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From Inspiration to Creation -- the Magnolia by Winter Wear Designs!

I've never owned a cowl neck top. Until this week, I had never made one, and I'm pretty sure I've never bought one. I'm beginning to learn that my previous wardrobe might have been slightly dull. 🤣 Mostly basic tees and church dresses! But, I'm stepping out and trying new things!


So for this month's Winter Wear Designs Blog Tour, the theme was "Hack-a-Thon." I would need to "hack" a Winter Wear Designs pattern to make my vision a reality! I visited Pinterest and Google Images for inspiration. I felt like I wanted to do something with a cowl neck, but what would I do?

My Inspiration:

I searched Pinterest and Google Images for ideas. I searched sweaters, swing dresses, cowl necks to see if I could get some inspiration for my next sew. I saved quite a few to a women's sewing inspiration board I have. 

Here are a few of my inspiration photos:

This is a beautiful, striped, cowl neckline sweater from Poshmark.

Then a pretty sweater from A Pea in the Pod Maternity. I don't need maternity, but I love the look of this! This was my favorite one that I saved, because I liked that the cowl neckline was done in a solid, matching fabric rather than the stripes.

Working on My Creation:

Next, I spent some time on the Winter Wear Designs website choosing what I would sew! I was looking for something that would allow me to recreate my inspiration tops with a little twist to make it something I would absolutely love. I looked at all of her patterns thinking about what I could "hack" and what would make me  happy. I love the look of her banded tee, but wasn't wanting anything with the bands for this. I LOVE swing dresses. They're comfortable, not clingy, and just the best, so I was naturally drawn to The Magnolia. 

Then for the Fabric:

Did you know that Knitpop lists "scrap boxes" on their website? For $25 you get a box crammed full of "scraps," but these scraps are large, and perfect for trying new things, testing patterns, and creating things that you love. I would have never chosen these stripes for myself, but I'm thrilled with them! These are a super light-weight sweater knit. I didn't initially have any idea what I would make with them until it occurred to me to make my inspiration sweater with them! As I already mentioned, I preferred the cowl made in the solid color, so I decided to use a coordinating black sweater knit that came in the box for the cowl neckline. I was super happy with how it turned out, and wouldn't hesitate to try another scrap box in the future!

My Sweater:

I was going to "hack" the Magnolia pattern to have a cowl neckline, but lucky for me, this "hack" was already done for me! You can find it on the Winter Wear Designs Website on the Magnolia listing, or here is a link: https://www.winterweardesigns.com/blogs/news/magnolia-sew-tell-cowl-neck-add-on

So mine was really pretty easy - I just followed the simple instructions given on the Winter Wear Designs Blog to make this pretty sweater.

I opted for tunic length, because I wanted something that I could wear with pants or leggings. Leggings are my love when it's cold outside! The tunic length is actually the "Shirt tail hem," but it's long enough for leggings! 😉


My First Pattern Adjustment:

So after sewing quite a few Winter Wear Designs Patterns, I've learned a couple of things... 

1. Suzanne's pants patterns fit me really well. They lead to pants that I love with very minor adjustments. (I love that ALL of my measurements fit into the same size)!

and...

2. I have broad shoulders, and with some of her tops, I need a slight adjustment! 

But I've never done an adjustment before, and I was honestly (and ridiculously) afraid. 

Why was I afraid? Why am I always afraid? I don't want to ruin fabric. 

But I've learned, It's easy to do! I looked up quite a few tutorials on Google, gained confidence, and fixed my pattern piece to be perfect for me!

How did I know I needed it? Well, the armscye and sleeve piece on this looked very similar to another top I sewed that I am always tugging on because the shoulders aren't wide enough for me, so I anticipated that this top would have a similar fit. I actually added almost an inch to the shoulders and shortened the height of the sleeve curve using the tutorials I found on the internet, and it was perfect for me! I'm SO GLAD I tried, and will never hesitate to do it again. 

Learn your body, try the adjustments, most are probably not as hard as you're thinking, and you will likely be happier with your final results! 💓

For real... pretty happy with the result and how the shoulders fit!

So Go Check Out This Pattern:


  • This pattern has several length options, so pick which top or dress length you want.
  • It has different sleeve lengths
  • There is an optional panel to use in the back (I chose not to use it in this one, but it is pretty).
  • It's a quick sew!
  • Extra ideas and "hacks" are available for this pattern on the Winter Wear Designs Blog
  • Great support in the Winter Wear Designs Facebook Group

See the Winter Wear Designs Page here: https://www.winterweardesigns.com/?aff=46


This is the Knitpop site (where I got my fabric): http://bit.ly/2KKjW9y

Please be aware that I may have included my affiliate links in this post. If you chose to purchase, it doesn't cost you any extra to use them, I just receive a small percentage of the sale.

Thank you so much for reading this post! 

Be sure to hit "SUBSCRIBE" so you don't miss any of my posts 💙💙

Also, I'd love it if you would come follow me on Instagram and Pinterest! 

Check out all of the other stops on this fun Blog Tour, and RUN over to the Winter Wear Designs Facebook Group... there are giveaways happening this week, and you don't want to miss out! 

Don't miss out on any of the stops along the tour!!!!

9/24
Jess of Jot Designs

9/25

9/26
Livia of Liviality

9/27

9/28
Patricia of Sew Far North
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