Autumn Watercolor

Ottobre Design - Woman, Fall Winter, 5/2011 #15

Pattern Description: The simple, minimalist style of this dress is always trendy and interesting. Admittedly, they also require a little more attention from the sewer as they need to be carefully tried on and fitted. The body-hugging silhouette of the dress is produced both by the pattern design and by shaping it by pressing during construction. The waistline is raised slightly above the narroest part of the body. The skirt has contouring darts at the waist, and the slanted bust darts start at the side seams of the bodice.

Pattern Sizing: Ottobre sizes (similar to Burda) 34-48. As I was using a woven, I made a 40.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? The shape was the same. Their dress is a nice, quiet, well-bred gray. Mine is not.

Were the instructions easy to follow? Ottobre's instructions are fabulous. You don't even notice the lack of illustrations, and anyone who has tackled even one Burda pattern would find these a breeze.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? I liked that it was basically a blank slate for any print that I decided to throw at it. Ottobre's patterns aren't always exciting at first glance, but upon further study they're actually very good starts to a lot of interesting garments. Another nice thing about Ottobre is that many of their pattern pieces can be swapped - the 4 dresses in this issue have interchangeable skirts, sleeves and collars; only the bodice is consistently the same, so if you get the bodice fit right, you have a lot of options to play with.

I also liked the neckline - nice and wide, a flattering look, without having to worry about the depth of a Burda neckline. Sometimes it's just nice to go to work and not worry about flashing too much cleavage at the wrong lawyer.

Fabric Used: Cotton voile purchased at PR Weekend Chicago at Fishman's Fabrics. I waffled about the purchase, but several PR members, including Sherril Miller, basically strong-armed me into it. (Thank you, ladies, you were right).

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made: No changes other than tweaking for fit. Ottobre patterns tend to fit me without a lot of manipulation, which can be a nice change of pace.

The dresses in this pattern series had some nice vintage touches, but the only one that is really structural is the dart at the back neck/shoulder which I think makes such a difference in fit. The inside facing is cut without the dart, and makes the neckline lay beautifully.

I had issues with lining the dress - not technical issues, but color. Because the cotton voile is somewhat sheer, my first choice of lining (black) made the print muddy. Brown wasn't much better. I scrounged through the lining stash until I came up with some ivory, which brightened the light parts of the print.

I did not line the sleeves. The sleeve is fitted, and I was afraid that it would be too snug if I lined it, so I turned the bodice lining under at the armhole and hand sewed it to the seam allowance. I also hand sewed the skirt and sleeve hems, and attached the lining to the invisible zip. Lots of hand-sewing on this dress, but the fabric was so lightweight that I knew any machine stitches would show, and not in a good way.

Despite my print being somewhat (!) busy, I decided to add some embellishment to the neckline. I purchased a jacket a few summers ago at a yard sale, specifically because it had these brown wooden beads sewn around the neckline and down the front. The jacket was white pique and filthy; I cut the beads off and have kept them all this time waiting for the right project. I thought that they suited the fabric, which despite its watercolor effect is not shy and retiring at all. The beads weren't too heavy, and they're hand-sewn down and tacked to the facing, which has a heavier interfacing than I would have normally used specifically to support the embellishment.

The embellishment doesn't go around to the back neckline because Lily the sewing room cat made off with 3 of the larger pieces. When they resurface on the sewing room floor, I'll add them. Or not; I don't actually miss them despite having made fun of RTW tops with embellishments that stop at the shoulders.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? I would definitely recommend both this pattern and Ottobre generally. It's not an exciting looking magazine if you're used to a steady diet of Burda or Patrones, but it's full of good, basic, useful patterns that can be used in a variety of ways. Since I got the bodice fit the way I want, I'll definitely be using this pattern again.

Conclusion: I was told that this pattern had great potential to be dowdy, but I think fit and fabric can win out any time. I'm happy with my dress, and I think I'll get a lot of wear out of this one.

Do you Ottobre?

I tend to forget, between twice-yearly issues, that I like Ottobre patterns. 

Admittedly, they don't have the glossy lure of Burda or Patrones, the fashion magazine styling and photography, the on-trend clothes, but they do have something I like (when I remember). 

Reality.  Or at least a really close pattern magazine facsimile thereof.

Ottobre uses real women (I swear I think they scoop up their office workers and let them wear the clothes) and they're women of various sizes and shapes.  I like that in addition to the description of the pattern, you get the model's name, her pattern size and height.  In the Autumn/Winter 2011 issue, the "models" were between European sizes 36 and 42, and I've definitely seen women larger than that, and older, and shorter. 

