Need a quick sewing fix? Like, the quickest sewing fix? That doesn’t involve pesky stretch fabrics?

Can I make a suggestion?

Get yourself The Big Easy Top pattern from The Makers’ Atelier and some boiled wool.

Better yet, get yourself the kit, then you don’t even have to think about fabric, or thread. It just all arrives at your door and approximately half an hour later you have a warm, chic, beautifully drafted sweater to add to your winter wardrobe. And you won't have to knit it!

In my case it was a year and half an hour, because despite the fact this is the quickest and most satisfying make ever, it sat at the bottom of my sewing list last winter and then it was Spring and who wants to sew wool in the Spring.

(This is the second item I have made from this line of patterns - the first being this coat.)

Normally I’m not that bothered by how quickly I can sew something, but when my sewjo is on the wane, I need something quick and satisfying to enable me to tackle those dungarees I’ve had loitering for a few weeks.

So, I made up the funnel neck version. This involves two shoulder seams and two side / underarm seams, a couple of tacks to hold the collar in place and sewing in a label so I don’t wear it backwards. Easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy.

The wool is beautiful quality, its not scratchy although not as soft as I’d prefer, but I think that goes with the territory with boiled wool.

I made a couple of minor alterations; a forward shoulder adjustment and I stitched down my seam allowances, because I like the detail and I wasn’t sure how the wool would react to my iron. Oh and my iron has gone the route of the three irons I’ve had in the last three years. That is to say the automatic turn off gets fed up with my reliance on it and turns the thing off permanently. So I couldn’t iron it even if I had wanted to.

Whether you iron it or not, this glorious pattern is smart, is warm and is oh so quick.

See you soon x

(ps: nothing going on here other than I’m a huge fan of the patterns by The Makers Atelier and feel I should spread the word about their hugely wearable chic simplicity.)