Ottobre 01-2015 #16 Jersey Dress

Here’s my first pattern from the new Ottobre Kids’ magazine. I made design #16 which is a basic, loose t-shirt dress. This dress is showcased in the magazine quite a few times showing how you can cut up the bodice to change the look. I decided to make it simple this time. I made a size 110 and folded out about 1/4” at CB and CF before cutting. I should have added length back to the arms.

 

I used a beefy cotton knit for the dress and a thinner cotton knit for the sleeves and pockets.

 

She loves it, of course.

 

I like the length with leggings. She has quite a few pairs of leggings now, and I don’t really like it when she wears shorter tops with them. This goes with them marvelously.

 

The pockets are a nice touch.

 

I used green picot elastic for the neck opening. I like how it looks, but should have made it a bit bigger so there are fewer gathers. I measured and cut the elastic, sewed together the elastic at CB, marked the quarters on elastic and shirt, serge the elastic to neck opening, fold elastic to inside, and coverstitch. You can see when she is wearing it above that it pulls a little bit. I cut elastic at 85% of the true measurement. Next time, maybe I’ll do 90%.

 

This is what it looks like from the inside. 

 

 

I have one more kid thing to show you. I’ve started on my February Burda Challenge already. Well, I’ve traced it, does that count???? There are so many of you out there that are participating on the Burda Challenge!! Keep it up!!

Ottobre Magazine

So I’ve gotten a few questions lately about Ottobre and how it compares with other companies when it comes to kids’ clothing. Here’s my two cents and I’m getting no kickbacks from anyone. I love Burdastyle Magazine for me. I don’t really love it for kid’s clothing. I maybe have never made a single thing for my kids from my Burda magazines. Not that I can remember, anyway.

Ottobre magazine ends up being a little less than $20 per magazine. I only have a few of them for kid’s designs. I also have a couple for adult clothing, but they don’t fit me as well as Burda, so I’m sticking with Burda. Personally, I think the Ottobre magazines are a great deal for kids’ clothing. Yes, I could Frankenpattern something together and make it work, but like I said in this post, I lack creative juices. I can make anything, just not make it look great. Ottobre has really cute design details and they usually show many versions of the same pattern. My last two magazines were 01-2014 and 01-2015.  I don’t have a subscription and I buy them individually.

 

Here’s a little picture summary for you. Already made. You haven’t seen all of these yet. I need to take some photos and make some princesses smile before that happens.

 

Will make for sure. The white numbers are the pattern number and the black numbers are the size range. I have one in the 110 size, two in the 122 range, and one in the 134 range. The dots are the difficulty rating.

 

This is from the newest magazine. I just got it two days ago. What I also love about Ottobre is that they have sizes for that tricky “tween” size range. 

 

I do really think that Ottobre is a great deal if you are sewing kids clothing. Yes, you still have to trace them out, but they are easier that Burda patterns.

Here you can peruse all the magazines and all the line drawings for each issue.

I’m slowly working on a few simple projects right now. I’ve been really into making kids’ clothes lately and have a few things to show you!

Jalie 2805 T-Shirt Dress

I guess I didn’t have this pattern out of my head yet. I made three of these t-shirts a couple of weeks ago (#1, #2, and #3), and I used the same pattern to make a cute, casual t-shirt dress. For this dress, I used the left-most version of the pattern and extended the length by 10”. I lowered the neck by about an inch. It’s a really simple dress to make and I might make a couple more.

 

Lovely pasty Alaskan skin. This is a thin cotton knit. You can’t really tell, but the stripes are distressed looking and uneven. I bought this fabric at the Swap Meet in National City.

 

It’s loose and casual. We are again headed to a warm climate for Spring Break (sqqqquuuuuuuuuueeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!) and I need a few things I can just throw on and go.

 

My little photo bomber was home sick today. She woke me up about 4am puking her guts out. I called in and got a sub, Sick Girl slept for a few hours, and seemed fine. I was a bit irritated that she seemed to be fine when I took the day off work. Then she puked about three minutes after this picture, and then I felt horrible for being irritated. She’s asleep again right now. Poor little thing.

