Draped Cowl-Neck Shell

A sleeveless shell with a cowl that comes out of the cut of the front piece rather than from any gathering. Four pattern pieces, four pieces of fabric, a full facing that finishes the neckline and both armholes in one pass, and no notions.

Pattern specification

Size range

XS–XXL

Skill level

Intermediate

Recommended fabric

A soft, drapey stretch knit. Rayon or modal jersey, matte jersey or bamboo jersey. Light ponte is too stiff; if it stands up when you drape it over your hand it is wrong for this top.

Colours shown

Black.

Yardage

1.6 m of 150 cm wide fabric for XS to M, 1.9 m for L to XXL. Do not use fabric narrower than 140 cm, because the bias pieces need the width.

Notions required

None. No zip, no buttons, no binding, no interfacing, no elastic.

Stretch required

At least 40% across the width, and it must recover.

Seam allowance

1 cm throughout. Hem 1.6 cm. Both are already included on the pattern.

Format

PDF — print at home or copy shop

Size chart

Finished garment, measured flat. Chest and hem are half the measurement all the way round. Length is centre back, neck to hem. Inches / centimetres.

Key details

• Nothing is gathered, pleated or shirred. The cowl is simply the front piece being much wider across the top than the back. On size M the front carries 58.8 cm between the two shoulder points against the back's 30 cm, and that fabric has nowhere to go once the shoulders are sewn, so it falls forward.
• The shoulder seams themselves are the same length on both pieces, 5.7 cm, so they still sew together exactly.
• The front and the front facing are both cut on the true bias, single layer. Fabric cut at 45 degrees falls in round folds; the same shape cut on the straight grain folds into flat, angular pleats. Getting the grain wrong gives a stiff garment rather than a broken one.
• The width floor is real. A 110 cm cotton jersey will not cut this pattern.
• The only topstitching on the whole garment is the hem. The two facings are joined at the shoulders exactly like the top itself, sewn all the way round, then turned through a strap while the side seams are still open. Facing depth is about 26 cm.
• Label the facings as you cut them. Off the paper they are easy to mix up. The wide one is the front facing and goes on the bias; the narrow one is the back facing and goes on the fold.
• Drafted with 3 to 8 cm of negative ease against the body. The fits-bust ranges are 82 to 88, 87 to 93, 92 to 98, 97 to 103, 103 to 109 and 111 to 117 cm, XS to XXL.
• Between sizes, the smaller gives a closer fit and the larger sits the cowl a little lower.
• The fits-bust ranges match the Draped Halter Wrap Top at every size.

Pattern pieces

• Front (cut 1, true bias, single layer)
• Back (cut 1, on the fold)
• Front facing (cut 1, true bias, single layer)
• Back facing (cut 1, on the fold)

In the download

• A0 copy-shop file — 1p
• US Letter / A4 print file — 27p
• Construction workflow — 11p

This is a digital pattern. Nothing ships — your download link is emailed the moment you check out, and stays in your order confirmation.

Licensed for personal use only. Files may not be resold, redistributed, shared or used for commercial production without written permission from Kissing Parasites.