We all know the saying about imitation being the highest form of flattery, don’t we?  I’m not sure if that is actually true, but when I saw Anna’s wool shrug (and a second as yet unblogged one) it wasn’t long before I made a blatant copy.

Well, it’s not an identical copy – Anna’s is grey, and as you can see mine is anything but! The fabric is a fairly fine wool coating remnant from Rathdowne fabrics. This is the simplest thing ever to sew. It’s essentially just a large rectangle folded in half, a couple of seams up half of the sides, then cuffs set into the opening above the seams.

To wear it you just stick your arms through the cuffs then arrange the front around your neckline and the back around your waist. It was surprisingly warm and comfortable to wear.

As the fabric was a woven coating and a little thick to turn twice, I finished the inside edge with a strip of bias binding (taking the lead from Anna in that detail too). I simply zig-zagged the seam allowances on the inside and the matching thread colour sank right into the weave of the wool.  So simple, so effective! The pattern is from a Japanese sewing book, May Me Style Sewing by Michiyo Ito. It takes very little fabric, and very little time. Highly recommended!