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30-Minute Cowl Neck Fleece Poncho Tutorial

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2 yards of fleece and 30 minutes of time is all you need to make this darling cowl neck fleece poncho that is perfect for snuggling up in on a cool day! It even has a hood! Double layered with a cozy cowl that also works as a hood! This simple sewing project is great for beginners. This post contains an affiliate link.
2 yards of fleece and 30 minutes of time is all you need to make this darling cowl neck fleece poncho that is perfect for snuggling up in on a cool day! It even has a hood! Double layered with a cozy cowl that also works as a hood! This simple sewing project is great for beginners.
I love quick and easy projects that my girls end up being obsessed with. I found these fleece prints at the fabric store last week and they were too cute to pass up. The no-sew fleece ponchos that we made years ago are too small now, so we made new ones. This time I doubled the fleece layer for extra coziness and added a simple tube to use as a hood or neck warmer.

2 yards of fleece and 30 minutes of time is all you need to make this darling cowl neck fleece poncho that is perfect for snuggling up in on a cool day! It even has a hood!
 I knew I needed to make something with them! When the girls got home from school we took a couple of measurements and started sewing. An hour later we had two cowl neck fleece ponchos.

2 yards of fleece and 30 minutes of time is all you need to make this darling cowl neck fleece poncho that is perfect for snuggling up in on a cool day! It even has a hood!
They’ve worn them every day since! Ruby wore hers to school the next day with fleece pants and a fleece shirt underneath. Needless to say, she had a cozy day in kindergarten 😉

2 yards of fleece and 30 minutes of time is all you need to make this darling cowl neck fleece poncho that is perfect for snuggling up in on a cool day! It even has a hood!
And there are TWO ways to wear it! The cowl neck is just a long tube of fleece so it easily slips over the head for a soft hood.

For 60 more sewing projects just like this one, check out my sewing book for kids!

Ready to make your own fleece poncho? Let’s get started!

30-Minute Cowl Neck Fleece Poncho

Time: 30 minutes

Seam allowance: 1/2″

2 yards of fleece and 30 minutes of time is all you need to make this darling cowl neck fleece poncho that is perfect for snuggling up in on a cool day! It even has a hood!
Supplies:

1-yard fleece for the outer layer and cowl (anti-pill or blizzard fleece both work fine)*

1-yard fleece for lining*

thread

pins

measuring tape

scissors

sewing machine

walking foot sewing machine attachment, optional

*Make sure you are using 58″ wide bolts of fleece.

2 yards of fleece and 30 minutes of time is all you need to make this darling cowl neck fleece poncho that is perfect for snuggling up in on a cool day! It even has a hood!
Let’s take a quick measurement.

Measure the length from one wrist, across the chest, and all the way to the other wrist.

Cut both pieces of fleece into a square that matches that length.

Kaylee measured 36″ so the fleece squares were 36″x 36″.

2 yards of fleece and 30 minutes of time is all you need to make this darling cowl neck fleece poncho that is perfect for snuggling up in on a cool day! It even has a hood!
With right sides together, stitch the fleece squares together, all the way around, using a 1/2″ seam allowance. A zig zag works great with fleece.

Trim seams and clip corners.

2 yards of fleece and 30 minutes of time is all you need to make this darling cowl neck fleece poncho that is perfect for snuggling up in on a cool day! It even has a hood!
Fold fleece in half and mark the center of the fold with a pin.

Now we need to create a neck opening.

I used a 6.5″ circle that I cut in half as my template. This fit both of my girls (ages 5 and 8) perfectly. You can always start with a smaller neck hole and make it bigger if you need to.

When I made Kaylee’s no sew poncho when she was 3 years old I used a 4″ circle (as a reference).

2 yards of fleece and 30 minutes of time is all you need to make this darling cowl neck fleece poncho that is perfect for snuggling up in on a cool day! It even has a hood!
Lay your semi-circle template on the fold and cut out neck opening.

2 yards of fleece and 30 minutes of time is all you need to make this darling cowl neck fleece poncho that is perfect for snuggling up in on a cool day! It even has a hood!
Measure around the neck opening using a flexible measuring tape that will go around the curve. If you are using my measurements (the 6.5″ wide neck opening) this measurement will be 12″. Multiply that by 2 and that is the circumference of the entire opening (24″).

2 yards of fleece and 30 minutes of time is all you need to make this darling cowl neck fleece poncho that is perfect for snuggling up in on a cool day! It even has a hood!
Turn your fleece poncho right side out.

