Easy fleece shrug!

So my little girl wants to wear her short sleeved tops again, but even here in Florida, I wish she wouldn't sometimes. I was thinking about making one of those cute crocheted shrugs, but something quicker came to mind - one made of fleece! I love the way that fleece is soft, stretchy, and finishing the edges is optional!

Luckily, I took pictures as I went along, so here's the tute:

Start with a piece of fleece and your cutting tools.

Measure your little girl from wrist to wrist across the back, and around her upper arm. Also measure from wrist to armpit and save that measurement for later. Chloe was 33" wrist to wrist and 8" around her arm. Then cut a rectangle of fleece using the measurements you just took, plus two extra inches each way. (mine was 35 x 10).

Now fold the short edges to the wrong side about 1/2" and stitch down for the cuff edge.

Now to make the sleeves: Remember the wrist to armpit measurement? Take that number and subtract 1. Fold your rectangle the long way (right sides together) and mark a seam from each end that is as long as you just figured. Chloe's was 11". 

Stitch the sleeves using a 1/2" seam allowance.

Try it on her and send her out!

By the way, I can't find anyone to send my little dress to (see last post). If you know anyone with a little girl who wears a size 6 months, please let me know. I really want someone to wear it!

Simple Blanket Stitching Tutorial

Here's a little tutorial I wrote up for The Button Up Bolero. I wanted to post this just in case anyone wanted to brush up on their blanket stitching in advance!

The pictures are small so this won't be a mile long, but you can enlarge them if you need to.

1. Cut a strand of embroidery floss that is as long as you think you can handle. It will go fast. Then thread the whole strand of embroidery floss through your needle. Tie a knot at the end.

2. Choose where you will begin stitching.

Working from the back, stick your needle only part-way through the fleece and then up and out from the edge, so that your first stitch is inside the fleece.

View from the front, see how the needle didn’t go all the way through the layer of fleece?

Pull the needle and thread through. On the back you will see the thread knot.

3. Now poke your needle down in from the front in the same spot as your thread knot.






When the loop is almost tight, slip your needle through it so that when you pull it tight, your thread end is still coming from the fabric edge.



4. Now move about a centimeter away from your first stitch and make another stitch, still working from the front.

Just before you pull the fabric tight, stick your needle through the thread loop from the back to keep the thread end running along the fabric edge.
 
 
 
 
  

 

5. Repeat step 3 above until you come to a stopping point or are almost out of thread.

6. To tie off, just make a little knot on the back of the stitching and slip the end under a stitch or two.






7. To start again in the same place (because you needed more thread), prepare your thread as in step one and poke your needle through the back at the bottom of your last stitch.



Run your needle under the last horizontal thread segment so the thread will come from the fabric edge again.

  

 
  8. Continue blanket stitching around until all edges are finished, or at least all of the edges that will show.