Toasty Toaster sweater

Hi there!

Hope all is well in your world?

So what’s going on here, two posts in two days? I know, but I wanted to get this one blogged before the end of the month as it ticks boxes for a few different challenges.

This is one of my latest makes and I’ve been wearing it for a week or two now.  It’s the Sew House Seven Toaster 2 sweater and I made it up in a fabulous fleece backed sweatshirting in fuschia pink from Guthrie Ghani.

Let’s talk fabric, since I bought that first.  This was one of the ones I succumbed to during Sew Brum last year and it was available in several different colours.  It’s flecked with little dots of other colours (to the point where my husband tried to brush my sleeve clean when I showed him!) and it is glorious soft, warm and snuggly.  It’s still online in a few colours (and I’m so glad I bought two teal remnants as well!)

The pattern is one I wouldn’t have seen were it not for the #SewMyStyle challenge.  I actually bought both Toaster sweaters as a single bundle, but this version appealed more to me than the boxier version 1.  It has an interesting neckline and really great mitred corners on a high/low hemline.

As I hadn’t made anything up by this company before, I had a bit of a Google and I’m glad I did, as a few people mentioned they’d added quite a lot of length to the bodice.  I wanted to be able to wear this over skinny jeans and frankly prefer my bum to be covered, so I added 2″ to the length (I’m 5’7″).  This was really simple using the lengthen/shorten here lines on the pattern.

As usual, I constructed the top on my sewing machine with my walking foot and finished the seams on the overlocker.  I couldn’t be bothered to re-thread the overlocker, especially as I didn’t have an exact thread match, so I’m calling the purple thread a deliberate style choice!

The collar has less structure than I thought: you just have to stitch in the ditch down the shoulder seams to hold it in place at either side.

I found the instructions to be really clear and easy to follow; the only slight head scratch moment was on the mitred corners, but it only took a couple of reads through for it to click and they worked really well.

All in all, this was a great sew.  It took under 2 hours, even as a new to me make, and I’m really pleased with the result; it’s so snuggly!  I think I would add a little more length even to the bodice, I’m really past the age (and weight!) where anything remotely cropped is on my style radar.  I’m also intrigued to make this up in a drapier fabric, I think the neckline in particular would be lovely if this were more a top than a jumper.

By the way, rather an unusual back drop for a blog photo (thanks to Caroline for photographic duties on this one!): this was in Tropical World this week.  Leeds residents will know that I’d normally be passing out wearing anything this warm in the butterfly house, but the place is (again) being renovated at the moment so was unexpectedly cool when we went round on Friday.  And I thought you might all be a little bored of the sight of my kitchen / spare room / garden!

This pattern is also the second of my #2017makenine makes, and it ticks the box for the #wardrobebuilder project too; January is all about jumpers and sweatshirts. Oh, and the #dressmakingbloggerchallenge is all about cosy makes too!

I love a good multi tasking make!

How about you, are you enjoying snuggly sewing or are you dreaming of warmer days already?

Becca x