Bolero / Shrug

Ladies, doesn't it seem like you always need a shrug?

Posted by Mikki Lava

About

I wanted to wear a black and white dress that I already had on Easter, but I needed to add some color to the outfit to make it pop! Would you believe they didn't have any bright yellow shrugs in my size ANYWHERE? As a matter of fact I didn't see any bright yellow shrugs in anyone's size.

I found this project here:

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You Will Need (2 things)

  • Trim ~ Ribbon ~ Or Cording
  • 1 ¼ yd Fabric (depending on your size)

Steps (5 steps, 45 minutes)

  1. 1

    Taken from http://www.boleropattern.com/freeboleropatterns/simplebolero.htm

    First (if you need to) sketch out the pattern on a regular sized sheet of paper to get the "feel" of the how the shapes should be drawn. I'm not an artist so I find this helps a lot.

  2. 2

    Transfer (draw) the pattern on a large sheet of tracing paper. The pattern from the web page gives the measurements for sizes 10, 12, and 14. Since I am considerably more er. . .stout, and since I tend to suck at math, I simply took a folded t-shirt that fits me to size the pattern pieces.

    The length of the jacket should be about 3 or 4 inches below your bust line. (at least it is for me)

  3. 3

    Notice the pattern pieces are curved. Also, the jacket flaps are part of the main piece's (the back of the jacket's) shape. I made it easier on myself by drawing the main piece first, then carefully sketching out the jacket flap shape on the main piece. That way, all I had to do was trace the jacket flap piece on another sheet of paper. It also ensures the pieces fit properly when sewing.

  4. 4

    Pin and sew.

    The tricky part is hemming this garment because it has a lot of curves. I have yet to master finishing circular hems so I cheat and add trim instead.

  5. 5

    Voilà! Wear with flair!