If you’re local, there’s a high possibility you have seen me wearing my new leopard cowl sweater. It’s a great loose fitting top that will look great layered and on its own. I also love that I can wear it in the middle of an autoimmune flare-up (currently) and after!

I found this french terry knit on a recent visit to my local fabric shop, and I instantly knew I needed to purchase a couple of yards. It has great drape and recovery. It’s warm, soft, and so cozy, too!

I wanted to make something that I could easily transition through the cooler months by layering in the winter and pairing alone with leggings in the fall. After a quick dig through my patterns, I knew V8952 was a great choice.

I love the cowl detail on a lot of my ready to wear sweaters, so I decided to make View B. The instructions wear easy to follow, and since there aren’t very many pieces, it was a fairly quick sew. Because I wanted an overall loose, swing fit, I opted to keep the back piece as one piece instead of two. If you want a little more shape, or are curvier, I recommend keeping the original back seam. I also created a high-low hem to ensure I’d have full coverage when wearing leggings.

For the sleeves, I opted to make separate bands instead of turning and hemming. I like having a longer sleeve and I also push my sleeves up, so the bands help keep them in place. I considered sewing a bias tape finish, but ultimately opted to just turn and sew.

Are you loving this year’s animal print trend? I haven’t been a fan in the past, but this year has been different, and I am here for it! What trends are you loving this year?