Ottobre 06/2012-3 & 06/2008-2 baby outfit

One of my friends is having a little baby girl. After 3 boys, she's very excited (and a little nervous!) to be welcoming some pink into their family.

I thought this little set was nicely girly, but without making her big brothers want to run and hide! Both fabrics are from Chez Ami. The floral print is a cotton/lycra jersey and the aqua is a coordinating interlock. It's so soft I want to make my entire wardrobe out of it. Perfect for a wee princess.

The tunic is from the 06/2012 issue of Ottobre. It's very simple, but with some fun details.

The body of the tunic is gathered into a sweet round yoke, which is finished with a knit binding. The neckline is snug, but the binding has a lot of stretch, so it should be easy to get onto baby and comfortable to wear.

The full sleeve is gathered into a hemmed cuff. It's a pretty little detail. A full sleeve is lovely, but gets in the way sometimes. I think this is a nice functional compromise.

The pants are a basic legging pattern from the 06/2008 issue. I've made them quite a few times now. In fact, I think I've made a pair for every baby gift I've given for the last several years. Leggings are such an essential baby basic.

For this pair, I finished the leg opening with a binding, rather than a plain hem. I think this is a nice look and ties the two pieces together well.

I hope the sweet princess and her mom like her new clothes. I can't wait to meet her!

Ottobre 06/07-9, 06/08-2 and 01/10-2

A very dear and very old friend is having a wee girlie child this fall, and that means baby girl sewing!! There is something ridiculously satisfying about sewing itty bitty girl clothes.

This little outfit comes from three different issues of Ottobre. The pinafore dress is from 06/2007, the top from 01/2010 and the leggings from 06/2008. Have I mentioned how much I love my Ottobre magazines? They are the best.

The pinafore dress is the star of the show here. I made it out of a couple of quilting cotton prints. I love the way that the bodice lining and the pocket binding are the same sweet polka dot fabric. I even found a fun ribbon with a woven in polka dot to tie it all together.

Isn't that pocket ridiculously adorable?! I love the sweet little gathers and the narrow binding.

The pinafore closes with snaps and I used some tiny vintage metal ones. I really like the way that Ottobre designs for real life with babies. So many of these wrap-style dresses from other pattern companies have ties, and they are such a pain to put on a wiggly baby! Snaps are much more practical.

Since the wee princess is coming during the colder season, I made her a few layering pieces for under the dress. The top is from the 01/2010 issue, and is a simple tee with a slightly wide, gathered neckline and gathered, cropped sleeves. I made it out of a super soft rayon jersey that should be lovely for baby - light enough to layer over, but still warm. The leggings are the basic leggings from 06/2008 that I have made several times. I made them from a soft but sturdy rib knit. I hope they keep her warm and cozy!

Ottobre 04/2010-2 & 06/2008-2

Now that I have given this little outfit to the recipient, I can show it to you.

I'm ridiculously please with how well this turned out, if the truth be known. The top is from the 04/2010 issue of Ottobre. I chose it for several factors - front closure, sleeves and easy fit, but I wasn't sure if I really LOVED the style, although I did like it pretty well. Now that it is done, I really do love it. I have never had a single item of clothing that went together quite this perfectly, which is a relief since I really don't like gifting items that aren't perfect.

The front button bands - oh, I just want to sing about them. I don't know about you, but when I attach bands (or collars, waistbands, cuffs, etc) like this, the top and bottom aren't generally perfectly balanced. I try to get the right side to look great, but sometimes the stitching slips off the band on the wrong side, or the stitching isn't quite right on the edge. These bands are perfect. Can you see the stitching in the photo. Seriously, I'd never have believed I sewed these myself.

And then, lightening struck twice, and the binding is just as even. I'm not sure if this should be my new go to baby girl dress or if I should retire it now for fear I will never again achieve this level of perfection.

The little pants are a basic leggings pattern (from 06/2008, but Ottobre has published several, I just happened to have this one traced already). I sewed them up in denim colored knit from Joann and topstitched the waist in denim gold topstitching thread to give them a bit of a "jeggings" look. The fabric had this cute ruffled selvedge, so I just used that as my hem. It is really soft and I thought it would be more comfortable for baby, not to mention cute.
I hope Mommy and baby like the new outfit!

Ottobre 03/04-7&8, 06/08-2

Thanks to all who chimed in about magazines. On reflection, I realize that I have browsed through a few issues of Sew News at B&N and Joann and have never picked an issue up, which tells me I probably wouldn't be too interested in a subscription. I think I'll just stick to Threads and Otto for now and keep up with the fashion part of Burdastyle through their website. Google translate can be pretty funny.

