Hi all. Today I’ve got the start of a series of blogs. The length of the series is partially reliant on current global events! My aim to to say less about each make and group items together in some way. There’s also a new hashtag in town – #isewlation – and it’s helping sewists get through the current situation together.
Sewing is coming in bursts to me at the moment. I can go for days without wanting to get my machine out and an apathy that I haven’t felt towards sewing before, followed by a burst of enthusiasm where I want to do nothing but sew. On the whole, I’m going easy on myself and not forcing it, reminding myself that (button-holes aside) I sew for enjoyment.
The three makes that I’m talking about today are all jumpers, aiming to make isolation as snuggly as possible. I made these at the end of March when it wasn’t that warm in the north of England. We’ve been blessed with a few nice weeks but, if the Met Office are to be believed, we’re heading for some colder weather so these jumpers will be back in rotation!
Toaster sweater
I’ve made a Toaster Sweater before and love it. It’s a wardrobe staple of many sewists and I can see why. I made version 1 both times – slightly cropped with raglan sleeves and a funnel neck. The hem band and cuffs are nice and generous too.
The details on this pattern are particularly pleasing, for example, each seam-line is top-stitched. Not only does this look really neat, it was a new detail that I hadn’t encountered in a sweatshirt pattern.
In terms of adjustments, I took 2″ off the sleeve length but that’s it. A satisfyingly low-maintenance fitting experience!
I bought this “Scribble” fabric from Fabric Godmother because I don’t tend to have sweatshirting in my stash. More than anything, it’s too bulky to store so I usually sew it up fairly quickly when I buy it. I can’t convey how soft this fabric is. It’s fleece-backed, which makes is extra-snuggly, and has a good weight to it without being too heavy.
The photos show two (yes, two!) perfect cuff intersections. This is so rare for me. Often, I’ll get one that I’m happy with but two is practically non-existent. I don’t tend to unpick if cuffs are a bit ‘off’ because life’s too short, but the joy I felt when I turned these the right way out was immense.
Astoria jumpers
Next up are two Seamwork Astoria jumpers. I bought this pattern thinking that the style in a thinner jersey would be more suitable for the office than my other sweatshirt patterns. I don’t know why but raglan sleeves and sweatshirting fabrics don’t say “work-appropriate” to me. Does anybody else think that?!
Again, this is a popular one with sewists and I felt like I was late to the party. One bog positive of making a popular pattern is that there are so many resources (blogs, Instagram etc) documenting fit adjustments. I made quite a few adjustments to this pattern before cutting out, all were wise adjustments and ones I would keep if making again:
- Added 1″ to the bodice. Yes, you read that correctly, I added length! I’ve got a short torso and usually remove length so it’s definitely worth holding this pattern up against your body before cutting. It’s designed as a cropped jumper but I don’t like reaching up and showing off my tummy in the office!
- Added 1.5cm (there I go, mixing my measurements again!) to the sleeve width. I had read on a few reviews that the sleeves are a very slim fit. I usually do a full bicep adjustment but as this has no cuff, I just widened the whole sleeve piece, keeping the arm scythe the same.
- Shortened the sleeve by 1.5″ (back on inches).
These fabrics were a bit of a splurge for me, but I reasoned that I would wear a lot and they will cover more than one season because vests can live underneath them! Both are Mind the Maker fabrics from Lamazi Fabrics. The Navy jacquard has a lovely wavy pattern and is thicker than the lilac ‘waffle’. Both fabrics work well with the Astoria, although the cuffs of the lilac are a bit wavy where I’ve stretched it when sewing.
Lockdown fringe ‘styling’ 
Chilly day
Thanks for reading and I hope you’ve got some hobbies to get you through lockdown :o)
My Stash Reduction Quest 