Sunday, March 20, 2011

Sewing Workshop - Cowl Top

There was a brief respite this morning from last night's storm when I could grab a picture. It poured again after this was taken, and then was gorgeous the rest of the day, culminating in a beautiful sunset.

Shortly after returning to sewing almost 2 years ago, I tracked down several out of print (OOP) patterns that I'd read or heard good things about. This Sewing Workshop Cowl Top was one such pattern. I'd read that the cowl on this pattern is really great. And it is. The nice high cowl, and the relaxed sizing of the top, with the dropped shoulders, just screamed "snuggly loungewear" to me.

I am currently visiting a coastal town in northern CA and last night was one of the worst storms I've ever experienced. Finally, around 2:30am, I gave up trying to sleep and got up to sew. As I was winding the bobbin, the power went out. An hour later, the power came back on (much to my surprise as the storm was still raging), and I was still awake. I returned to my machine and finished this top, in fairly short order. It was so calming to sew as the 60+ mph winds played dice outside with deck chairs and barbecues.

Material:

  • Popcorn fleece from FabricMart. This looks like minky, but is not minky.

This pattern comes in Small-Medium-Large. The large is supposed to be a size 18 and is fairly generous. I cut out a size 18 with no alterations (such as an FBA) and it fit pretty well. My only other alterations are listed below.

Alterations and Construction Notes:

  • I wanted it to be more of a tunic, so I lengthened it by 2"
  • I finished the hem with side slits, which begin around the waist.
  • I shortened the sleeve by a couple inches and tapered it in at the wrist by about 2" (1" pinched).

I'm sure I will wear this to shreds. I just saw this pattern about a week ago on ebay, so it shows up from time to time.