Wednesday 13 April 2011

Sew An Easy Shawl For An Elegant Gift In Less Than 30 Minutes

By Marian Lewis

There is no fitting required. It takes just a few stitches on your sewing machine. And, you need no sewing pattern.

Women of all ages love shawls from teens to senior citizens. Sew some for your favorite charity. Give the gift of something homemade.

Even if you know very little about sewing, you can make
quick and easy, elegant shawls in less than 30 minutes.

Whether for a dressy occasion or to ward off the chill from
your shoulders in a restaurant, you will want to sew several
of these shawls for yourself and to give as gifts to young
and old alike.

They are attractive and so popular now.

Make this triangular shawl from a square of fabric.

Here are five methods that you may use to make your shawl.

SUPPLIES:

Fabric:

1-1/2yards of 54" fabric
or
1-2/3 yards of 60" fabric.

Trim:

Trim the shawl with purchased fringe or beaded trim.

You will need:

3 yards of trim or fringe for the 54" square

or

3-1/3 yards of trim for a 60" square.

CONSTRUCTION:

Square the ends of your fabric.

METHOD 1

Trim the shawl with fringe.

Stitch fringe along 2 sides of the shawl 1/2" from the
edge on the right side of the fabric. Make sure the ends
of the fringe are towards the inside of the shawl.

To make the shawl:

1. Fold the square into a triangle with the right sides
together.

2. Pin and stitch through the same stitching that attached
the fringe to the fabric.

3. Leave an opening 3" to 4" along one edge.

4. Turn the shawl right side out through the opening.

5. Press well.

6. Slip stitch the opening closed.

METHOD 2

Finish with topstitching and no trim.

1. Fold the square into a triangle with the right sides
together.

2. Stitch a 1/2" seam on the two sides of the shawl leaving an
opening 3" to 4" along one edge.

3. Turn the shawl to the right side through the 3" opening.

4. Press well.

5. Slipstitch the opening closed.

6. Topstitch 3/8" from the two outer seamed edges.

METHOD 3

Outside stitched purchased trim

1. Stitch and turn the shawl as above.

2. Press well.

3. Topstitch purchased trim on the two outer seamed edges.

METHOD 4

Bias ruffle trim

1. Make a bias ruffle doubled the finished width desired plus
1" for two 1/2" seam allowances.

2. Cut the length double the length you need. (6 yards long for
a 54" shawl or 6-2/3yards long for a 60" shawl)

3. For a 3" wide finished ruffle, cut bias 7" wide.

4. Fold in half.

5. Baste stitch raw edges together 1/2" from the edges.

6. Pull up gathers to fit the shawl.

7. Stitch the ruffle to two edges of the shawl.

8. Sew on the ruffle the same as the fringe in METHOD 1.

METHOD 5

Make your own hand knotted fringe on a finished shawl.

1. Use embroidery floss or yarn.

2. Cut strands 9" long to make 4" long finished fringe.

3. Fold strands in half.

4. With a crochet hook, push a hole in about 1/2" from the
edge of the finished shawl.

5. Pull the 4 folds of yarn or floss through the fabric to the
right side forming a loop.

6. Then, bring the 8 ends through the loop.

7. Pull them away from the fabric until the loop lies flat.

8. Place loops close to each other all across the fabric.

9. Trim the cut ends of the fringe evenly.

10. Wear with loops showing.

To wear your shawl:

Wear your shawl with two ends tied on the inside at your
waistline in the back. It creates the look of a shrug and
will always stay in place.

Give gifts hand made with love!

These shawls are quick, easy, inexpensive and very much
appreciated by everyone!

Sew some shawls for loved ones, friends and your favorite
charity, too.

It just makes sense!

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©2005 Marian Lewis - All Rights Reserved

1st Step To Sewing Success

Marian Lewis is a sewing instructor and the creator of an amazing new fitting method for hard-to-fit sewing folks.
In her ebook, "Common Sense Fitting Method For Hard-To-Fit Sewing Folks Who Want Great Fitting Skirts And Pants", find out step-by-step WHAT you really need, WHERE you really need it and HOW to apply that to a commercial sewing pattern.
For more information, go to: http://www.1ststeptosewingsuccess.com/fitting.html
Marian is also the author of other eBooks related to sewing including, "Sew A Tee Pee And Accessories For Your Tribe Of Kids" where she teaches basic sewing techniques while you have fun doing it!
To learn more, go to: http://www.1ststeptosewingsuccess.com/sewing.html
To discover sewing and fitting secrets to achieve sewing success, follow the link: http://www.1ststeptosewingsuccess.com