Monday, October 22, 2012

Easy to Make: Fleece Shawls


Painting, above by Gyorgyi Giergl (Hungary 1821-1863)
shows a beautiful shawl worn with a skirt with tucks.




Tuck Shawl from The Paragon Catalog

The fleece shawl shown above, comes from a catalog, with a price of $25.00.  The shawl shown below is similar. The fleece cost about $6.00 but the project requires that you cut it down the fold in the middle, leaving half the fleece for another project. So in effect, the cost is much less.  It takes about 2 and a half yards of thin fleece ($2.25 a yard at Walmart) and requires minimal sewing. I have used a sewing machine, but it can be hand stitched.


Since fleece is usually about 54 inches wide, I cut mine piece lengthwise down the fold in the middle. It is now one long piece. The other piece will be saved for future projects. The piece which makes the shawl can be anywhere from 2 to 2 and a half yards long, but the longer the length works best.


Fold the 2 yard or 2 and a half yard piece of fleece in half and mark the middle with chalk.




For the tab: On one of the short ends of the piece, cut a 5 inch (more or less, depending on how wide  you want the tab)




Cut that piece in  half and use one of the pieces for the tab. You do not have to make the tab as long as I made mine. The one in the catalog photo looks shorter.

Fold it in half and stitch three sides, leaving one short side open for turning.

Turn the piece inside out and fold the raw edge to the inside so that it can be stitched shut. Not shown: stitch on the outside, all the way around the tab, just about a fourth inch from the edges.

Lay the fleece around a dress form, around your own shoulders, or place it on someone else, and pin the finished tab to determine where it works best. Thread the fabric from the other side, through it to determine comfort. 



Using the chalk mark for the center, wrap the shawl around a dress form or another person, and put the chalk mark in the center back.  Then, pin the tab somewhere on the shawl and insert the other side, to see where you want to place the tab. Remove pins and replace the tab in a different area, if you need to. I placed mine parallel with the front edge of the fabric, and almost in the middle of the fabric. 

Once the tab is turned inside out, you can stitch all the way around it, including the end that was open (tuck in the open edge before stitching).



This is what it looks like finished. You can also hem the edges of the shawl on the sewing machine, using a decorative stitch, but it is not necessary.
Here is a white one, hemmed with a decorative machine stitch. You could also make several rosettes from the fleece to cover the loop. 
I experimented with placing the loop on the
shoulder, too. This would look good with
the fabric roses on the loop.



My view today, outside,

and inside!


20 comments:

  1. A very clever idea and would certainly be warm and soft to wear.

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  2. Very pretty shawl. Good idea for Christmas present.

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  3. What a wonderful idea - thank you for sharing! And your leaves looks lovely outside...and inside :)

    Hugs,
    Stephanie

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  4. What a good idea! I think I'll make this for my daughter-in-law - she'd love it. Thankyou

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  5. Lynn M4:51 PM

    Yes....it's a great gift to give!

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  6. So snug and pretty to wear,what a lovely thoughtful gift it would make.

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  7. That is how I was taught to peel an orange and how I taught my children, any other way is just messy and makes a big mess!!

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  8. Anonymous11:33 PM

    How very cleaver and so stylish.

    I did get one of those catalogs in the mail recently. Haven't had time to read it as we have been very busy lately.

    When I get a free moment I will look into this.

    Think I'd like to try making one of these shawls too.
    Thank you for sharing.

    Mrs.J.

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  9. Anonymous11:37 PM

    I see you have as many leaves in your yard as we do.

    I've been raking them up and spreading them over the top of my garden. Over the winter they will decompose and feed the garden for next spring's planting.

    Don't till, just add a layer.

    Mrs. J.

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  10. Anonymous1:01 PM

    This is an excellent idea for a Christmas gift but I plan to make one for myself first!



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  11. Try making the shawl with a smaller amount of material, perhaps one and a half yards instead of 2 and a half,and see if it more resembles the photograph. I liked the longer length but it might be easier and wear more comfortably when made shorter.

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  12. The shawl is lovely and looks so warm and cuddly, perfect for cold weather. Thanks for the great directions on making it.(-:

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  13. Hello Lydia,
    I am almost finished making this shawl as a gift for Christmas for one of my older daughters. I think it looks quite fashionable:-)Thanks!
    Blessings,
    Suzanne

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  14. Hello Lydia,
    I am almost finished making this shawl as a gift for Christmas for one of my older daughters. I think it looks quite fashionable:-)Thanks!
    Blessings,
    Suzanne

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  15. Hi Lydia,
    I am almost done making this shawl as a Christmas gift for an older daughter. It's quite fashionable:-)
    Blessings,
    Suzanne

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  16. I am going to post a new shawl today, which is very easy

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  17. Anonymous11:03 AM

    I followed your directions using some nice wool fabric. However, while it looks great on the dress form, my Mom has arms which the dress form does not.I ordered one from Paragon to see how the original one fits. Very disappointed as this seems like a great gift.

    karenhicks617@hotmail.com

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  18. If you make your own, all you have to do if it is too big on the arms is cut a slender strip of the fabric off, all around the outer edge. The beauty of making it youself is that you just get 2 yards of fabric and cut it up the middle to the halfway point and there you have it. You can reinforce the neck area with a machine stitch if you like. I showed my ladies Bible class this shawl, and it was so inexpensive (about $5.00 for a 2 yard piece --the cheap stuff that is thinner, at walmart) and I am going to make one for each lady.

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  19. Dear Lydia,

    This is a lovely idea, I just finished one for my mother, who is wheelchair bound - so the idea wasn't to look fashionable but to be pretty, practical, warm and for her to be able to dress easily. I added some pockets at each front corner (not fashionable but very practical). It worked pretty well. Using 1 1/2 yards worked much better for her slight frame and her difficult circumstances

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  20. Sue, it is nice to get by with less yardage, and for the price, you can have these easy shawls in several colors. I plan to make more of them.

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