Instead of looking at a 7 foot tall, rail thin Burda "plus" model, and trying to figure what that dress would look like on me, it's kind of comforting to look at someone whose figure issues are similar to mine and know pretty much what it would look like. 

The Fall/Winter issue had a series of 4 vintage styled dresses that caught my eye.  It wasn't so much the "vintage"details, which weren't vintage enough if that's what I wanted; I liked that underneath those details seemed to be a very good, basic dress pattern.

And it was.  And because it's Ottobre, the varying sleeves and skirts and collars for all 4 dresses are interchangeable, so you only have to do bodice-tweaking once.

So, yes, all this talk about Ottobre does mean that I've sewn something from this issue.  I chose dress #15, the dress on the left in the upper photo.  Probably the most basic shape in the bunch, and as I was advised by a dear friend who shall remain nameless (BECAUSE SHE WAS WRONG), a dress that had great potential to be frumpy. 

Thankfully great fabric (and a lot of effort on fitting) can work wonders even with a potentially frumpy pattern.  Full review hopefully tomorrow; I just wanted to check in because I've gone missing for the last week.  Labor Day weekend is never a vacation weekend for me, it's the 3 days where I try to pack in all the projects I've neglected all summer, and possibly pre-summer. 

Let's just say I was glad to get back to work to get some rest.

Fabric pictured above is, obviously, my new dress, and was purchased at Fishman's in Chicago during PR Weekend at the urging of Sherril Miller and several other PR friends who insisted that I didn't need to step otuside my color comfort zone - I should buy what I like, and what I know works for me.

Ottobre 5/09 #113 Jacket - Finished

We got back from dinner a little while ago and I ducked right into the workroom.

The buttons are on, the jacket is done, and the pattern review is here.

Woohoo, two projects in a month. If I sew any faster, I'll scare myself.

So I cheated

I've been frustrated with not being able to sew recently, but I've made such a disaster out of the workroom that it's been almost impossible.

Worst of all, I unplugged the vintage Singer with the buttonholer and moved it out of harm's way, so I haven't been able to finish the Ottobre 5/09 #113 jacket, which was finished all but the buttonholes I was looking forward to making.

And it's been bugging the hell out of me, an otherwise-finished garment hanging there on Evelyn, taunting me from under the dust sheet.

So what did I do? I cheated.

Yesterday Kisha and I drove up to New York for the day. I wanted to see the Isabel Toledo exhibit again before it closed, and she hadn't seen it yet, so that was first on the list of things to do.

Also on the list: Paron's, Pacific Trims, Spandex House and hopefully meeting up with Elizabeth.

Also on my list: taking a quick trip into Jonathan's Embroidery so I could pay them $3 to put buttonholes in my jacket. Which I admit seems kind of silly since I just spent money on a brand new old machine with buttonholer, but I just got sick of waiting to be able to use it.

Does that make any sense at all?

I ran across the street to Jonathan's while Kisha was pawing through the rayon jerseys at Spandex House, and I was back before she checked out. They are so fast in there. I think 3 buttonholes took about 2 minutes, and that included the time to pick out the thread color.

Aren't they pretty?

I didn't need to do it - the renovation can't take forever, and at some point I'll get frustrated with it, and put the sewing machines back up - but I realized on Saturday morning that it was the 19th, and I hadn't finished my second item for the month.

When I'm not productive, I'm not happy.

So running off to Jonathan's might not have been necessary in the long run, but it was very good for my mental outlook. And now it's done, except for the buttons, which will get sewn after another non-sewing Sunday (Mario's mom and sister's birthday dinner is tonight).

Another note about NY. I came home with one bag. A small bag. It contained one yard of stretch from Spandex House, five yards of black piping for a dress I have in mind, and a length of chain for the hem of my (eventual) Chanel jacket.

That's it. That's all I bought. I tried to explain it to Kisha and Elizabeth - I think because I've been so unproductive, I had trouble buying, or even finding, anything more than "replacement" fabric for what I'd actually used.

Or maybe I'm just uninspired because I haven't been sewing?

Parting shot here is Alice. Alice used to live in my back yard, and she was one of Vladimir Putintat's former flames, and mother of several of his children. She came in on Valentine's day several years ago, appearing at my 2nd floor bedroom window at midnight and scratching to be let in. Considering she had to climb a tree, jump an alleyway and cross the porch roof to get there, who was I to say no? I already had 2 of her children indoors, but she didn't seem to recognize them. She's still skittish, and has lots of rules about how and when she'll allow herself to be touched, but she's a sweet girl all the same.

