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!