Sew Cute! : Shawl Tutorial

That fall fashion fever is right around the corner and I for one am ready for it’s arrival.

I’ve always loved fantasy/medieval style clothing, so I decided to make a bunch of cozy, fantasy style clothing to last me throughout the colder months. Those chilly months have always been my favorite for fashion - all the layers and soft fabrics are to die for!

Ever wanted to wear a blanket all day? Same, that’s why I made this soft shawl. It’s made out of the same material as a blanket, but it’s more socially acceptable than wearing your pjs all day. This blanket-in-disguise is stylish and won’t get you weird looks from the neighbors (unless you take photoshoots in your front yard like I did).

Tutorial:

Now let's get to it! First pick out a soft material, not too thick, but enough to keep you warm. Measure from the top of the shoulders to your wrists (when rested at your hips), you might need someone to help you. Then measure around your shoulders, add another 12-15 inches, depending on how “flowy” you want your shawl.

(Remember to add an inch or two for your seam allowance depending on the thickness & weave of your fabric!)

Cut out a rectangle from those dimensions. Fold the fabric in half (bringing together the two shorter sides) to find the center. Mark the center line in chalk because this will be needed later on, but we don't want the mark to be permanent. Now measure from your wrist to right under the collarbone, use that measurement to mark both ends of your fabric (measuring from bottom to top). Now use the original measurement for your shoulders (this time without the added inches) and use the mark we made earlier to center your (shoulder width) measurement at the top of the fabric. 

The corners should look like the photo below. 

Mark out a line connecting the two points on both upper corners.

Cut down the lines to cut the (upper) corners off. You’ll need two of these pieces, so either do it all again, or trace and cut.

For the collar, measure around your neck, be sure to give plenty of space so you can breathe, as for the height of the collar, it’s up to your preferred length. We chose about a 2 inch height for the collar, but instead of cutting out two 2 inch tall pieces of fabric we cut out a 4 inch tall piece (this is without the seam allowance) and folded it in half.

Sewing:

Start with your two larger pieces and face the desired outer sides toward each other, we’ll be sewing them inside-out and flip them later. Sew along all the edges except for the top (shortest) one, do the same with the sides of the collar (be sure to sew this inside-out as well). Flip both and lie the collar out beside the top of the fabric, pin the fabric in folds until the top of the shawl is the same size as the collar.

Now lay the collar on the top of the shawl, sew across being wary of pins and folds.

Almost there, now just look in the mirror and check to see where you would like to put your button (be sure to snag a piece of chalk to mark it), I like overlapping the flaps for a cozy look. Once you're done adding your button you’ll have a cute shawl like the ones below.

Have sewing tips? What kinds of designs would you like to see in upcoming posts? 

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