Almost there . . .

All I have left is to make buttonholes, sew on buttons and finish my debate with myself over whether or not I want some visible topstitching on this jacket, and if so, by machine or by hand.

And ironing. Lots and lots of ironing.

This jacket didn't turn out to be quite the jacket I had in mind. I've mostly made Ottobre bottoms before but I've done a few tops, and their sizing is consistent with BWOF; in other words, I'm a 38. So I traced this pattern in 38, and added seam allowances. Just standard size ones, nothing generous.

I shoulda made a muslin.

It fits, don't get me wrong. It fits quite well, but it's not the fit I was expecting. It's a very fitted fit, if you know what I mean. The kind of fit that gets a tank top underneath.

For those considering making this top, unless you've got little skinny stick arms (the kind I envy but will never have), do yourself a favor and cut a size larger on the armholes and sleeves, because these babies are SNUG. But on the plus side, it's a two piece sleeve, so they are well cut and attractively snug.

The same can be said for the entire jacket. The back is princess seamed, which always helps me get a good fit. The front has bust darts and contour darts to the waist seam, and then the peplum is attached. I was a little iffy about the peplum, but it lays very nicely and doesn't add any bulk to my personal peplum.

There are several things I really like about this pattern, and a few things I would change.

I really like the way the collar is drafted. The upper collar is two pieces (collar and stand) while the under collar is one piece (collar with cut-on stand). It works very well, though I think I should have used a heavier interfacing just to give it a bit more shape. (One of my minor dislikes is how large the collar is; if I make it again, I just won't add any seam allowances to the three sides).

On the not-so-plus side, I would draft a separate facing for this jacket instead of using the cut-on facing. Cut-on facings are fine for unlined jackets, but I prefer to construct my shell and my linings separately, and then bag the lining all together. I couldn't do that because I couldn't sew the shoulder seams of the lining, since part of the shoulder seam was contained in that front facing that had to then be sewn to the partial lining before the rest of the lining was constructed. Besides, I like the firmer edge you get with having a facing seam.

I did skip actually inserting real pockets under the pocket flaps. I hadn't planned on them from the beginning - they get inserted right beneath the waist seam and to me it just had the potential of adding bulk there that I didn't need, and pockets I probably wouldn't use anyway. I also cut the back piece on the fold instead of with a center back seam, but that was because I forgot to mark CB and instead marked CBF on the pattern piece. Oops. Well, same difference.

Other than having to construct it slightly differently than I like, and other than having it fit slightly differently than I'd intended, I'm pretty happy with this jacket. I wanted to make a lined jacket as a warmup before I start in on the remake of Mario's jacket, and this has got me back into the right frame of mind.

If I make this jacket again, and I probably will, since overall it was a good experience, I'll make the collar a bit smaller. I'll also cut the sleeves and armholes up a size, and add a skooch more room to the back, since I think part of the snugness is more of a broad back issue than a big boob issue (which is at least a change). I may also leave off the pleats in the back of the peplum - they were cute, but a little too distinctive to do more than once.

Now I want to go off and practice a few more buttonholes before I slide my jacket under the vintage buttonholer and let it go to town.

Weekend Sewing

There's not a lot of it happening, but I have high hopes for tomorrow.

I got out of work early on Friday and headed down to 4th Street to see if I could score any more of the leather I had used on Mario's jacket (thinking I could recycle the pocket flaps if I could just get enough leather for even the upper collar), but they didn't have any more.

However, PA Fabric Outlet did have the toasty-brown herringbone shown here, which is very slowly being turned into the cute little peplum jacket from the new issue of Ottobre. Hmmm, fabric purchased and cut within a day, used for a magazine that's all of 3 days old. That's got to be a record. It's actually a poly blend, though it doesn't look or feel it, and from the little work I've done with it so far, it steams as well as the real thing.

My other purchase was something I definitely didn't need, and which will also be sewn up pretty soon, I think. Jack B's is a fabric store that I've never had much time for, because from outside and just inside, it looks like they sell mostly home dec. Except there are good garment fabrics hidden in random corners, and if you ask, they probably have what you're looking for. Kisha and I went in and she said, "Do you have any boiled wool?" and they did - in black. Gorgeous, drapy stuff that we both had to have.

Saturday was business as usual - farmer's market, gym and thrift store. They were having half price clothing, so I found a few goodies that wanted to come home with me and be refashioned into something else. More about them later.

