Ottobre 05-2014 #3 Asymmetric Knit Jacket - This is why you should read directions . . .

I've been wanting to make this jacket for a long time. Four years, in fact. I don't know why it took me so long to finally do it. I think it was all the inside bias tape that slowed me down. I was scared of so much of it. In the end, it turned out that all the bias tape was not all that horrible. Here's the line drawing from Ottobre. What almost killed me was the knit welt pockets. I am used to the Jalie Charlie bomber jacket welt pockets and those are SO EASY compared to these Ottobre ones.

I like that you can unzip it for several different looks. I managed to find a zipper that was the same yellow-orange as the double-fold bias tape at JoAnn's. 

I love the pops of yellow on this jacket. I made it out of a medium-weight orange, wicking knit. It has some stretch across the width, but almost none in the length. 

And, directions, let's talk about that for a minute. Usually, on a knit, I take the cuff and fold it wrong sides together and then serge it to the sleeve. This time, people, this time, I read the directions and they blew my freaking mind. I never could make a good looking topstitch stitch when there was a lumpy, uneven seam on the back. There would be three layers on the backside of one side and only one layer on the other side.  You understand what I'm saying, right? You can't topstitch that shit. When you read the directions, they tell you to do this instead. 

Sew the cuff to the sleeve with a straight stitch and press open. 

Fold the cuff over the open seam.

Flip to the right side and do your fancy stitches (on EVEN seams!!!!).

It ends up looking like this. You end up with a nice topstitched seam and something that looks nice underneath.

See??? A whole new way to add decorative stitching to seams with thick and uneven seam allowances! I'm going to start doing this for cuffs and sleeves. I'm going to use this for the rest of my sewing days.

Also, there has been less on the blog these days because quick things, like t-shirts, I've just been posting on Instagram. Come and find me @two_on_two_off!!!!! I have a private account so you just have to ask to follow me. I have it set that way because, well, I'm a teacher, and I don't always want my students to see my sewing things. But if you sew, come and look me up over there!

Ottobre 03-2018 #34 Off The Shoulder Top

I recently bought an off-the-shoulder top for one of my twins. She liked it so much, that I decided to make another out of the (*cough, cough) copious amounts of fabric I have. I bought a very pretty rayon challis a while ago and it was begging to be turned into a girls' top or dress. In diameter, they measure exactly on the size 134 even though they are 11 years old. They are long and lean, these two. I ended up making the size 140 but lengthening it to the 152 length which was about two inches. Thank goodness for that since she needed the extra length. It's a simple top with elastic at the bottom of the arms and elastic around the arms and across the bodice and back. The shoulder ties keep it up on the shoulders.

I made the bodice/back/upper arm elastic a little smaller than they recommended and I probably shouldn't have done that. It's snug and makes the top want to ride up a bit. It's not too bad. We'll see if she gets annoyed. The directions called for making a casing and then sliding the elastic into the casing and then connecting it. Instead, I attached the elastic like I usually do to a knit and serged it onto the raw edge, folded it over and zig-zagged it. It's great except it's not easy to modify the elastic is needed. Dang it. I like the cute little shoulder ties. 

This time of year is always SO BUSY. I'm hoping in the next few weeks I'll be able to actually sew. I am going to PR Weekend and I'd like to make some special stuff but I don't know if I'll have any time!!! 

Ottobre 02-2018 #18 Workout Tank

I've been working out a lot lately and needed a good tank for when I'm at Orange Therapy. I used some Nike wicking waffle knit and an athletic knit I picked up in Las Vegas. I chose to use this newest Ottobre for the athletic tank. I'm really happy with the fit. This is my normal size 34. The only thing I will change next time is to lower the neckline by an inch or so. I wore it today to Orange Theory so the spots on the front are sweat. Just keepin' it real for you guys . . .

I really like the princess seams on this top. I did do my normal 1" addition for the torso. You could also add a circle skirt instead of the bottom panel and have a cute summer dress. See how high the neckline is?

I used my coverstitch attachment on my Janome with the Nike fabric and it worked really well. And I think I've successfully tackled tacking on my new machine!

I have more things to show you but I just need time to photograph them! And I'm working on a leather purse. More on that later!

Ottobre 02-2018 #15 Knit Dress with V-Neck

Remember when I made my last Ottobre knit dress? The one with the v-neck? Do you remember that the same bodice had two different skirt options? Well, I had to try the top with the other skirt bottom. I like this one a lot too. Although, I think I like the other a-line skirt better.

Here's the line drawing. I was worried about the fabric around the hips. I knew I wanted to use a very drapey knit but one that wasn't too stretchy for the bodice. What I ended up using was a cotton knit french terry. This one is interesting because the pattern is printed on the french terry side so that the texture is facing out. It's not a fluffy french terry either. This fabric, of course, I got at the National City Swap Meet. (And does it drive anyone else bonkers that the Ottobre dress below had the chevrons slightly off center?)

I quite like how it turned out. I do like it more with the belt than without. 

See all that fabric around the hips? I was worried initially, but I think it's okay. As long as the waist is fitted, I think that the hips can have volume. One thing this dress has is huge pockets. Those are part of what create the large volume around the hips. 

Overall, another win from Ottobre!!!

Ottobre 02-2018 #4 Knit Dress with V-Neck

So I told you I loved knit dresses, right? Well, here's the first one and I love it as much as I thought I would. This is the v-neck bodice with the flared skirt. I made the bodice first to get the fit right. I wanted to make sure that the waist seam would hit in the actual waist. The only change I made to the pattern was to add my normal inch in the bodice for my long torso. This is made out of a Liverpool knit I bought in National City at the Swap Meet.

I really like how it turned out. I made it out of a crazy print on purpose. I wanted something stable, but stretchy and I wanted the pattern to hide any imperfections. This would be SO FUN in a striped fabric. My little darlings love photo-time. 

I love the flair of the skirt and I love that you can wear it with a belt or not. 

When I first made it, it was a bit loose at the waist seam even though I had added clear elastic to the waist seam to suck it in a little. After I tried it on, I added 3/8" elastic to the rear waist seam to really pull it in. I think I overdid it and you can see some gathers in the pictures of the back. I won't do that next time. 

 

I used red thread to do all the hems. 

I really like it and I've already traced out the other skirt bottom. I'mm keep you posted! 

Ottobre Twist Top Dress - 02-2013 #19

I've made this before in the tunic length and I really like it and wear it often. I love it with my black Ottobre leggings. This time I made the dress version and I like it just as much. 

How fun is this fabric too? This is another one from the National City Swap Meet. It's a cotton/poly lycra blend. I love that it's so springy and bright. 

I also love that it has this twist front but it has fabulous coverage and there is no chance of wardrobe malfunction. 

The back has a faux belt that is gathered and put into the side seam. It meets up with the front ruched belt. I almost matched them perfectly. 

Overall, I love this new, bright dress! 

Are you guys getting spring fever yet? It's been in the 30's lately which feels SO WARM since it's been so cold lately.