New! Pattern Review: True Bias Marlo Sweater by @jules.makes

Written by Julie B.(@jules.makes)

March 1, 2022

I am eager to be back and share my next collaboration project with Bolt. For this project, I was looking for a nice layering piece and the Marlo Sweater from True Bias (max body measurements 57.5in chest, 59.5in hips/max finished measurements 64.5 chest and hips) felt like a perfect solution. In addition to layering over turtlenecks, the Marlo Sweater would be a great addition to my wardrobe and helping bring some of my favorite summer dresses into the winter season. 

While at Bolt I picked out this lovely See You At Six French Terry in tea green which had these nice slim grid lines. The folks at Bolt also helped me pair the French terry with See You At Six’s matching ribbing in tea green for a match made in heaven. While I knew I was going to make this pattern mainly on my serger I still wanted some thread for the buttonholes and topstitching. I was having a tough time finding a perfect match for the tea green color when Anne from the Bolt team mentioned that gray thread goes with everything. We tested this theory out on the tea green and it worked! So if you have a tough to match color in the future, try a gray thread. Lastly, to let this color shine on it’s own I opted for some clear buttons. 

I was working with the True Bias 14-30 sizes pattern range and for this version of the sweater I mainly saw myself pairing it with dresses, so decided on the View A cropped version. For sizing, I had heard from some sewists (thanks @JenBenSews!) that while the oversized ease was the intention, some felt a little lost in too much additional ease. I took an extra careful review of the finished garment measurements and felt comfortable choosing a much smaller size than I would normally. Body measurements had me in size 22 for the chest, size 24 for the waist, and size 30 for hips but with the cropped version I felt comfortable cutting the size 20 all around (which still gave me 3in of ease).

One thing I did have to tweak on the pattern was cutting the waistband in two pieces since the ribbing wasn’t wide enough to cut on the fold. I just made sure the seam was in the back and I don’t think anyone but maybe another trained sewist would notice. Also with the ribbing on the cuffs, neckband, and waistband I want to share a great tip I learned from @Leila_Sews. To reduce bulk from the serged together pieces, fold the piece in half and clip into the serged seam allowance just a little (not all the way) so that you can point the seam allowances in opposite directions. It really leaves a nice finish and I love to apply this tick to all knits after I had learned about it from Leila.

I still consider myself a newbie to sewing but dang does a serger really up your knit game! I’ve had my serger since the summer and it does make projects like this sweater come together super quickly. All in all it was probably 2.5hrs active sewing time (including buttonholes!). I would caution that with a serger you may have great speed and power, but that also comes with great responsibility to STAY ON TOP OF YOUR LAYERS. The French Terry had a tendency to curl a bit even after ironing, so I was extra cautious while attaching the ribbing to the body. Slow is gold and meant that every few inches I made sure all 3 layers of fabric were aligned.

The only thing in this pattern I was super nervous about was adding buttonholes in a stretch knit fabric. Luckily, the pattern has you add interfacing and after doing a few test rounds, it wasn’t as hard or intimidating as I thought. So keep those ribbing scraps and add interfacing to test out some holes. Best to start at the bottom on the final garment, so then even if all else fails your ugliest hole is at least less noticeable.

I like the finished product of the Marlo Sweater a lot. It has enough ease in the arm to allow for layering while also not being too big. I’ll probably only wear this version open, but might size up 1 or 2 sizes next time for the longer version to accommodate my hips and allow for a more relaxed feel. I love a pattern with versatility and one that you’re already dreaming up the next versions when you finish your first take. 

Also wearing: 

Wiksten Shift Dress (max 48in chest, 52in hips) in black linen 

Vintage cowboy boots