I traced off the Ottobre jacket in between a sting in the garden and cleaning the kitchen, and I got the fabric cut on Saturday night.

Today was mandatory family cookout, which was good except it seriously cut into what I'd rather have done this weekend. And now I'm full and uncomfortable and all I managed to get done before we left today was interfacing. I tried to sew tonight, but I was too tired to get much done - I just sewed the darts in the jacket and pinned the main pieces together to try on. I love Ottobre - they fit almost without alterations.

As promised, a few buttonhole samples. Regular and keyhole done on 2 layers of pinstripe with fairly substantial interfacing, and keyhole buttonhole done on a scrap of mid-weight leather. Each buttonhole was gone over twice, to add more definition.

Did I mention that I love this thing? I can't wait for the next shirt.
So tomorrow is it. The end of my long (non) sewing weekend. I'm hoping I can sneak a few hours in the workroom in the afternoon - either to sew or to work on the renovation. It's been bugging me that I haven't worked on it lately.

Ottobre 2-2009 #12 Cropped Pants

Pattern Description: The cropped pants are made from heavier weight cotton satin with a touch of elastane. The pants are narrow at the knees but flare out toward the bottom of the legs. You can also make full-length pants. There are front hip pockets and patch pockets on the back. Side zipper.

Let me say now that I almost didn't review these pants because I made sufficient changes that (to me) affected the integrity of the design. I decided to review them anyway because the basic fit and structure of the pants remained unchanged, and the pattern hadn't been reviewed yet.

Pattern Sizing: Ottobre 34-44. I made a 38, and these were a little spacious but that also could have been because of the amount of stretch in my fabric.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Umm, no. It would have, if I had done what they suggested, but I had other ideas.

Were the instructions easy to follow? Absolutely. I read through them even for the parts of the pattern I left out (the hip pockets which don't reach the side seam due to the zipper) and it all made perfect sense.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? I thought it had good bones. I'm on a perpetual search for black cropped pants that are just the right length. Which for me is either right below the knee, before the fullest part of my calf, or a few inches above the ankle but below my calf. Having muscular legs is nice until I'm trying to find a perfect pant or skirt length.

Fabric Used: Black stretch twill. It has all worst qualities of a lint roller - I walk through a room and cat hair just adheres to me from the air. I actually put these on in my entryway this morning to wear to work so that they would stay clean.

Pattern Alterations or any design changes you made: Okay, here goes. I omitted the front hip pockets. No real reason, except these were basically a test-drive of the pattern and I didn't want to waste the effort. Besides, I wanted to see how smoothly the pattern fit me before I added any bulk.
I omitted the back patch pockets. Same reason. I wanted a smooth pair of pants.

I made a stupid mistake with the waistband. I looked at the picture, looked at the line drawing, read the instructions, cut out the pieces and for some reason cut out one each of the back and front waistband, instead of cutting two. Then in my head I decided that these were facings, instead of yokes/waistbands, and I inserted the side invisible zip as if that were the case. Then, when realized what I had done (don't even think about how blue the air was in the sewing room when that happened), I couldn't bear to pick out the zipper, so after I cut the facing waistbands and sewed them onto the pants, I cut a tab just slightly less than the width of the waistband, made a buttonhole on it, and inserted that into the waistband when I sewed them together. I added a button to the side of the pants and now my major mess-up is one of those coveted "design elements" they would charge extra for in the store!

Once I got over that, I tapered and shortened the legs, making them quite narrow around my calf. That was the look I was going for, and after narrowing the paper pattern to start with, I ended up shaving another inch or so off in the final round.

(My photographer today was much more interested in my top, even though I kept saying, "Take a picture of the pants! My top doesn't even have to be in it!")

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? I'm sewing them again just as soon as this afternoon's fabric order arrives. I love the pants but I hate the fabric and the fact that I had to tape myself clean twice before the end of the workday. Black cotton stretch sateen is winging its way to me; hopefully its magnetic properties will not be as strong.

Conclusion: These are the closest I've come yet to my perfect cropped pants pattern. I'll tweak it some more with the next version and post another photo when they're done.

Ottobre 2-2009 #1 Tank Top

I have very little to say about this pattern. Except I'm going to make a dozen or so of them before I get tired of it.

This is going to use up every useless scrap of knit fabric that I haven't been able to bring myself to throw away. Think of all the cute tops I can make to wear under jackets in the office all summer - and be able to go outside at lunch comfortably dressed!

This even convinced me to find the clear elastic I keep hiding from myself so I could reinforce the underarms.

