Stash busting: Merino Wool Sleeveless Turtleneck Sweater / OOP Vogue 7323

Out-of-print (OOP) and vintage Vogue 7323 has been in the stash for about a year waiting for a decision on a fabric.  There was enough left-over fabric from this cardigan project to make the sleeveless top.  And now, I have a sweater set.  I didn't set out to make one, but happily, here we are.  

It wasn't all smooth sailing on what looks like a simple project.  The initial plan was to make view B, the turtleneck with long sleeves.  The fact that there wasn't enough fabric to cut all the pattern pieces lead to a plan to use some left-over wool from this sweater for the back and cut the front, collar and sleeves in the ivory wool.  My heart wasn't into a colour-blocking project.  That is when plans changed to sewing view C instead.  

I didn't want a "close-fitting" top with a back zipper.  The centre back seam was removed and cut on the fold easing the pattern piece out one and a half inches from the hemline foldline.  Then I needed to add another 5/8" width to the collar back edges.  The front centre hemline has the same amount of additional ease as the back.  And the waistline curve at the side seams was removed providing even more ease.  

I wasn't sure if the extra ease to the neckline and collar would be enough to eliminate the zipper and make this a pull-over top.  Thankfully, it worked out.  It was however tricky to sew the collar into the neckline.  Would you believe I had to use a seam ripper on the merino wool fabric to correct some puckering?    

All thanks to God, I was able to fix this without stabbing a hole into this beautiful merino wool.  Seriously, all thanks to God.  

Sewing IS Political

This is another Canadian made and tariff free sewing project.  The fabric came into the stash years ago from Winnipeg Sews, a now closed Canadian fabric reseller.  The Vogue sewing pattern is a product of the U.S.A., and is a vintage find dating back to the Clinton era.  It was purchased last year from a Canadian reseller and was not subject to tariffs.  The scissors used to cut the project were made in Taiwan and were purchased from Fabricland, a Canadian fabric outlet.  The threads were all pulled from the stash and were not new purchases.  

 

Project details

Seams:  Knit (lightening bolt) stitch

Seam finish:  Serged and Coverstitched

Fabric:  1.1 metres

Pattern:  OOP and vintage Vogue 7323, circa 2000.  

Additional Tools and Supplies:  Cutting table, pins, pin cushion, fabric scissors, measuring tape, measuring gauge, tailor's chalk, threads, thread clippers, Janome sewing machine 4120 QDC, Janome AirThread 2000D serger, Janome 1000CP Coverstitch machine, iron, iron board, tailor's ham, hand sewing needle and a seam ripper.  

Stand strong, elbows up and keep sewing.