Astoria & Toaster Sweaters

Recently I've made a couple of simple, speedy projects. They're both repeats of patterns I've made before, meaning I might not have as much to say about them as a completely new project, so I thought I'd combine the two into a quick post to share with you today.

The first is a Seamwork Astoria top. This project was really inspired by the fabric. It's a very colourful (as you can see!) French terry from Flamingo Fabrics, which sadly no longer seems to be in stock. I thought it would be good for brightening up the duller days of autumn and winter so I treated myself to a piece without knowing quite what pattern I was going to use it for.

When the fabric arrived, I decided it would be perfect for the Astoria. I made a few versions of the pattern not long after it was released (here and here) a couple of years ago, and they're all still in fairly regular wardrobe rotation. It's a style that works well with lots of my dresses and skirts/culottes so I knew that it would get a lot of wear.

The Astoria is a simple and quick pattern to make, so after a couple of hours of sewing I had a nice new top to wear - and it definitely brightens up my day when I put it on!

The second top I have to share today is a Sew House Seven Toaster sweater (version 1). This is another pattern that I first made not long after it was released, and thankfully it's another one that has been a success for me.

This time I bought the fabric specifically with the Toaster pattern in mind. It's a quilted cloqué jersey from The Textile Centre. It's also no longer in stock (sorry, I'm not being a very good fabric buying enabler today!) but they do have other similar fabrics available. I'm slightly in two minds about the fabric - I really like the textured pattern and I think it looks good as a Toaster, but it does get a bit bulky at some of the seams and it definitely feels fairly synthetic to me when I'm wearing it. I tend to lean more towards natural, more breathable fibres and this definitely doesn't feel very breathable, but on the plus side it does keep me warm.

In case anyone's wondering about the pin I'm wearing in these photos - it's a super sparkly glitter heart that I bought from Claireabellemakes not long ago. I'm wondering if I can justify gradually adding a whole rainbow of them to my brooch collection!

Overall, I'm calling both of the tops a success and I know I'll definitely be wearing them over the coming months. I've paired both of them with needlecord Winslow culottes in these photos (navy pair blogged here and teal pair here). I wear these culottes loads at this time of year - definitely more than I would have expected when I first made them. Hopefully my new Astoria and Toaster tops will be just as well loved!

Sew House Seven Toaster Sweater #1

In between Christmas and New Year I took advantage of a break in all the celebrations and family fun to return to my sewing machine and stitch up the Sew House Seven Toaster sweater. I'd had the pattern and fabric sitting patiently waiting for me for the whole of December while I was creating all my Christmas presents, so I was glad to finally have some time to sew for me.

 The Toaster sweaters are two fairly different high neck tops that are perfect for keeping warm at this time of year. I made #1, which is closer fitting and has "raglan sleeves, a wide waistband, a loose turtleneck, long cuffs and falls between the high and low hip". 

Sweater #2 is much looser fitting and, while I've seen some lovely versions online, I know it's just not my personal style. I think because the styles are quite different it's a really good idea that the option is available to buy the PDF patterns individually, because I imagine there are quite a few people like me who know they wouldn't make one of the two sweaters.

I didn't make any fit changes to the pattern apart from making a size M, whereas I should be a L according to the size chart. Based on the finished garment measurements, I thought the smaller size would give me a fit closer to what I was looking for. 

I didn't have any suitable fabric to make a toile to check, but I did compare the pattern pieces to my traced pieces for the Seamwork Astoria. That showed me that the sweater definitely shouldn't end up being too small, so I went ahead and cut out the size M. Happily my slight gamble worked, and I'm pleased with the fit.

The fabric I used is some lovely brushed French terry from Dragonfly Fabrics. It's a really great quality, and gorgeous to wear. It's not super warm, but it was warm enough that I didn't get cold when taking these photos even though I've only got a short-sleeved cotton dress on underneath. 

A slight word of warning if you're considering this fabric - the brushed inside shed quite a lot after prewashing. I don't think it's had a negative effect on the fabric itself (it steel feels nicely snuggly), but I did have to spend quite a while hoovering little bits of pink fleece up from round my sewing table after I'd finished making it, and the bodice of my dress had a pink haze all over it when I took the sweater off at the end of the day. I think (hope!) it's one of those fabrics that will just shed after the first wash and then will be fine afterwards - we'll have to see! As it stands, it wouldn't put me off buying one of the other colours (I'm very tempted!), I'd just be expecting all the shedding next time.

The pattern is fairly quick to make - I think the actual sewing only took me a couple of hours. The instructions were all clear and easy to follow. I omitted the suggested topstitching, partly because it wasn't the look I wanted this time but also in no small part because I was impatient and wanted to get finished!

I was also glad that the long cuffs and wide waistband mean there's no need for hemming. This is always welcome news to me, because hems are the one area where my machine can occasionally cause problems when it comes to sewing knits.

I'm really pleased with how my Toaster sweater turned out, and I'd definitely make the pattern again. It's a good shape for wearing with all my full skirted dresses, and is a comfy but presentable way to keep warm. What more could you want for these chilly January days?!