Project 14 (fabric): The 6-minute fleece cowl. Does it really take only 6 minutes you ask? I don’t know, I didn’t time it. (Warning: world’s longest sentence coming.) I only take a 45-minute lunch from work, and in that time, I walked out to the North-40 where my car was parked, drove home (takes 5 minutes), checked on my daughter who was home sick-ish, logged onto my computer, checked my email (ie: deleted 300 pieces of junk), decided if I could just find the fleece I bought last year and never used I could make a fleece cowl, looked for the fleece (“FIND ALL TEH FLEECES!”), found it, kind of guestimatted how big to cut the fleece, cut it, sewed one up completely wrong and ended up with a really skinny hand muff, cut another piece of fleece, sewed the first seam, wound the bobbin that ALWAYS runs out when I’m in a hurry, wound another bobbin because the first one cracked (this has only happened twice in my life and today was the second time), rethreaded the machine, turned it inside out, sewed the second seam, tried it on, found my camera, found the camera card that was missing, took about 12 shots in the mirror (uttering “no, crazy eyes” or “what is up with your lips” after each one), settled on one pic, decided to hit the bathroom before heading back to work, kissed daughter goodbye, felt her forehead, told her she was warm, drove back to work, realized because I took a later lunch than everyone else I had to park in the North-40 again, and finally, walked back into work. All in 45 minutes, so I’m guessing the actual sewing part took about SIX MINUTES.
- Cut fleece about 30” wide by 20” high.
- Fold in half lengthwise, putting fabric right sides together, and sew along the length of the longest side, making a long tube.
- Reach into the tube, grab the opposite side and turn the tube rightside out.
- Bring the bottom edge up and over (on the outside) so you’re folding it in half, which brings the two short, open edges together, right sides together.
- Using the narrower circumference of your machine that you would use to sew sleeves (I have to remove my accessory holder that hides the bobbin, but your machine may be different), sew a seam from the bottom (where the other seam starts), up about 3 inches. Stop sewing, leaving a 3-4 inch gap, then continue sewing. (You’ll use that gap later). Continue to sew around until you reach where you started.
- Reach into the hole/gap you just left, grab a handful of fabric and pull it through, turning it rightside out. If you want, you can hand-sew the seam gap closed, but I usually don’t because 1) it’s fleece , which won’t unravel and 2) it’s hidden on the inside of the cowl against your neck so no one will know it’s there (not even you.)
