The first project from my list of things to make in 2018 is done! I’m pretty sure no one can tell which photo is from Madewell and which one is my recreation of “the lewk.”

Right? 

 

A clearer shot, because modeling is hard:

This is the Toaster Sweater from Sew House Seven made up in a really gorgeous thick, spongy cotton/modal sweatshirting from We Are The Fabric Store in NZ. (I blew my Christmas money on a big order from there to get free shipping and I was so impressed with the quality of everything.)

I thought the pattern would be fairly basic and didn’t anticipate using the instructions much. It was an easy sew, but the designer had a lot of nice tips in there, especially about using a twin needle to topstitch the seams:

I made a straight size M and ended up interfacing the inside of the collar, so it would stand up a little better. I also took off 3/8″ on the seam between the cuff and the sleeve but the length is still a little generous–and my arms are fairly long, so normal-armed people, beware.

This first project on the list is a roaring success: It’s casual but not as casual as a normal sweatshirt, I made it start to finish in about four hours, and it’s warm but not hot. And it looks like Madewell but wasn’t made in a sweatshop!