Sometimes i really struggle when i’m designing a new pattern, because i want to include ALL the possible variations i can think of, and sometimes, there just isn’t room. With the Rowan bodysuit and tee, a variation that missed out on inclusion was a scoop neckline, so today i’m going to show you how to draft one yourself!
And my friends it’s going to be so easy you’re going to love it!
The very first thing you should do is trace your pattern before you make any changes. You want to preserve your original pattern so you can use it in the future! Trace out the Front of the V neck tee (pattern piece 3) or V neck bodysuit (pattern piece 6), whichever you are making. You will also need to trace the Back pattern piece for the bodysuit (5) or the tee (2), and the V neck band (pattern piece 9).
Once your pattern pieces are traced, measure 1″ (2.5cm) in from the neckline along the shoulder seam on the front pattern piece (in this example i’ll show you on the bodysuit, pattern piece 6). Redraw the neckline to gently curve towards the point of the V neck. You may find it useful to use a french curve, but you can free hand it if you like. You can also use the scoop neckline of another pattern as a guide, my Briar tee sewing pattern would work perfectly for this.
You will need to make a similar alteration to the back pattern piece by measuring 1″ (2.5cm) inward at the back neckline along the shoulder seam. Then redraw the back neckline curve from the new shoulder point to meet the centre back.
Next up take your V neck band pattern piece, and square off the end with the inverted V. Since we have added to the circumference of the neckline, we needed to add to the circumference of the neck band too, and this turns out to be a really quick and easy hack for this pattern.
Above are some pictures of what my pattern pieces looked like after i altered them.
From this point, attaching the neckband to the scoop neckline is exactly the same as it is for my Briar sweater and tee! For how to sew a neck band follow this easy tutorial.
And that is it my dears! Now you have a gorgeous scoop neck Rowan!
// LOOKING FOR MORE ROWAN POSTS? //
Here’s the full list of Rowan tutorials:
- How to stabilise fabric with tissue paper
- Inspiration and ideas for sewing your Rowan
- How to lengthen or shorten the pattern
- How to sew a V neck on knit fabric
- How to insert a neck back with a regular sewing machine
- Rowan dress variation
- Scoop neckline variation (covered in this post!)
- How to sew a snap crotch bodysuit
Don’t have the Rowan sewing pattern yet?! Order Rowan today! We absolutely love seeing what you make, so don’t forget to tag your creations with #MNrowan and @megannielsenpatterns when sharing on social media, and check out what everyone else is up to!
This is exactly the variation I was hoping for! Just one question though – how much extra length do you add to the neckband please?
Hi Danielle! I’m so glad to hear you like it! For the neckband, you just square off the pattern piece at the pointed ends. So instead of cutting into the V, cut straight across from one point to the other. So in my pattern pieces above, i cut a size small and cut the band directly across from the outer most points of the S lines. Hope that helps! xo
Perfect, thanks! X