body, to the left hip at desired length.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Then, ADD 3-5\u201d, to allow for \u00bd\u201d seam allowance on the hip, and desired ease.\u00a0 (Too tight, and the recipient may find it uncomfortable, too loose, and it may continually fall off the shoulder.) Judge based on your own recipient\u2019s needs.<\/span><\/p>\n

(The model I used measures 30\u201d from shoulder to hip, as shown, and I cut the fabric at 35\u201d at longest hip-point.)<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"Transfer this measurement to a piece of newspaper or other suitably sized scrap paper.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

At the top of the shoulder, make a notation that this will need to be placed ON THE FOLD.<\/span><\/p>\n

Using a clear plastic ruler or other sewing tools, draw out a 6\u201d width down the length of your measurement.\u00a0 This INCLUDES your \u00bd\u201d seam allowance on each side.<\/span><\/p>\n

At the bottom of your length measurement, taper the sash pattern cut markings at a 60 degree angle.\u00a0 This allows it to sit at the hip and hang straight.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Make the Sash:\"\"<\/b><\/p>\n

Prepare your fabric by machine-washing on cold, then tumble dry VERY low until dry.\u00a0 Watch for shrinkage, especially with all-cotton.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

PRESS your fabric, using the appropriate steam setting for your fabric.<\/span><\/p>\n

Fold your fabric so that, when you place your pattern on it, the shoulder lays directly on the fold, with a DOUBLE-thickness of fabric extending from there all the way to the end of the pattern at the hip.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The pattern should rest on a double thickness of fabric at all points, with the fold EXACTLY at the shoulder edge of the pattern.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Pin the pattern to the fabric and CUT (2).\u00a0 (After cutting the first and setting it aside, you will need to reposition the pattern \"\"on the fold of the fabric, and cut a second one).<\/span><\/p>\n

(Alternative \u2013 if you don\u2019t have enough whole fabric, you can add a shoulder seam.\u00a0 Add an extra \u00bd\u201d to the shoulder pattern line, cut (4) pieces of fabric from the pattern, sew (2) pieces together at the shoulder and press (twice), before proceeding with the remainder of construction).<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

You should now have two long fabric copies of the sash pattern.<\/span><\/p>\n

Matching the edges, pin one sash on top of the other, right sides together, leaving unpinned about 2.5\u201d from the hip edge on each side.\u00a0 Do not pin the ends of the fabric at the hip together.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

SEW each pinned edge of the sash, between the marked stopping points only, with a \u00bd\u201d seam.\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

Turn right side out, so the seam allowance is now inside.\u00a0 Using a metal ruler or other sewing tool, PRESS the seams, pressing them outwards from inside with the tool.\u00a0 Be careful not to burn yourself.<\/span><\/p>\n

For pressing in the middle section where the tool will not reach, hold the seam edges of the fabric between your fingers, and wiggle back and forth to release the full width of the sash.\u00a0 PRESS.<\/span><\/p>\n


\"\"<\/p>\n

Being careful not to twist the sash, pin ONE SIDE of the hip edges together, right sides (of the fabric) together<\/span><\/p>\n


\"\"

\"\"



<\/p>\n

SEW with a \u00bd\u201d seam.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Carefully pin the right sides together of the remaining hip pieces.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

(This part is tricksy, spatially, and if your fabric, fingers, or machine are not cooperating, feel free to use a seam ripper to open the long seams another inch or so, to allow you more room to work.\u00a0 These will be closed during the topstitching.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

SEW with a \u00bd\u201d seam.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

PRESS both seams from the right side of the fabric as follows: either press both open, OR, press #1 to one side, and #2 to the opposite side.\u00a0 This will avoid having a big bump of seam allowance.<\/span><\/p>\n

Using your fingers, from the right side of the fabric, turn in the remaining seam allowance on the long seams at the hip, pinning to hold them in place.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

PRESS these folds, being careful not to melt your pin-heads.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

SEW a \u00bc\u201d topstitch around the entirety of the edges of the new sash.\u00a0 This will secure your turned-in seams, keep the other seams from wiggling around, and provide a decorative edge and stability to the entire sash.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"


<\/p>\n

Add badges as needed. We chose to add Group and OSG identifying patches at the top and earned badges in a pattern below.\u00a0
\"\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Have you run out of room on your OSG uniform for all your badges? Are your arms just not long enough? One of our pathfinders faced this problem recently, so a wonderful group member figured out how to make her a sash to hold those extra badges. As a group, we agreed sashes for our members would match our neckers....<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2133,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[3,8,48],"tags":[331,332,329,330],"class_list":["post-2129","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gsm-tips","category-pathfinders","category-rovering","tag-guide-sash","tag-pathfinder-badges","tag-sash","tag-scouting-sash"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.guides4guides.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_6616.jpeg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.guides4guides.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2129","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.guides4guides.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.guides4guides.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.guides4guides.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.guides4guides.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2129"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.guides4guides.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2129\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2137,"href":"https:\/\/www.guides4guides.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2129\/revisions\/2137"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.guides4guides.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2133"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.guides4guides.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2129"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.guides4guides.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2129"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.guides4guides.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2129"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}