“Free your wardrobe, unleash your closet, stick your neck out, and tie one on!” This is the opening statement from Fringe Scarves founder Jodi Weishaar Hendrickson’s manual The Fringe: How to Tie Book. Published in 2023, this 58-page guide showcases nearly 40 ways to wrap, knot and tie a wild rag scarf. Here, we’ve included an excerpt from the introduction and several tutorials to inspire your own wild rag style. (Special thanks to Fringe for sharing these instructions.)
Scarves are the Swiss Army knife in your fashion toolkit. Color, pattern, and size—combined with the multiple ways to tie—make scarves the most versatile accessory in your wardrobe.
A little cowgirl advice: If you mess up, move forward and tie the darn knot! Some of our favorite ties were created by making mistakes. So have fun, don’t take it too seriously, and good luck creating a new look with your scarves.
Start with a Fold
These folds will help you prepare your scarf for various methods of tying.
The Rectangular Fold
1. Spread scarf out on flat surface.
2. Fold in half.
3. Fold in half again.
The Tri-Fold
1. Spread scarf out on flat surface.
2. Fold and cross corners.
3. Fold once more.
Tie Your Wild Rag: Three Ways!
The “Tried & True”
1. Start out with the Tri-Fold.
2. Place triangle at front of your neckline and bring both ends (one at each side) around the back and to the front of your neck.
3. Secure with a square knot in front.
4. And there you have the “Tried and True”!
The “Lazy Tie”
1. Start out with the Tri-Fold.
2. Simply tie a square knot at the back of your neck (tie according to how far you would like the front to hang down).
3. Let it hang loosely for a beautiful draped look.
The “Spanish Tie”
1. Start out with the Rectangular Fold. Then grab the center fold and let edges flair out.
2. Pull ends till the scarf is firmly secured at front of neck.
3. Continue to tie a square knot at front of neck (the scarf should be tied to hug the neck closely).
4. Continue to flair the ends out, creating a fanned bow.
To see additional ties and fun examples of how other “Fringers” wear their scarves, visit fringescarves.com.
This article about how to tie a wild rag appeared in the Winter 2024 issue of Western Life Today magazine. Click here to subscribe!
