The Perfect Shrug free pattern with easy fabric flowers

In preparation for Me Made May 2014, I’m going to try to catch up on some older projects which I never got around to posting, but that I will most probably be wearing over the month (hopefully with less crazy hair…eek!). Or at least I hope I can wear this particular one, which is fantastic in the summer, but not so useful in a rainy springtime. This shrug is called “The Perfect Shrug?” and I’d say that, if it isn’t totally perfect, it comes pretty darn close. The pattern can be found for free on Burda Style.

This garment is sewn from a single large T-shaped piece of fabric (available in various sizes) and is sewn up with just two seams. It doesn’t get much easier than this! It is sewn from cotton jersey, which doesn’t fray so there’s no need to hem or finish up the edges. However I preferred a cleaner finish and used a 3-thread overlock stitch on them.

While this pattern is incredibly simple and great for stuffing in your bag to use when the temperature goes down in the evening, for example, I felt like mine was a little blah because I didn’t have particularly interesting jersey fabric.

But I remembered these easy fabric flowers from Make It and Love It that I think look so cool and decided to add a couple on, like a fake brooch. So I first cut out six circles of the same size per flower using this adjustable fabric circle cutter (affiliate link). It was the first time that I’d used it, so the circles didn’t always come out perfectly, but they were fine for this embellishment.

In a nutshell, you fold up each circle into layered wedges and pin them in a circle.

And then you sew them down starting in the center and spiralling your way out.  You have to be careful to keep the wedges from moving away from the center. It’s up to you how far out you want to sew them down. I sewed closer up to the flower edges than in the original tutorial.

Just two of these cool flowers added just that little bit of pizzazz that my shrug was missing!

I love these flowers so much! I’m so tempted to put them on everything!

This shrug really is perfect for just popping over a camisole or strappy or sleeveless dress! And why not wear it with a no-sew t-shirt sleeve necklace, too, while you’re at it? (Just try to keep it a little less tangled than I did in these pictures!)

Question of the Day: If you’re in the Northern Hemisphere, are you going bonkers waiting for spring to come for real?

I’m getting pretty darn frustrated with our weather! We’ll have a few absolutely amazingly warm and sunny days, then a week of rain. Next week we will all be in a wedding and we all have clothes prepared for warmer weather, so now I’m trying to figure out some extra cover-up solutions because chances are that it’ll be unseasonably chilly!