Posted by Me Made May’15 has definitely made me aware that I need some more tops for work.
With the onset of Spring (really?) I have put away my standard winter work wear of warm rtw long sleeve blouses in favour of short sleeved tops and jackets.
I love my Day to Night Drape tops but sleeveless is not often an option in the office, even in a more appropriate fabric.
I scouted about for a pattern for cowl top with sleeves that wasn’t going to cost the earth. I realised I could probably draft a couple of sleeves myself but then I fell upon this pattern for £4.03 on Craftsy.
Using this gorgeous remnant I picked up at Abakhan for £3 or £4; it’s a silky type stretch fabric,
I made up my first top. I love how the stripes of this fabric, which must have been a seconds from a rtw garment fabric print, change down the body.
Super easy and fast. The fabric did not fray AT ALL so whilst I overlocked all my seams I did not overlock the edge of the cowl that drapes on the inside. This proved fortuitous because the fabric allowance for the inside of the cowl was a little mean and sometimes the inside edge shows so I do have to adjust the neckline occasionally when I’m wearing it.
I used my walking foot to ensure that I aligned up all the stripes down the sides.
When I came to make up my second and third with these 2 fabrics I made some adjustments to the cowl fabric allowance.
The first is another silky stretch remnant from Abakhan and the second is more like a fine scuba fabric from last weekend’s shopping trip to Fabworks in Dewsbury.
Can you see how I added in a further curve of fabric? This is now more reminiscent of the cowl of the Day to Night Drape Top. I also changed the angle where the cowl folds over at the shoulder. This was to ensure more ‘drape’ on the inside.
This is my second top.
Although cut out from the same pattern, this one is strangely more fitting which of course must be something to do with the different type of fabric, so that’s something I’ve learnt!
I’m still to hem drape top number 3 but to have my work wear options grow by almost 3 tops over a weekend is really rather pleasing.
So that is work wear done for a while. Back to my weekend wardrobe.
Love, Lucie xx
Love, Lucie 
I especially like the blue fabric. Makes me want to get out my sewing machine!
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Perhaps you should!. The blue one is my new favourite.;)
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I love love love that stripy fabric! I think you know what suits you!
Can I ask something… you know you’re row of photos at the top of this post, you hover over them and a caption comes up, and you can click on them. How did you do that? Is it part of your theme?
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You only get this ‘appearing title’ when you hover over a ‘gallery’ not individual images. I’m not sure if it is theme specific but when I go to ‘add media’ I get the choice to ‘create gallery’. You click on the photos you want for your ‘gallery’ and then you get an option to add a description to each photo. It is a good idea to add a description or at least change the title of the photo (if you’ve not already labelled it correctly) because it is that that pops up when you hover. I can see some of mine come up with IMG_342 or something similar which I’ll go back and change. I always choose the ’tiled mosaic’ option which snuggly puts all the photos together like you see on mine.
Hope that helps. Let me know how you get on.
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Thank you! I realised I have actually done that before but forgot about it! 😀
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You are now, officially, Queen of the Cowl.
🙂
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Ha, ha. Accepted :):):)
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They’re all fab. Love the one with yellow in!
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Thanks. It’s my new favourite.;)
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More lovely cowl necks! I like stripy one with yellow best too. Great going three top in one weekend. Well done!
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It takes the pressure off the washing machine!
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🙂
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Gorgeous cowls. The black and yellow striped one is also my fav 🙂
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Mine too – by far. But the black/grey one is more suitable for some work situations to wear with my black trousers so it serves a real purpose.
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Loving the black, while and yellow combo! The cowl style really suits you, think it;s a great idea to boost your wardrobe with a style you know works.
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Well I had the stash and I had the need for speed. It’s great to have some more choice as my spring/summer workwear was a bit lacking even in rtw. So pleasing to have made 3 tops that I would actually have spent money (£30 – £40 ea?) on in a shop for less than £15 for the 3 including thread.
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They’d have been £30-40 easy! I can’t bring myself to buy clothes any more, though I often like to browse as I feel I want to keep a little bit update with what colours are about. Your tops are real winners, and bargains too!
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I’m ditto-ing the queen of the cowls title. Fab, speedy makes Lucy 🙂
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Thank you!
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I’ve never worn a cowl – they really suit you. Great fabri choices and I also have the yellow stripe as my favourite.
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Mine too but sometimes you need a somber grey one depending on the sobriety of the work day!
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It turned out beautifully!👌.
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Thanks. Now to ramp up the challenge again!
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The sleeves and deeper cowl are super additions and I also love the yellow stripes in the first top. I intend to make more cowl tops as I find them very flattering on my frame:)
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These are amazing! I’ve got to get me that pattern!
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It was great to get 3 successful tops from a reasonable priced pattern. But I HAVE to do something else now.or I’ll be known as a one trick pony!
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Hi Lucie, love the cowl tops. I have this pattern too but on looking at the pattern placement in the instructions, you have to cut the front on the bias. Surely you didn’t cut the yellow stripey on the bias did you? Do you think you have to cut on the bias or can you do you own thing?
Andrea xx
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I had made other cowls from another pattern previously and that one didn’t advise cutting on the bias. Also my fabrics were very drapey and stretched in both directions so I thought I thought I’d get away with it and I did!
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Thank you Lucie, will have a go not cutting on the bias.
x
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