I am obsessed with shrugs/boleros/ballet sleeves, whatever they call themselves! These vintage images just make want to sew up hundreds of shrugs Why shrugs, you ask?
- Versatility – when you are going to the effort to sew your own wardrobe, you want each garment to work hard. A shrug can turn a sleeveless or short sleeved garment into something more covered up/warmer.
- Complexity – they add more detail to a ‘jeans & tee’ outfit and can really add a good pop of colour or pattern without dominating. If you watch old movies you’ll see lots of matching skirts & shrugs that look so wonderfully matchy without overdoing it.
- Silhouette – they’re so wonderfully vintage and give you a flattering and interesting neckline.
- Size – they’re small so you can roll them up in your handbag in case you get chilly!
I found this great free pattern from So Sew Easy and promptly made three shrugs! The instructions are great, the pattern is simple and with only 3 seams, it’s a quick sew. Deby, who made the pattern, left most of her edges raw on her version. I’m usually pretty cool with raw edges but I wanted a nice finish on these. Deby suggested turning a small hem but I felt like that would be a pain with all the curves. Also, since shrugs tend to flap open on me, I knew that you would see the wrong side of them hem, which was bound to be messy because of easing the curves. I thought on it for a while and came up with two options: trim and fold over elastic (FOE).
A pom pom trimmed shrug is terribly vintage! So obviously I tried that first. The neck/back edges don’t really need to stretch so a non stretch trim was fine. I made up the shrug as per the pattern and hemmed the sleeves. Starting from an underarm seam, I laid the trim over the raw edge and stitched it down with a regular stitch, using my zipper foot. I kept going until I met the beginning and cut off the excess trim. The braid on pom pom trim frays like crazy, so I added some fray check and it was done!
For the next two, I used fold over elastic. There’s not much of range locally but eBay has every colour and pattern imaginable! If you’re not familiar with FOE, it’s an elastic with a fold line down the centre. Think of it as the bias binding of the stretch world. I admit in can be awkward to use when you first start but you’ll have to trust me – you get the knack! Elastic used to be my sewing nemesis. I still make mistakes but I’m quite confident sewing elastic now. In fact, I attached my FOE to the pink shrug with my mini machine.
I got started by sewing the back seam only. I then folded the elastic over the raw edge and zig zagged it closed, making sure I caught the raw edge. I put no tension on the elastic (I didn’t want it to gather the fabric) except for a tiny, tiny bit of tension to fit the elastic to the curves. I put the elastic on all the raw edges, except the underarm/side seam. Then I stitched the shrug up as per the pattern!
I love all three versions and I know I’ll get a ton of wear from them. They’re so quick and easy, I can see myself with a ton of them. I can see some cutely matchy outfits in my future! A huge thank you to Deby for the pattern, I love it!
3 Comments
Oh wow, these are amazing! Love the pom poms and the elastic as an edge binding is a great idea. Thanks so much for sharing what you made, and the link to the pattern. I’m pinning!
Sew cute 😉
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