This takes about 45 minutes from start to finish, including cutting and coverstitching the hem. If I have a bunch of them on the table that can be sewn with the same thread, it will take no time at all.

Possessed by a pattern

Ever have that happen?

While taking a break from the trench jacket one night last week, I cut out the main pattern pieces for the Ottobre 5/2007 #10 jeans. Since I only had one piece of denim on hand, I didn't want to use that and decided to use a nice plaid rayon/lycra woven from Metro Textiles as my muslin. I knew that these pants could only be so bad - Ottobre fits me well and the stretch would save me from any major fitting errors.

Turns out I could have used the denim.

Saturday I woke up to rain. Lots of rain, the steady kind that wasn't going anywhere, the kind that sent me straight to the sewing room. I cut out the rest of the pieces, and decided just to work on the pants for a little while. I made up the back pockets and put a couple of lines of ornamental stitching on them and pressed them. They came out nice and clean edged, so I decided that while I was in there, I should sew them onto the back of the pants. The plaid lined up nicely and the pockets went on.

Then I threw a load of wash in downstairs and decided to tackle the front pockets. Which again lined up nicely, plaids matching, and I sewed them together Hmmm, this was going smoothly. Maybe before my luck ran out I should do the fly front. It had been a while since I'd done one, having realized that I look better in side zip pants. Maybe I'd lost my touch? Nope. I did kind of forget what I was doing, but Ottobre's instructions for zipper insertion are really clear, though they do want you to do it after the pants are partly constructed and I prefer flat insertion. But it was simple enough.

Put the yokes on the back, topstitched. Sewed the backs together, topstitched some more. Joined the crotch seam and sewed the inside legs together. Topstitch one more time. Pin outer legs together, wiggle into pants, leave pin scratches on legs. Hmmm again. Fit seems good. Wiggle out, tweak pins, sew. Try on again - yep, they fit.

Mario knocks on the door after I get the bottom part of the belt loops sewn onto the pants. "Are you coming out for dinner?" Damn, it's 6:00 p.m., and other than popping in and out a few times to deal with the laundry, I've been at this for about 6 hours. I stop and we make dinner - omelets with all the leftover veggies in the fridge - and then I retreat back to my cave.

Construct the contoured waistband, check fit, smile, sew on waistband. Come out, watch a few minutes of TV with him so he doesn't feel neglected, come back in, attach the belt loops at the top, add a button/buttonhole, put the pants on one more time to mark the hems (another great thing about plaid), machine stitch hem. Press everything one more time, fold over stair railing for wearing on Easter Sunday.

The last time I made my TNT side zip BWOF pants, it took me 3-4 sessions. Much as I love my TNTs, maybe sometimes I just need to test drive a new pattern to perk myself up.

Though the next thing on my list (at least at this point) is cutting out another pair of these jeans, this time in the denim I was afraid to use the first time out.

BTW, I got a very cool sewing present for Easter from my aunt - pictures to follow.

And now for something . . .

Completely different. Every once in a while, you just have to make something practical.

I've been trying to get to the gym on a regular basis. I still have gym clothes that are wearable, but I don't have much to wear OVER the gym clothes on my way there. The gym's only two blocks away, so I don't need a heavy something, but I don't really want to wear one of my nice jackets over my sweaty gym clothes.

So I made a hoodie. I'd never thought about making one before - I've never even owned one - but that's because they're generally either oversized, gray and shlumpy, or petite, shiny and expensive. I wanted fitted but practical - and washable. This is Ottobre 5/2007 #19.

The worst thing that has come out of this project is a budding addiction to Ottobre. The pattern drafting on this was immaculate, the sizing was right (I made a 38, which is my normal BWOF size, and the jacket was fitted, which was what I wanted; if I wanted a more classic hoodie fit, I would have gone up a size) and the instructions put BWOF to shame. The only down side was their pattern sheets are a little harder to trace, but not all that bad.

There were a few nice details - cuffs and bands were fabric rather than ribknit, and the inside seam joining hood to neck was faced with a strip to keep the seam from rubbing. It's the little things.

This morning I went on Ebay and picked up a few more issues of Ottobre. When I got that last issue, I thought it was cool that the clothes were on real people, but then again, being accustomed to the sexy, fashion magazine style of BWOF and Patrones, none of the clothes drew me. Once I traced off this jacket, it struck me that Ottobre actually makes real clothes for real people, and that's what most of us wear most of the time.

A new reason to wait for USPS to mis-deliver my mail to my next-door neighbor. I'm just thankful she doesn't sew.