Toaster Sweater Version 2

I love cold weather and we’ve actually had a few weeks of it so I decided to make up a couple more Sew House 7 Toaster sweaters.

Early in 2019, I made two sweaters using Version A of the pattern (polo neck with banded sleeves and hem).  I didn’t really take a look at Version B because it was cropped and I wasn’t sure about the collar.

When the weather actually became seasonal right before Christmas I looked at my stash to see what might work for Christmas Eve at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens. Sometime earlier in the year, I’d picked up a piece of textured double-knit at Fabric Mart Fabrics. I thought about making a sweatshirt but time was tight and I knew that the Toaster Sweater was a quick make so decided to give Version B a try.

 

I had difficulty picking a size because the Version A sweater wound up tighter than I like. So I sized up and cut an XL then tapered out to the XXL at the hem. Hey, it was the holidays! I wanted to have a bit of room for all of those treats!

Since I was in a hurry I dove right in and started serging, then realized that the instructions say DO NOT SERGE on the first seam which is the portion of the collar that turns down. It turned out fine but did force me to take a breath and actually read the rest of the instructions.

The process is so simple … collar/shoulders, sleeves, sides, hems. There are good instructions for creating the mitered corner on the hems. And my coverstitch cooperated perfectly so inside and out look pretty darned good.

Sweater #1 was ready in time for Christmas Eve so it enjoyed a nice outing.

In January I wore the sweater several times on cold days and it is cosy but I need to wear a camisole or tank underneath because double-knit isn’t exactly warm. Anyone else remember the 1970s double knits – sweaty in summer and cold in winter? Same thing 😉

Valentine’s Day came along and so did the desire for something new. Sometime in the fall I picked up a piece of “French Terry” from Hobby Lobby, washed it and set it aside. The pink and red floral design seemed perfect for February 14th and given that the fabric is quite soft and drapey I figured it would work well for another Toaster Sweater.

The second time around was much easier. I cut a straight XL and managed to cut and sew the top about 2 1/2 hours. I almost had a pattern-placement disaster with those big old flowers but fortunately caught it before I cut ;).

A few weeks ago I watched a YouTube video on turning corners with the cover stitch machine so I used those tips on the hem. The tip was very simple, and it’s explained well in the clear, short video I linked above.

• stop stitching where you want to create the turn
• carefully raise the needles so the right needle is out of the fabric and the left needle is in the fabric
• raise the presser fit and rotate the fabric half way around the corner
• take a stitch and again lower just so the left needle is in the fabric and pivot
• lower the needles and continue stitching.

My corners aren’t perfect but this was certainly easier than the method I used on the green sweater which was: stitch a long row, finish it, pull the threads through and knot, stitch the perpendicular row, finish it and so on.

 

 

I’ve worn this new version countless times in the past 2 weeks. I like everything about it – the shape, the weight of the fabric, the width of the sleeves. This is definitely a winner!

And for your viewing pleasure … a winter sunset as I was taking pictures of the tops on my dress form.