How to Sew a Cowl Neck Top (pattern hack)

I love sharing free sewing patterns and I’ve got a great twist on my Free Ladies Raglan Tunic Pattern to share with you today – how to sew a Cowl Neck Top with this free pattern!

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Yes!  Fall has officially arrived. (for a few days anyway, lol.)  Time to break out the jeans, boots, long sleeve tops and HOT coffee drinks. (I’m normally an iced coffee kind of girl.)

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My favorite top of late?  This cowl neck top I made using my free raglan tunic pattern!  The red knit fabric is actually lightweight enough for 3 seasons and I have already worn it a couple of times over the last few weeks.

I really like how it turned out.  This is definitely a style of top that can be dressed up of down based on the fabric used.   One thing to keep in mind when choosing the fabric – if the fabric is super lightweight, you might want to double layer the cowl, which will mean another 1/2 yard or so of fabric will be needed.  I DID double layer the cowl in this red version.

The first one I sewed – I made a couple of mistakes on, (best fabric of course) but it was a medium weight sweater fabric and the cowl looked great single layered.  (It also has a higher neckline than what I was going for.)  I really loved that pink sweater fabric and am sad I messed up that version.  Good news though, I’ve already tried it on my missy and there’s enough fabric to re-make it into a version for her.

Another thing to keep in mind when choosing fabric is to choose one that is similar on the front and back.  Due to the nature of this top, you could see a bit of the back of the fabric in the folds of the cowl.  The two sides don’t need to be an exact match, but I considered using a french terry that was navy on one side and green on the other.  The final result would have looked wierd, I’m sure!

I’ve lost a bit of weight since originally sharing the tunic pattern.  (The pattern comes in a medium and large.)  I sewed the medium and felt it had a bit too much ease for what I’m wearing now and will be adding an additional size in xtra smal/small very soon.  (Like tomorrow soon.)  To reduce the ease in this red top, I took 1/4 inch off the sides of the front and back bodice pattern and sleeve pattern.)

Surprise – you might even enjoy wearing this top off the shoulder!

I definitely plan to make another one of these in black and will make it permanently off-the-shoulder.  I’ve not decided how yet – I might reduce the length of the cowl or do a tiny gathering stitch along the sides to make the folds of the cowl stay perfectly in place.

Ready to make this top?  Head over to page 2 for the pattern download link and instructions.