In general, I’m not a big fan of downloadable patterns.  Sewing patterns that is, not crochet ones (I love downloadable crochet patterns and purchase them often).  All that printing off loads of sheets of paper then sticky-taping them all together.  It’s not really my scene.  But then I was alerted to a number of free downloadable sewing patterns by Hot Patterns available at Fabric.com.  I figured that if they were free patterns then I couldn’t really complain about the printing and sticky-taping.  This is one of them: the cascade-cozy shrug.

The fabric is an extremely drapey modal that I’ve had for a little time. It was a perfect choice for this shrug. I think that learning about getting the right mix of pattern and fabric is a lifelong process! Modal is so fluid that it really does need to be used in garments that flow and drape.

 It took me longer to assemble the pieces of paper that made up the pattern than it did to sew the shrug together. All assembly was done on my overlocker and the edges are just roll hemmed on the overlocker as well.

I think that I made the size medium, but due to the nature of this style it’s a very flexible pattern. Well worth a go as a layering piece. I wore it tied at the front, but you could probably play around with it a bit and find a few different ways to wear it. The front ties are very long.