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Cozy Cowl Collar

Carrie wearing Mohair with Cowl Collar

This is the perfect time of year to make yourself a Cowl Collar Surplice Front Tee!  In cold weather I like to have my neck covered.  The cowl collar surrounds my neck in cozy warmth without feeling constricted, as it does when wearing a turtleneck.  I have recently made two more for my winter wardrobe, so this seemed a good time to show you how easy it is to put the cowl collar onto a Surplice Front Tee.  This style is especially great for sweater knits and other textured knits.  Take a look at these great samples.

Cowl Neck Sweater
Cowl Neck Sweater
Rayon Surplice Front with Cowl Collar
Rayon Surplice Front with Cowl Collar
Swirling Cowl Neck
Swirling Cowl Neck

The pattern and directions for the Cowl collar are included with the Clever Crossing Variations for Tabula Rasa Knits.  This collar is one of the 3 ways to finish a surplice front tee, so if you’ve already made a surplice tee, you’ve got all of the pattern work done.  If you haven’t made a surplice tee yet, now is a great time to get started.  The first step is to cut out the surplice front and cowl collar patterns in your size, choosing AB or CD as appropriate.  Make the same adjustments to the surplice front that you made to your original Tabula Rasa Knit Tee & Tunic front.

When laying your pattern out on the fabric, remember you will need to cut two surplice fronts.  Sew the fronts and back together at the shoulder seams and finish those seam allowances as usual.  Cut out one Cowl Collar on the fold.  (There are also directions for cutting the collar in two pieces as an option, but we’re going to stick with the basics here.)  Follow this step-by-step to attach the collar to the continuous front and back neckline as illustrated on page 8 of the CCV instructions.

  • Fold the cowl collar in half the long way, right sides together, and press or steam lightly. Mark the center of the cowl collar and center back with pins.

    Cowl Collar folded and pressed
    Cowl Collar folded and pressed
  • Pin both raw edges of the folded collar to the body of the tee, pinning at the center backs and side seams first, then fitting the collar to the full length of neckline.

    Cowl Collar pinned to neckline
    Cowl Collar pinned to neckline
  • Baste at the 5/8” seamline and check your work. Make adjustments if needed and then sew with your standard knit stitch.
  • Finish the seam allowances together by your preferred method. Press collar away from the body and seam allowances toward the body.

    Cowl Collar sewn to neckline, seam allowances finsihed, and pressed
    Cowl Collar sewn to neckline, seam allowances finished, and pressed
  • Topstitch the neckline 1/8” away from the seam, anchoring the seam allowance.
  • At each side seam, fold the collar toward the hem so it covers the neckline seam and shapes the collar. Baste fold into place along the side seam.

    Cowl collar folded over neckline seam and pleats at side seam pinned
    Cowl collar folded over neckline seam and pleats at side seam pinned

That’s it!  Now you are ready to proceed with construction of the Surplice Front as directed on page 10 of Clever Crossing Variations.  This will include adding pleats and layering the left and right fronts before inserting the side/sleeve unit as usual.  One little tip – I’ve found it helpful to use my walking foot to sew the side seams together because of the bulk of the pleats and folded collar, especially in heavier knit fabrics like these.

Fronts pleated and layered, ready for side units
Fronts pleated and layered, ready for side units
Leopard print Cowl Collar - finished!
Leopard print Cowl Collar – finished!

Here is one more cozy cowl collar surplice tee I made from a bundle of a mohair/wool blend knit that we were selling at our Fall shows.  I chose to use the blue for the collar, sides and cuffs and the floral for the front, back and sleeves.

Mohair with Cowl Collar
Mohair with Cowl Collar

Have you already made a surplice front tee with a cowl collar or one of the other finishes?  We’d love to see what you’ve created, so send us a photo or post a photo on our Facebook page.

Happy Sewing, Carrie

2 thoughts on “Cozy Cowl Collar

  1. It would be lovely if this collar treatment could be done without crossing the bust. Those of us that are full busted are not going to look good in this style. Could this be shortened and seamed into a yoke?

    1. Hi Cathy, As the busty member of the Fit for Art team, I will confess that I have several of these collared crossing tops and I love them. Then the cross fits well and is made in soft knit, it will lay in a lovely v through the center of your chest. That said, you could in face shorten it and lay it into a yoke, or wrap it around the ballet neck top to in the Wide Neckline variations. Measure the length you need and alter the pattern at the center back so you still have the taper on the collar. Have fun, let us see how it looks. RAE

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