Cut a rectangle for the cowl piece that is 24″ wide (the circumference of the neck opening) and 14″ tall.

Fleece has a bit of stretch to it. Make sure the stretch goes the direction as the 24″ width.

2 yards of fleece and 30 minutes of time is all you need to make this darling cowl neck fleece poncho that is perfect for snuggling up in on a cool day! It even has a hood!
Fold cowl piece in half, right sides together, (it will be 12″ x 14″) and sew the side seam.

Now it’s time to sew the cowl piece to the poncho!

2 yards of fleece and 30 minutes of time is all you need to make this darling cowl neck fleece poncho that is perfect for snuggling up in on a cool day! It even has a hood!
Pin cowl to poncho. This will create a 3 layer sandwich of fleece.

  • The lining fleece will be the outer layer.
  • The outer fleece (main fabric) will be the middle layer.
  • The cowl piece will be the inner layer (wrong side out so that you can see the side seam)

Stretch a little as you pin, if necessary, so that everything lines up.

2 yards of fleece and 30 minutes of time is all you need to make this darling cowl neck fleece poncho that is perfect for snuggling up in on a cool day! It even has a hood!
Sew the cowl to poncho. Clip curves every couple of inches.

Turn your fleece poncho right side out.

2 yards of fleece and 30 minutes of time is all you need to make this darling cowl neck fleece poncho that is perfect for snuggling up in on a cool day! It even has a hood!
You can trim the cowl length shorter if you’d like, but my girls liked the longer length for a cozy cowl and hood.

2 yards of fleece and 30 minutes of time is all you need to make this darling cowl neck fleece poncho that is perfect for snuggling up in on a cool day! It even has a hood!
The perfect little “shoulder blanket” for reading, snuggling, and cool fall and winter days!

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Comments

  2. Super Mom - No Cape! says

    January 28, 2017 at 3:26 pm

    What a cute ponchos you made for your girls! I was thinking the same thing as Joanne… that I might need to make one for myself. 🙂

    Reply

  4. reinventedkb says

    January 31, 2017 at 3:48 am

    I love this project. It’s so cold I feel like making one to wear around the house today.
    Thanks for sharing at Funtastic Friday!

    Reply

  7. Deborah Cooper says

    October 15, 2017 at 9:50 am

    It is starting to get cool again. I am thinking of making one for my nearly 3 year old grand daughter. How long should the cowl be? you have 14″. Maybe 10″ or 9″ for a 3 year old?

    Reply

  9. Beth says

    November 19, 2017 at 7:45 pm

    I plan to make this for my granddaughter-it is adorable! Do you have any suggestions for adding slits for her arms/hands…where to place?
    Thank you for sharing this the simple tutorial!

    Reply

    • Brandy says

      November 20, 2017 at 5:46 am

      Hi Beth! The shawl kind of drapes across the shoulders and the hands and arms can go through there. I’m actually not sure where I’d add slits, but I’m sure it would be easy to do.

      Reply

  11. Annie says

    November 21, 2018 at 5:47 pm

    Just made a huge 1.5m square one for myself to snuggle under and throw on for quick trips to the corner shop. SO snuggly and easy to make with your instructions – thank you!!

    Reply

  12. Bailey says

    December 13, 2018 at 12:58 pm

    I have to make this for my niece! She’s been asking for a reading poncho! I don’t have access to measure, is your older daughter the one that measure 36? She’s the right age for my niece, so I’m wondering if I can use those measurements.

    Reply

  13. Donna Sloman says

    February 1, 2019 at 6:09 pm

    Do you need to buy more than a yard of one of the fabrics to make the cowl?

    Love the pattern!

    Thanks!

    Donna Sloman

    Reply

    • Brandy says

      February 2, 2019 at 1:24 pm

      Hi Donna! If you use 58″ wide bolts of fleece you should have enough in 1 yard for both the poncho and the fleece piece. I updated the directions to make that a bit more clear! Thanks for asking!

      Reply

  14. Sara R. says

    February 14, 2019 at 3:38 pm

    I was just gifted a sewing machine and this was my second project. My daughter loves her poncho and the instructions were clear enough for even me to understand. Thank you so much!

    Reply

  15. Michelle says

    November 28, 2019 at 11:47 am

    I’m making these for my granddaughters and if I only have 1 yard of fabric my square could only be 36″ square. Am I just confused or do I need more fabric?

    Reply

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