How to make a cowl neck dress or top, how to make a cowl neck

How to make a cowl neck dress

We recently released The Jolene Turtleneck Dress and Top pdf sewing pattern and it has been soooo well received by you all!! The night it released I had emails from customers that had sewn it the very next morning!! I LOVE being able to bring you all a pattern that YOU LOVE!!

The great thing about this Turtleneck Dress sewing pattern is that you can hack it in so many ways!
Today I am going to show you how to add a cowl neck to the Jolene Dress!

Let's get started!

1. Print your pattern. Get a copy here. Cut out your paper pattern pieces.
2. Cut out a Jolene Dress or Top back in your knit fabric.
3. Lay out your front paper pattern piece. Make a mark 3 inches below the front neckline. Connect that mark to the shoulder edge.

4. Cut out a Jolene Dress or Top front.

5. Cut out the sleeves.

6. Pin the dress front and back at the shoulders only. Sew.

7. Measure your neckline and add 7 inches to this number. My neckline measured 19 inches around, so I added 7 inches and got 26 inches. My cowl neckline will be 26 inches wide.

8. Cut out a cowl neck that is that many inches wide by 21 inches tall. Mine will be 26 inches wide by 21 inches tall. It is a rectangle (super easy!). I did it on the fold so you will see a 13 inch wide by 21 inch tall cowl here...it is still folded in half.

9. Fold your cowl right sides together and sew along the 21 inch side so it is a tall loop.

10. Fold the top down to meet the bottom so the seams are hidden.

11. Baste around the bottom neckline of the cowl to hold the 2 layers together. Use a 1/4 inch seam allowance when you baste stitch.

12. Pin your dress sleeves and sew.

13. Sew your dress right sides together from sleeve edge down to dress' hem.

14. Keep your dress inside out.

15. Quarter your cowl neck and your dress neckline by evenly spacing out four pins.

16. Slip your cowl neck into your dress neckline, making the  raw edges meet. The basted edge will meet your dress neckline. Match up the pins on the cowl to the pins on the dress neckline and attach. Evenly distribute the cowl neckline around the dress neckline. Pin.

17. Sew around your cowl neck using a 3/8 inch seam allowance.

18. Flip cowl up, hem your sleeves and dress and you are done!!

Be on the lookout for more Jolene Turtleneck Dress sewing pattern hacks coming soon!!