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pattern mash-up: easton cowl-neck tee and kensington knit skirt
Jen, who’s visiting us from the Advisors Circle, is here today to showcase the elegant dress she crafted by combining two of her favorite patterns: the Easton Cowl-neck Tee and the Kensington Knit Skirt. I still vividly recall the post where Jen talked about creating chic loungewear that felt as comfortable as it looked glamorous. It sparked a lot of excitement!
When the Easton Cowl-neck Tee debuted, Jen immediately envisioned it as the perfect foundation for a refined yet cozy dress—something that would blend comfort with an elevated look. As she mulled over the idea, she realized that pairing the Easton with the Kensington Knit Skirt could yield just the right balance.
To bring this vision to life, Jen chose a luxurious, soft stretch crushed velvet in black. Although she had been meaning to start this project for some time, it wasn’t until she saw Masha’s post featuring her own velvet turtleneck maxi-dress that she finally gathered the motivation to dive in. Having previously worked with both the Easton and Kensington patterns, Jen already had a good sense of the sizing and adjustments she needed.
For the Easton, she went with a size Small, A/B cup, opting for the shortened length and slightly narrowing the waist to better fit her frame. [Note: For those interested, Jen shared her detailed fitting journey for this pattern in a separate post.] The Kensington Skirt, on the other hand, called for a size 6 with no further adjustments.
Creating the dress required some thoughtful modifications to the skirt pattern. Since the waistband would only serve as the front portion of the dress, Jen folded it in half and attached it to the top of the skirt, overlapping by 1/4 inch to account for seam allowances.
Typically, she would aim to align the skirt waist with the natural waistline of the top. However, knowing that the skirt sat lower on her body than her actual waistline, Jen decided to experiment. She tried on the Easton with the Kensington skirt to determine the best alignment. After marking the waist on the Easton’s front and back pieces, she overlaid the skirt pieces to create elongated versions of each, ensuring seamless integration.
Tracing the combined pattern, Jen smoothed out the waistline into a single continuous curve for both the front and back pieces, each cut on the fold. From there, the process became straightforward—essentially, constructing a longer version of the Easton using its assembly instructions. After the initial sewing, Jen noticed the velvet had more give than expected, so she took in the waist slightly for a better fit. The final result exceeded her expectations: not only does the dress feel incredibly comfortable, but it also exudes sophistication.
Here’s a sneak peek at the finished piece:
[Image description: A stunning black velvet dress featuring a cowl neckline and a fitted, flowing skirt.]
This project reminded me how versatile these patterns can be, especially when paired creatively. If you’re looking to elevate your loungewear or simply want to explore new ways to mix and match your wardrobe staples, this combination is definitely worth considering!
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**P.S.** Have you ever experimented with combining different patterns to create something entirely new? Let me know in the comments below!