 

She said that “Kitty” was being the photo bomber. Naughty Kitty!

 

More on our trip later. I may have to make another bathing suit. This is the one I made last year when we went to Mexico.

 

Burda Challenge Update: I’m starting to see lots of January Burdas popping up!! Check out Nancy’s top. I love the colors and drape of her top. I also love this top from the Burda 2015 magazine. And here’s another cute top. This is one I’ve made before. Just so you know, I’m not planning on linking to every single garment made by you guys. There are just too many and you guys are too prolific. It’s just fun to see what we are all making.

Ottobre 01-2014 #20 Relaxed Fit Sweatpants

I love Ottobre magazines for their kids’ clothing. I love all the little touches and the cute details. I loved these pants in the magazine. I’m not loving them on my daughter. It may just be that I’ve been around too many kids with poopy diapers, but these look like a kid that has a full diaper. And ewww, that’s not my thing.

 

They are cute, I guess. I spent a load of time on them. There is a LOT of coverstitching-as-decoration on these.

 

See? All I can see are poopy diapers.

 

She likes them, and they are really comfortable. She can wear them at home, just not out. I won’t allow that madness. She loves the pink topstitching, and the multiple floral prints. I used a gray sweatshirt material, a floral rib knit, and a beefy cotton knit for the knee section.

 

See? Very cute. On the floor. I do love this way of doing pockets though.

 

I used the wrong side of my three-thread coverstitch for the pockets and the other decorative stitching.

 

Here I started using the two-thread coverstitch, because the three-thread coverstitch kept breaking one thread. It was annoying.

 

Here you can see the correct side on the inside of the pants, and the “wrong” side on the outside. These have elastic in the waistband and also velvet ribbon.

 

For these, I made a size 110 and it’s about perfect. The girl measures 109cm, so I’d say the sizing is pretty spot on!

Jalie 2805 and Burda Leggings (01-2011-130)

I told you guys I’ve been making Jalie t-shirts! We’ll talk about that in a minute. First let’s talk about these freaking awesome running tights. How much fun are these? I made them with fabric from FunkiFabrics. This is the Prism pattern and I think I’m in love. I went running with my girl friends this morning and they all want a pair. I told them that, sadly, I don’t really sew for others (I’m a selfish sewer like that). FunkiFabrics gifted me this fabric in exchange for a little exposure and review. People, I always tell you the truth, fear not. Even if I’m given fabric, I’ll tell you straight up whether I really like it or not. This fabric? Love. It’s four-way stretch, sturdy, and thick enough to cover lumps and bumps. It’s 80% polyester and 20% elastic. And it makes me do ballet. This is fabric made to order. When I received my fabric, my name and order number were printed along the side, along with the fabric. I have a couple other prints too. You’ll be seeing those soon.

 

I used a leggings pattern from Burda. These are Burda 01-2011 #130. They are dead easy. Just one pattern piece, cut twice. I did do a couple of modifications though. The rise is really high. I ended up cutting off 4.5” at CF tapering to 4” at CB. Then, I added a folded waistband that added 2” to the front and back. So, I guess, I could have cut off two inches and done the fold-down waistband and been done. I like the yoga-type waistband instead.

 

Here you can sort of see where they hit me and the waistband. I didn’t take a picture of the front with my shirt up. Doh! I ran 5 miles in these this morning. I have a thin pair of long underwear on under these. It’s chilly (maybe 30?) so alone, these would not have been enough to keep me warm. I made these in size 36, which is one size larger than normal. I knew I would be wearing these over other tights.

 

Here’s the Prism fabric. Rad, huh? They have over 1500 prints to choose from. They are a little pricey and they are in the UK, so I’m sure shipping would be high. But, if you want a pair of awesome running tights, they might be the right retailer for you. But again, how fun are these tights?

