Whistler Pullover in Tweed Sweater Knit

It began with a photo of the Whistler Pullover: a hoodie that didn’t look like a hoodie, with plenty of customization options.

And then Surge Fabrics stocked some tweed sweater knits that sounded divine:

[Tweed]… typically a woven woolen fabric and most often rugged, scratchy/itchy, rigid/non-stretch. They also require special care such as dry cleaning and/or handwashing. Our Ayr Tweed on the other hand, is made from polyester and spandex which gives it a soft touch, stretch for comfort and machine washability. The unique construction of this fabric makes for a plush and lofty fabric without the weight and density. This creates warm yet light weight garments that you will love.

They didn’t lie.

The Toile

As my first Love Notions make and my first time working with this pattern, making a toile became very important, especially with this beautiful tweed sweater knit I did not want to waste.

So I dug out some mystery fabric from a Boho Fabrics clearance box that had a similar stretch and was viciously off-grain. I wouldn’t mind using that up on a test garment destined for dogging up around the house.

Toile Features

• Size S
• +2″ to sleeves
• Shirt length, banded
• Shawl collar
• Flat yoke

I did not like this fabric. It felt cheap and behaved cheap and it looks cheap and frumpy. It doesn’t lay well, either. Size S turned out too big: my armscye seams sat too far past my shoulder bone, the collar felt and looked oversized, as did the whole garment. I knew bumping down to the next smallest size would solve most of these issues, as would using a much better fabric.

About the Fabric

• Fabric Content: 95%Poly/5%Spandex
• Fabric Weight: 220gsm
• Stretch Percentages: 75% horizontal/10% vertical

Plush, lofty, lightweight, warm, soft, cozy, comfortable… This fabric is all of the above. My one complaint is—like my plaid Nyoka—it seems to have these invisible fibers that like to snag on everything. It wasn’t as annoying as that plaid sweater knit on my Nyoka, but I had to be careful that it wouldn’t bunch up after feeding through my sewing machine. Putting that aside, it was actually a very pleasant fabric to work with.

About the Pattern and Final Make

• Size XS
• +2″ to sleeves
• Shirt length, banded
• Shawl collar
• Flat yoke
• Added an extra button
• Topstitched pocket openings

Overall, it’s a pretty simple sew. The most difficult part is what I will call The Mega-Seam that connects the pocket front, bodice, collar, and back all together. There’s a weird angle around the pockets that can be a little tricky to maneuver and avoid unwanted puckers, but as long as you take your time, it’s not unbearable. I had to stretch the fabric a bit in certain places to manage it.

The pattern instructions are well-done. Each step is clearly numbered with helpful illustrations (instead of pixelated photos showing a jumble of fabric you can’t decipher. I’m getting tired of those.) and the instructions are concise but clear. For the confounding Mega-Seam, there was a link to a helpful video.

The pattern itself was nice—though I found some markings to be unnecessarily odd: such as marking the collar overlap with dots instead of simply notching. It was easy enough to do what I want instead, so that’s not a big deal.

I added a third button because I found these fabric ones in my stash that came from I-don’t-remember-where, and they were a bit smaller than I imagined the buttons being. I also wasn’t loving the look of the buttons on my toile, but I’m not sure why. Maybe it was the spacing, or the size of them felt awkward in filling up that area. Who knows, but I liked how my final looked with 3 buttons instead of 2 so I went for it.

I also didn’t like how the pockets behaved on my toile, so on the final tweed version, I topstitched the pocket openings to add a little more definition in that area versus that nebulous is-it-a-pocket-or-a-big-wrinkle vibe I was getting.

I also topstitched the outer edge of the collar so it will keep its shape through washing.

The verdict? Love. The ultimate cozy sweater. Interesting neckline, ideal heathered gray color to withstand stray hairs from my ebony and ivory pups, great length, relaxed and forgiving fit, cuffed sleeves for extra plush and comfort, sleeves made long enough for my taste, and useful pockets.

I have a bit of this fabric left over so I have to strategically think of where to use it. I definitely want to use it, and I’d love to eke out another something cozy if I can.

Project Settings