Pattern: Sew House Seven Tabor V-Neck

Most of the time when you make a garment for the second time, it comes out better than the first. Unfortunately I learned this is not always the case, and there are certain factors to consider when attempting to recreate a item you have already made. In the case of my Switzerland Sweater, I didn’t realize the difference in fabric from my wearable muslin would make such a difference in the final outcome.

To back up a bit, this all started when I decided to buy this very expensive merino wool fabric when I was on vacation in Switzerland. I wanted something to remind me of the trip, and the blue wool knit seemed reminiscent of the electric blue lakes and rivers I had seen. I envisioned a cozy sweater that would transport me back to the mountains, even if I was just drinking coffee on my snowy back deck. The Tabor V-neck pattern by Sew House Seven seemed to have a look similar to what I was going for, but of course wanted to test it out before cutting into my pricey new fabric. I found a nice neutral gray sweater knit and went to work. Making a test version seemed like a great idea, especially since the V-neck construction was a bit confusing in the directions. I ended up carefully sewing the raw edge of collar towards the middle on both sides, being extremely careful about not getting the fabric to bunch up. I did not pivot at the tip of the v-neck, but actually sewed a seam on either side, towards the point. Then I finished the seam around on my serger, making sure the stretch was right. The result was better than I expected as the front stayed flat with no puckering.

The rest of it sewed up pretty fast and the fabric was so comfortable, this top has actually gotten a lot of wear this winter.

The sizing ended up being perfect as well and since everything had gone right, I had no fear cutting into my Switzerland fabric. I followed everything the same, but unfortunately…

It ended up being huge! The sleeves were too long, the neck was too wide and it just had a totally different look. I was so disappointed – this was not the sweater I had envisioned. I wanted a cozy sweater that was appropriate for the mountains. This was just an oversized boxy top that was falling off my shoulders.

Well of course I couldn’t leave well enough alone…so I decided to try to shrink it. With a little research, I got the idea to wash it in hot water. I mean, it was so baggy I had a lot of room to play with, right?

Big mistake.

Instead of the sweater getting smaller all the way around, it only shrank up. I pulled it out of the washing machine and realized I was holding a doll sweater. Panicking, I managed to stretch it back out somewhat while it was still wet. But now I had the most expensive crop top I’ve ever owned. How could this go so wrong, when my first attempt came out almost perfect? When I thought about how much money I had spent on this fabric, it nearly brought me to tears.

There is a lesson here that not all fabrics are created equal and the same pattern can behave very differently with a different fabric type. The main issue is that there was no way I would be able to make a test version with fabric that expensive, so it is always going to be a challenge to know how to prevent this going forward. I guess with experience you can start to know the little differences in the fabric you work with. I am not in a hurry to sew with any merino wool in the near future.

I also learned about shrinkage – this time it is about laundry. Trying to make a garment just a little smaller can cause it to shrink up like a frightened turtle. Even though this isn’t the top I envisioned to take me back to the glacial lakes of the Alps, it is still wearable.

This is definitely not a Take Two success story. However, my “take one” has now become one of my favorite winter sweaters in my wardrobe, so I guess it’s not all bad. As for this attempt, the neckline is still too wide and also isn’t as straight as my wearable muslin. Despite this, I did manage to get rid of some of the bagginess and sleeve issues. It’s still a very pretty color. And it still does remind me of Switzerland.