 

This top is another Jalie 2805. Same size, same everything. This only thing I did differently this time is to add cuffs and collar from a sweater knit remnant I had in my stash. Oh, and I added this two-thread flatlocking to the arm. My new serger is delish.

 

I know I’m all crazy about Jalie, but here’s why. This is all the sleeve and neck options for Jalie 2805. And it has kid sizes and adult sizes all in the same envelope. I’ll never need to buy a t-shirt pattern again!!!

Burda Challenge 2015 - January! (Burda and Jalie)

Here’s my first garment for the Burda Challenge. This is exactly why I love this challenge. This is never a pattern I would have picked out on my own. I’m more of the tight, figure-hugging silhouette kind of gal. This skirt is definitely not that. However, since I had to pick one out of the January Burda, I figured I’d give it a try. Turns out, I really like it! This is Burda 01-2015 #109. I made my typical size 34.

 

 

I used a stretch wool from Fabric Mart to make the skirt. I think the full sides are a fun touch. It’s a very girly skirt. In the magazine, they used unfinished edges for the hems. I just added seam allowances and did a simple turn-up, stitched hem. The top is a Jalie 2805, but I’ll talk about that in a second.

 

You can see it’s a pretty full skirt.

 

I used wool, and didn’t line it. GASP! I actually like wool against my skirt. I’m Alaskan though, we’re weird like that. The invisible zipper goes into the back side seam.

 

 

This is just another standard t-shirt, Jalie 2805. This is a great pattern. Jalie makes their patterns in sizes 2T to Women’s sizes. Mine is a size R. I bought this thin sweater knit from FabricMart when they were having a Black Friday sale. It’s black and tan.

 

I made the neckband in between a mock turtleneck and a regular collar.

 

On the back left shoulder, I added some reverse applique. You can see it in one of the pictures above. I don’t know if I love it, or think it makes the shirt look homemade. I was thinking with all the hearts, it needed something. Maybe this wasn’t the something it needed. However, since it’s on the back, I forget about it, so I don’t really worry about it anyway.

 

Come on Ladies! Get those January pieces done!!!

Burda Challenge 2015

Join us! A group of us from PatternReview.com are going to participate in the Burda Challenge for 2015.

The “Rules”
Each month we will attempt to make at least one garment from that month’s magazine (January garment from the January 2015 Burda magazine). You can also opt to stick with the month but use whatever year you want. (January garment in January, but from whatever year you choose).

Why?
Because it’s fun, and motivating.  It’s easy to be motivated when you know others are waiting to see your monthly garment. It forces you to use your current magazine and perhaps delve into unknown territory. I know I’m doing a different type of silhouette this month just to try it out.

The Badge and HTML
Look at me trying to get all creative! I made a badge! It’s not very artistic or technical, but feel free to steal it and post it on your blog if you want. It links back to this page so other people can read the “rules” and see why we do it. I will also link to other people’s blog so we can see what everyone else is doing. I think it’ll be fun. (If someone wants to make a more blingy badge, go for it. I just wrote a whole blog post yesterday about how I’m not creative!)

<div class="Two-On-Two-Off-button" style="width: 178px; margin: 0 auto;"> <a href="http://twoontwooff.blogspot.com/2015/01/burda-challenge-2015.html" rel="nofollow"> <img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGMkzEjVavfOCAKq-PhMp0FGm4_1skV9YBnByc6FziDbFF68cVxWXVMdhUwY3TLXsU7xIKiBjWzT1IgHQqlrsRw3wRLKQdV8tzwg-rD9vBQekgiiIf2bEaHUQu1CTcpHS-bVxoDbHw4ptJ/w178-h193-no/banner%5B11%5D" alt="Two On Two Off" width="178" height="193" /> </a> </div>

