Jungle January forever!

Myra and I are in just under the wire, but we could not miss Jungle January! Leopard is our spirit animal.

We went with an easy wardrobe addition - simple knit tops. Leopard print, of course. And for a little flair, waist level ties. We like a little fun.

My top came first. I used burda magazine, 10/2016 #101, which is a drop shoulder tee with an integrated tie. The pattern is pretty interesting, which made for a fun sew.

The left side tie is cut on with the front of the tee, but the right tie is actually a separate piece. Both ties are faced, so the wrong side showing isn't a problem.

Since the ties are not incorporated into a waistband, it leaves the tee with a nice flowy, relaxed fit. It's not my usual style, but I think it works in this fabric, a slinky ITY from FabricMart.

For Myra's tee, I wanted a similar look. I started out searching for tie waist tees. And burda did publish one, but drafted for wovens and sleeveless.

I didn't want to do that much drafting, so I found a good drop shoulder Ottobre tee (01/2015-11) that I added a waistband and faux tie to.

The look is nicely complementary while the hip band and slightly longer length make wardrobe malfunctions less likely for my active girl.

Both tees got self fabric bound necklines and coverstitched sleeve hems. You can also see the dropped shoulder of both tops in this shot.

Blow a kiss, Myra! Let's go paint the town... leopard!!

Ottobre 02/2006-11 wide-leg pants

A week or so ago, Mr. Postman delivered a package full of goodies to my door.

Awesome, right?!? Thank you, Connie!!! As you know, I am a bit of an Ottobre addict, so as soon as they arrived I traced off a pair of pants and went to work.

These are from the 02/2006 issue, model #11. It is a nice basic pant pattern with wide legs, fitted through the torso and a shaped waistband.

Here they are tucked in, so you can see the whole pant. The waistband is fairly wide and high, which I really like. It falls about 2 inches below my actual waist. 

The legs are cut straight down from the hip, so there is plenty of volume there. I really like this shape for me, as it balances my fuller bustline. They are also quite comfortable to wear.

The fabric I used is a semi sheer linen from FabricMart, so I lined the pants with Ambiance. They feel lovely on. The pocketing and facings are poly/cotton batiste.

I'm pretty pleased with the fit, although this is a more forgiving style in that regard. I decided to forgo a muslin and just compared the pattern pieces to another pant pattern that fit well. Alterations I made were to lengthen the rise 1 inch both back and front, scooped out about 1/2 inch in the back crotch and 1/4 inch in front, as well as lengthening the back crotch hook 1/4 inch. After the pants were assembled (but not lined or faced) I took an additional inch off at the CB waist. The waistband is seamed, so this was an easy fix to make.

Between the comfortable, loose fit and the soft, breathable fabric, I think these pants are going to be a wardrobe favorite, and I'll definitely be making this pattern again.

Ottobre 03/2011-11

Duncan has decided that diapers are fun to remove, and elastic waist pants and shorts present no challenges to the little nudist, so we've been dressing him in overalls and rompers, which gave me a good reason to sew this one.

The pattern is #11 from the 03/2011 issue. It's another one that I wanted to make as soon as I saw it. 

I did make a few changes to the design. I really dislike back closures on baby and toddler clothes, and the original design had a back zipper. Instead, I switched the neckline with a envelope style (from the Happy Animals tee, #12 from the same issue) so that I could just pull it over his head. I also omitted the interfacing in the waistband panels, since I needed those to stretch over his shoulders. I cut the back waistband and tee on the fold.

The fabrics I used were all given to me, so this is pretty much a free garment! Even the button was left over from another project. The tee is a printed interlock from Joann that my mother had left over from a project for my nephew, and the denim colored knit as well as the ribbing used for the binding were given to me by a friend when she de-stashed.

So, laugh now. Y'all, I seriously thought all those snaps were blue!! I need better light in the sewing room. Once those suckers are in, there is no getting them out, so Duncan has a mismatched snap. 

How cute is that kid?? I did make them a little bit long. If his rompers are too short, he reaches his little hand up there and sneaks his diaper out the pant leg, and then I don't notice until I find the diaper. Or a puddle. These have elastic on the back leg to snug them up, and with the extra length we'll have to see if he can manage his trick. Little stinker.

Ottobre 03/2008-11

Logan has these shorts. He loves them so very much. But I made them nearly 3 years ago and they have been in heavy circulation since then. And boys are not known for being gentle on their clothing. They are raggedy. And not in a deconstructed, cool way. The hems are falling out, the knees are covered grass stains where they don't have holes and the pockets are falling apart.

It was time for a new pair. Fortunately, I had enough of the printed rib knit left over to just squeeze these out.

The pattern is the same as the prior pair, Ottobre 03/2008-11, the "Summer" shorts. They really are a great combination of easy sewing and fun details.

The pockets are bound and there is a trim strip stitched to the side seam. This time, rather than topstitching the trim down, I folded it wrong sides together and treated it like flat piping. It was a little simpler to sew and I like the look of it. The last time I made these shorts, I was an Ottobre newbie and had neither serger nor coverstitch machine at my disposal. I have to say, this version not only is much nicer, it sewed together significantly more quickly. In fact, I went from tracing the pattern to handing them over to the boy in less than 2 hours.

For the sake of the laughs, here they are next to the old pair. Not only do we still have the old pair, I had to pull it out of the laundry as he wore them a few days ago. The picture really doesn't do justice to just how competely worn out these are. They went straight in the trash after this picture was taken. I'm so glad he finally nagged me in to making their replacement!

Awesome pants!

I finally got around to the last item on my sewing plan from earlier this month. Here are Logan's "awesome pants" from Ottobre.
I love all of the details! The pockets are really cool. It is hard to tell from the picture, but besides being bound on the edge - nice! - the pocket bag itself is actually topstitched to the wrong side of the pant front. It looked a little complicated, but wasn't and turned out really cool, especially since I used a print. It looks like I have mad pattern matching skills, when really it is all one piece. Sweet. I did have a little trouble with the waistband, but it was my own dinginess, and no fault of the pattern. Despite my issues, they turned out pretty well and Logan really likes them.
Here you can see the contrast strip up the side as well. Such great details in these simple knit comfy pants. I love Ottobre!
Logan loves the pockets. Every boy needs a place for "stuff".