Sunday 19 June 2011

The perfect shrug?


Whoopee, I'm back blogging! Loooong time no see, I'm sorry I just disappeared but I got fed up with my old computer that 1. has a hard drive that is so stuffed that I need to delete something every time I want to add anything and 2. gets overheated and shuts down on a regular basis. Annoying!

Well. I'm glad I've got proof I don't over consume computers, and I've finally decided to switch to Apple. I'm a convert. This MAY be my last post on a PC (heheh). Can't wait.

I didn't stop sewing though, and now that daylight is back here in the northern hemisphere I can photograph my creations too, yippie (and I'm also less tired than in winter).

Here's my last creation, a simple shrug that is a copy of a shrug I got a big high street chain a few years ago. I think it's the perfect shrug, especially for home seamstresses; it's very easy to make, doesn't use a lot of fabric ans consists of one pattern piece only.

Add to that that it folds up perfectly flat, a big bonus for people like me who live in SMALL apartments, and great for traveling.

It also lends itself to a variety of different materials (as long as it's a knit) depending on which it may be the perfect piece to cover your shoulders at parties, or to avoid too much sun in the middle of summer. I'm also thinking of making it in a mohair knit (they tend to sell designer mohair knit remnants at my favourite fabric shop... yummy...)

I can write all that since I didn't make the design up myself ;-)

I made mine in a rather heavy cotton jersey, a genuine 1980's fabric that I got in the early 90's, left at my parents place when I moved out, and then forgot about. My mum gave it to me this easter and now it's actually back in fashion again! I love the colour and it's very comfortable to wear. The best thing? I've got a few meters of it.... I hope to make a shirt for summer too. I've got about four projects in the pipeline that I need to finish first, though..
Now, I've graded the pattern for size 32-44, and I would LOVE your help to try the pattern out!

If anyone is interested in using up one of their scraps (you need about 85cm of a 60cm wide jersey for a size 32 and about 120cm of a 80cm wide jersey for a size 44), please e-mail me on "karin.arver at gmail.com" and I’ll send you a PDF with the pattern (9 pages). Mine is a size 34, so I know that size 34 is correct, but if you're a size 34 and would like to try it I'll send it anyway, of course!

Cutting and sewing should take about an hour at the most since it’s so simple to make.

Fingers crossed a few of you want to try it out and that I graded it well!

I’m hoping to be able to post the pattern in a week or so, if it works for the testers.


Update: I don't need any more test-persons, I got feedback from several of those who tried the pattern out, thank you all so much! I got some great hints on things to improve/explain better.

For those of you who want the pattern; it will be published on Burdastyle on monday 11th July, simply download it from there. And please don't forget to upload pictures of your shrug and connect them to the pattern once you're done! Thank you!

18 comments:

  1. YAY! So glad to see you back in the blogosphere...I've missed your posts and creations! This is a fantastic shrug!!

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  2. Cool shrug, I'd be happy to test out your pattern but I'm only size 36 so it might not tell you much.

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  3. Welcome back! You were gone forever!

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  4. Great to see you back! I'm looking forward to your next posts. It's been too long since your last one. ;)

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  5. YAHOOOOO!! so glad you're back-- and with a bang, girl.

    i am IN if you want another tester!!! i hover between 36-38, but i would probably do a 38 for my football shoulders. i'll email you :)

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  6. Glad to have you back!!!! Love the shrug! Sent you an e-mail for testing :)

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  7. Woo-hoo Karin's back! Lookin' forward to seeing what you've been sewing :)

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  8. Oh my gosh! Thank you all so much for all your kind comments, I feel VERY welcome back!

    Also a big thank you to all those who have volunteered to try the pattern out, it will be of great help! I'm interested in test pilots of all sizes (I've now re-graded it to a size 30-46 (according to the Burdastyle size-chart where I measure up as a 36 but prefer the fit of a sz 34, here, the 34 is a good fit for me), so if there are any more volunteers, just send me a line and I'll e-mail it to you!

    Molly, send me an e-mail and you're in. I'm also interested in finding out if people around my own size consider it running too small or big, and if the instructions are comprehensible or not. Apart from knowing if the bigger sizes are way off or not!

    Now I'm off to send it to those of you who have e-mailed me, then I'm off to Yoga, which has a lot to do with my next post! See you soon! So no, it won't be another 7 months until next time ;-)

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  9. Hi.I'm in to test out and I'm size 34.
    I sent you an email so hope i can get your pattern.
    wow, so excited!!!

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  10. Welcome back! I hope that pattern works well for the testers because I want to make one so bad it hurts!!! :)

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  11. Karin, welcome back - you've been missed! (also, silly computers and long winters are such understandable reasons for shoving stuff in corners to go sew instead).

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  12. caramia-ill and indigorchid: thank you both! I've missed you guys too (though I HAVE read blogs once in a while, from my phone mainly...).

    And Sue, thanks for posting the shrug you made so quickly!

    I've now sent the pattern to 14 people and am about to send it to two more - I'm overwhelmed again, I worried that no one would want to test it :-)

    Version 2.0 is now on its way to testers who haven't yet told me they've made the shrug (in case they haven't printed/pasted yet). Instructions + notches improved.

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  13. Great to see you back! Look forth to the pattern at burdastyle, it looks like one of those must-haves!

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  14. hey, i would like to try this out. can you send me a pattern? thankyouverymuch.
    emirah702@yahoo.com

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  15. Hello Karin. I thank you for this pattern because I have been wondering for a long time what the pattern pieces look like to make this type of shrug/cardigan. It's very popular here in Japan. I should have bought a similar looking cardigan to find out but to me they are too expensive to merely quench my curiosity. So I gratefully downloaded your pattern from Burdastyle and now it's all made up, leaving me in awe to see how rectangle it is. :)

    Today as I browsed the net for cardigan models, I stumbled upon this: http://www.muji.net/store/cmdty/detail/4934761075587

    I have been staring at the cardigan, wondering what the pattern pieces look like and I think they are made up of two different sizes of rectangles. Or three, if you count the sleeve band in. What do you think? I would like to know your opinion.

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  16. Testing334545555333: The pattern is now available for free download at www.burdastyle.com, so I don't e-mail it anymore, go have a look there and you shall find it!

    Stefani Sarah: Thank you for your comment! I've looked at the Muji cardigan and not quite figured it out. What I usually do when I try to copy things I've only seen in pictures is to sketch the back and the front with all seam-lines and folds makred, cut along the seams and "fold" out the pieces that belong to the other side, cut and paste. I mean, in that cardigan, I THINK it looks like one piece of fabric that's wrapped around the body. You could try to decode how it's done by sketching, cutting and pasting. Easier if you have the garment in front of you though :-)

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  17. Would it be possible to make this with long sleeves? I'd like to try but I'm having trouble visualizing it.

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  18. hi - this looks great and it's no longer on BurdaStyle. Are you willing to email it to me?

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