Who’s Sewing Along??
Chris at http://makeandwear.wordpress.com
Elaray at http://anothercreation.blogspot.com
Mrs. Smith
NikkeeErinn at https://eridelaphi.wordpress.com/
arianamaniacs
nothy lane at www.aftagley.blogspot.ca
lakaribane at http://fashionmate.blogspot.com
michelle at http://www.laurensvirtualworld.blogspot.com/
cathydavison
sewmytime
detroy
Nakisha at www.sewcraftychemist.blogspot.com
Aafke
Kristen at http://www.sunnysewing.blogspot.com/
NancyD at sewinginsurfcity.blogspot.com
Valerie at lifeamidstthechaos.wordpress.com
P E Hudson
jvenegas85 at http://www.livelaughandsew.wordpress.com
okie2thdoc at http://okie2thfairy.blogspot.com/
Paulinakoss at www.sewuthinkucan.blogspot.com
Shawnta at shawntasews.com
Kristy at http://www.loweryourpresserfoot.blogspot.com/
Geo P at https://facutinsufragerie.wordpress.com/
Hila at https://saturdaynightstitch.wordpress.com/
Sewing Svetaat http://sewingsveta.blogspot.ca/
Levone
Wexford
1luv2sew61 at http://sosewsimple.blogspot.com/
Lynnelle
Carmen at www.seecarmensew.wordpress.com
Constance at sewingcurves.wordpress.com
Stacy at BackpacksandaBernina.blogspot.com
Vanesa at elbotondorado.blogspot.com
Vivienne
StacyAN
Gita at http://voyageofcreativity.blogspot.com/
Tea at teaokereke@blogspot.com
Vicki at http://thepincushionchronicle.blogspot.com/
Helenabee at www.grayallday.com
Aline at http://aaltjesdraadstaaltjes.blogspot.nl/
Threadie at http://uponathread.blogspot.fr/
Gail at sewfullofsoul.blogspot.ca
Nico at http://plaidthursdays.com
Eulalia at www.lovelylaia.blogspot.com
Heather at http://rainydayparent.blogspot.com/
Begum Sen at www.terzibegum.blogspot.com
Caroline at https://carolinesstitchin.wordpress.com/

(Please, please let me know if you blog somewhere and it’s not listed. I got a lot of names and a lot of blogs, and I pulled some from PatternReview. Like Mrs. Smith, I know you have a blog, I read the darn thing, I just can’t remember the name!!)

Let the fun begin! If you want to be added to the list, let me know in the comments. Some of you I know and other I don’t. Be sure to give me your blog name so I can link to it! Some of the above information I took from PatternReview, if you don’t want it up on my blog or if I screwed it up, let me know!!

Kid Clothing Inspiration

I often go online to look for inspiration. One of my favorite kids sites is Boden. They have great fun and functional clothing for kids. I can sew most things very well. I’m a workhorse, but the creative, embellishing, crafter I am not. I can’t just scatter on things randomly and make them look good. Some people just have that creative artistic eye. Ya know? They just know how to make things look polished and cute. Me? I need help with that. That’s when I turn to Boden or some other online retailer. I’m not affiliated at all, just like their clothing.

See how cute these dresses are? I even have the perfect Ottobre pattern for them. I’m not really good at mixing patterns, so this type of stuff really helps me.

 

 

And see how cute this is with the giant applique? I could totally make this with Jalie 3355. 

 

 

Another cute sweatshirt with ruffle detail. Another one for Jalie 3355. See? I think these are all great ideas, but I can’t think of them myself. I have to see it to do it.

 

 

This is just like the Ottobre pattern above, with a little bit of a different skirt. Now that I’ve seen this with the giant stencil and ruffle skirt, I must do this for the summer!

 

 

Are other people like me? I will often hit a roadblock if I have to be creative. I’m so bad at that type of stuff. My family just assumes that “since I can sew, I must be artistic.” Uh, no. See my blog header? I always do so variation of that because I can never figure out something different to make. If I try to change it, it looks like some five year old designed it! 

 

I’m working on my January Burda Challenge right now. Something different than my normal tight knit dress route! I’ll be putting up a separate blog post about that this weekend.