Toaster Sweater 2 and a trip to Rotterdam

At the end of last year I signed up for Sew My Style 2017. The first item, to be sewn in January, was the Toaster Sweater 2 by Sew House 7.  I had some wonderful sweatshirt fabric that I had bought from Guthrie & Ghani with the intention to turn it into a Linden sweatshirt. However, I didn't get round to sewing the Linden, and when the time came to sew the Toaster sweater, I decided to use my fabric for this.


The sweater sewed up really quickly and easily. It is incredibly comfortable, yet looks stylish, thanks to the neckline shape. I didn't do any modifications at all, and while I am happy with it, next time I will lengthen the hem slightly. Also, I'll try a slightly thinner fabric. My sweatshirt fabric is very thick, and as a result a bit stiff. It looks fine, but I think a bit more drape would look even better. 

Shortly after I made Toaster sweater Josh and I were heading to Rotterdam for a long weekend. It was early February and still cold, so I packed the Toaster. And it did a great job keeping me toasty.


So overall, I am a fan. So much so that I made one for my friend as a birthday present recently. 

The February Sew My Style item was a disaster for me, but that's a story for another time.


And regarding Rotterdam, it is a lovely city. The reason we chose to go was to see a photo exhibition at the Kunsthal. We knew very little about the city before going, except that is has the largest port in Europe. I had been told by a colleague who'd been that it's quite ugly. 

But actually, I didn't find it ugly at all! I loved the architecture! And the mix of old Dutch houses and new, funky buildings.

Of course, it's nowhere near as beautiful as Amsterdam, but it has its own charm.

I wouldn't necessarily go again, as I have an endless list of other places I'd like to see, but I enjoyed our trip here very much.



Photo credit: first 3 photos are by Josh.