Shrugs and More Shrugs

If one shrug is good...  another one is even better....  and then more and more....  right?  

We already know that I'm addicted to fabric.  And I'm pretty fond of thread, too, although I think Lisa is way more addicted than I am.  And let's not even talk about books and patterns, ok?  They're provide the inspiration -- and sometimes even the step-by-step directions (although, really, I try not to get all caught up in that step-by-step thing most of the time!)  

But this e-shrug thing is crazy!!  If you don't know about the e-shrug, let me introduce you....   A few months ago, I got one of those hard-to-resist emails from The Sewing Workshop -- with a new pattern, the e-shrug.  I absolutely love TSW patterns!!  They're well-written, easily varied, and just classy -- and... they FIT!!  

So, how could I pass this up!  And, oooohhhh.. I loved that sweater knit, too...  

So, I got some of that too...  very pretty!  But winter was over, and I wanted to make something that I could wear, so I made my first shrug out of a great knit that I thought would be good during warmer weather... 

I really love this fabric!  It's fun to work with and it really begged me to just leave the edges unfinished... and I've washed this one a LOT -- because I wear it a LOT!!  

So, shrug number one is good!

When I'm teaching a class, I like to have a project in progress so I can demonstrate upcoming steps...   so I decided I'd make that one out of the brown sweater knit that's pictured above.  But I used longer sleeves and extended the length length of the shrug.  Once again, this fabric just calls out for unfinished edges.  When I washed it, the edges curled a bit, which looks GREAT!!  And, its much softer....  but no shrinking -- NICE!!  Shrug #2... 

During the class, as the participants were trying on their shrugs after they stitched the shoulder seams, Janet J announced that she kind of liked it without the sleeves -- and Cynthia agreed...  (I had a sneaking suspicion there were just trying to get out of sewing in those sleeves, but I was certainly willing to entertain the possibility of no sleeves!)  

     Just in case you were wondering, they were not required to use the same fabric, but how can you pass up the opportunity to make something cool out of this terrific knit??  

In the end they decided to use the sleeves, but I used that revision to make the shrug out of bonded cuddle -- 

which has no stretch at all!!  Way cool!!     

Watch for our next e-shrug class!