Holly’s tabor sweater!
Sew House Seven Tabor Sweater
After an unintentional blogging hiatus, I am back today to share with you my latest Felicity Fabric make. I’m very excited about this one as it’s super comfortable, really wearable and something that was definitely missing from my wardrobe.
I chose this divine stretch rayon fabric for my project, it’s basically a lightweight knit, very drapey, unbelievably soft and has a decent amount of stretch. I decided on the gorgeous light pink colourway but there’s also a lovely mid blue colour option too.
I umm-ed and ahhh-ed about pattern choice for some time before settling on the Tabor Sweater by Sew House Seven. I’d not sewn this pattern before but I loved the simple style and multiple variations it offered. This lightweight knit was best suited to a looser fit style tee so I went with version 1 – a long sleeve, boxy fit, V neck t-shirt with a curved hem. There’s also options to make a short or long sleeve sweater, as well as cropped styles too. There’s also three different neckband finishes included. The size range for this pattern is ok, but not amazing, and ranges from a 31 inch bust to a 47 inch bust, and a 34 inch hip to a 50 inch hip. Based on my actual measurements I went for the size 0. There is plenty of ease at the bust with this pattern so I could have probably sized down, however I was keen to keep the boxy shape just as it should be.
After washing the fabric and giving it a light cool press, I used pins and scissors to cut out the pattern pieces. I chose to finish the neckband with the mitred narrow neckband option as I really liked the way this looked. You also need a little bit of stretch interfacing for this project to reinforce the V neck front and shoulder seams. I actually didn’t have any stretch interfacing and just used regular lightweight stuff. I didn’t think it would matter too much in this instance as I don’t need the fabric to stretch in those places too much.
The instructions are very good throughout, particularly with regards to the V neck front as this was a tad fiddly, but the instructions made it quite simple and I was quite pleased I had to only do a teeny bit of unpicking to get a neat result. Take care when pressing this fabric as it is definitely prone to turning shiny if the heat is too high. I just pressed it on the reverse side on a low heat when needed. I also chose not to topstitch down my neckband once it was sewn in. After a press it actually did a pretty good job of staying to the inside anyway and I think it looks nice without topstitching here.
I sewed all the seams using a stretch stitch on my standard sewing machine and then I finished the seams with my overlocker. Of course, you could just use one or the other of these methods when sewing jersey but I do it this way because my overlocker struggles to cut two layers of fabric these days – I desperately need to get my upper knife replaced! So sewing jersey this way is just my personal preference. I finished the hems with a twin needle and really love how this looks on the finished garment.
I didn’t make any alterations to the sizing of this sweater, I tried it on when it was near enough finished and was really pleased with the sleeve length, hem length and general fit overall. Next time if anything I’d lengthen the bodice slightly but otherwise it’s a pretty perfect boxy fit!
It’s very comfortable to wear, I love how the bodice is baggy but the sleeves are tight, the V neck is just the right length on me too.
I really love how it looks with my grey jeans and I look forward to dressing this up or down for the upcoming autumnal season. I’m going to get loads of wear out of it and I think it looks great in a plain colour lightweight knit like this. Other fabrics I think would work well for version 1 would be a viscose or modal jersey.
This fabric would also make a really lovely lightweight cardigan or simple wrap top. It’s so snuggly and even though it’s quite lightweight, it makes the perfect piece for layering as it gets chillier.
I’d definitely make another one in the future and maybe try one of the other versions out, maybe in a slightly more cosy fabric too!
Happy sewing,
Holly x