In sewing news, I delivered the baby gift this weekend, so I get to show it to you now.

My friend favors more classic looks for her kids over frilly and ruffly, and when I was hunting the stash for a completely different reason, I saw this corduroy and I knew it was going to have to be a pinafore for her newest little princess. This will be girl number 3, but the first one to be born in a cold climate, so I thought she could use more cold weather clothing for her.

The underlayer is a long tee and leggings made from a soft ponte knit left over from this dress. I can personally attest to its comfort and snuggliness. The tee is made from the 03/04 issue of Ottobre, and I made it for Myra here. The leggings are from the 06/08 issue (which I happened to have out as I was tracing). They are basic leggings, pretty much identical to the pair in the 04/04 issue that I used when I made this for Myra.

For the button loop, I used a clear hair elastic, which I've seen done by several other bloggers. What a great idea! It was so easy and looks great.

The pinafore is from the 03/2004 issue of Ottobre. I made it for Myra a couple of Christmases ago. You can see that version here. The pattern calls for elastic at the hem on the sides, but I found that interfered with diaper changes, so I left it out. I think it is pretty darn cute with the A line skirt instead. I LOVE the pleated pockets. Alas, the aren't very visible in this busy print. I topstitched with Mettler Poly Sheen thread in the hopes that the topstitching would be visible, but it pretty much disappears, too.
Overall, I'm pleased with how well it turned out. I hope that Laurie and Baby V love it, too!

Ottobre 03/2008-2 "Puffis"

Myra's summer wardrobe is coming along, but she needs a few knit tees.  Doesn't every girl?  I scoured my Ottobre's for a fun one, and came back to "Puffis", which is style #2 from the 03/2008 issue.  It's such a perfect little tee shirt.

This one is made from cotton jersey from Hobby Lobby.  I hate their knits, but I have a ton of them in my stash, as they are the cutest knit prints around.  I need to use them up and buy better quality!

I love that this is a simple tee with beautiful details.  Perfect for a sweet princess.  It has a gathered neckline, keyhole back and puffed and gathered sleeve.  How girly can you get?  I love it!  This was the first time I tried Ottobre's knit binding application method, and while it isn't perfect, I was quite happy with it.

The trickiest part was the little keyhole, and I think I probably should have stretched the binding a bit more so that it would lie flat.  That teeny hole is a bit tricky...

Sorry for the fuzzy pic, but Myra wasn't in the mood for posing.  The size it an 80, with the length an 86.  For her last one, I made a straight 68, and it got too short before she outgrew the girth, so I thought I'd give her a little extra length this time so that she can wear it longer.

Ottobre 04/2004-2 & 03/2004-8

With my last shreds of soil separator paper I managed to eke out a tee shirt pattern for Myra.  She really needs some long sleeved tees, and I wanted some leggings as well, for layering under summer dresses that she hasn't yet outgrown (but will by the time it is warm enough to wear them again!).

Here is her first tee.  I didn't want anything fancy, since she'll be wearing it under things, but I liked the little keyhole at the neckline.

And a pair of basic leggings.

I did the waistband slightly differently than the Ottobre directions and it looks exactly like her RTW leggings.  Basically I attached the elastic in the round to the wrong side of the pant top with a wide triple zigzag and my overcast foot so it finished the edge and sewed it in one step, then folded over the edge and topstitched it down with a twin needle.

For both pieces I used a "ponteroma" double knit from Hancock.  It is super soft and cozy.  I think it will be perfect as a warm winter layer.

"Why are you taking a picture of my in my long johns, Mommy?"  Yeah, not too stylish all by themselves!

But just right with a little dress over the top.

Cutest outfit ever!!

The ensemble is complete now with the tee to match the freaking cute shorts. This pattern is also from the 03-08 issue of Ottobre. (Thanks for reminding me to mention it, Beth!!) It is called the "Puffis" tee.I love this tee shirt pattern! So many cute little details. It isn't the easiest tee I've ever made, but not the most difficult either and the pattern is excellent. I love the little gathered detail at the neckline. I also really like how well the FOE worked for the binding. So fun and it looks great. I will definitely be doing that again!
So, here is a front view.
From the back. You can see the little keyhole in the tee that makes getting it over big baby heads easier. It closes with a teeny snap. This is really well designed!
And an extra picture, just for cuteness.