Named Talvikki Sweater

The Talvikki by Named has been around for several years but it’s taken me until now to make one. The boxy sweatshirt has dropped shoulders, slightly overlong sleeves which can be rolled up, a stepped side vent hem and, its USP, a funnel neck which is formed by four shaped darts front and back.

It’s a nice straightforward sew, possibly half a day’s work if you’re quick, I made it in a very heavy weight rib knit with a brushed reverse, it didn’t have much stretch but it was enough. This is important to bear in mind because I’ve read several comments where the sewer said they struggled to get the narrow opening over their heads! (The addition of a zip into a shoulder seam is one solution to this problem, a nice style hack too) Because of the fabric thickness I didn’t bother with interfacing on the neck facing, if you do interface this piece don’t forget to use a stretch inter.

Be accurate with marking those darts (I sewed traditional tailor tacks) they are the major design detail after all so they need to look even and symmetrical.

The Talvikki is an over-sized top and I made a size medium which I’m happy with, it isn’t too huge but there’s room underneath for a T-shirt or shirt. A stylish pattern with interesting details that’s worth returning to.

Super pleased with how this turned out as I was worried about the neck darts and also using boiled wool, would it go over my head?

I chose a lovely wool/viscose in ivory from Bloomsbury Square fabrics. I opted to use a piece of scrap viscose jersey for the neck facing to reduce the chance of the wool irritating my skin.

I carefully copied the darts with tailor tacks as I didnt want to risk using a frixion pen to mark them, then they were easily removed when I had sewn them up.

The sweater came together fairly quickly using zigzag on my machine and overlocked seams but wasn't really necessary with this fabric, which was a dream to work with.

I made a size L according to finished measurements, I am 44ins bust 40ins waist and 50ins hip. This pattern is quite oversized, I love it and yes it goes over my head.

This is my new favourite jumper!

I used a fleece-backed sweatshirting which worked perfectly.

It's intended to be quite an oversized fit but I wanted a closer fit so sized down (using finished garment measurements).

After reading a few reviews, I tacked the shoulders and neck together and also found the head hole a little tight! I added an invisible zip which works well.

I also levelled off the dipped hem and eliminated the vents (I don't like a draught!).

The feature neckline adds a really nice detail.

More chatter and photos on my blog:

https://yorkiemousehouse.home.blog/2020/09/11/talvikki/

Comparison

You can see it here with five other sweater patterns all from The Foldline.

Top Row: SouthBank by Nina Lee; LB Pullover by Paper Theory; Toaster #1 by Sew House Seven.

Bottom Row: Orono by Itch to Stitch; Talvikki by Named; Jocko by Ready to Sew

My perfect sweater?

Talvikki  is a subtle, classy and elegant garment.  A well-engineered pattern.  Beautiful on the inside too.  The neck shaping is unusual and the hem shaping sets it apart from the crowd.  I really like it.  It could be THE ONE!  Next time I'm making it in boiled wool.

Making up

The pattern is beautifully drafted and a joy to sew.  I cut the Medium size and shortened the sleeve by one and a quarter inches which I have to do for the Helmi blouse which is also a Named pattern.  Although it is drafted for a person of 5’8” I decided not to shorten the body because I liked the look of the pattern held up against me and it is already shorter than the “Jocko” sweater (see above).  The seam allowance is 1cm.  This needs interfacing with 40% stretch and fusible stay tape.  The making up is done on the sewing machine with a stretch stitch, and the overlocker for finishing raw edges.   I used ponte roma from the ClothSpot.

Fitting and alterations

The sleeves were still too long and I had to remove a further one and three quarters inches, i.e. 3 inches in total.  As drafted, the wrist end of the sleeve is too tight to fit over the arm of my sewing machine, so the benefit from reducing the length after cutting out the fabric was that the wrist diameter was larger and I could hem the wrist on my machine.  Plenty of room for a T-shirt or even a jumper underneath and not too long that it swamps me.

I want it