Ottobre "Bert" shorts: take 2

This guy. He's so awesome. But man, is it hard to make clothes for him!!

I think we have a winner this time, though. These are the "Bert" shorts from the 03/2009 issue of Ottobre. I made them for him last year, and he won't even try them on. Silly me, made them in a woven. Logan only wears knit shorts.

Since the pattern is drafted for wovens, and has plenty of ease, I went ahead and used last year's size. They're drafted quite long, so I left the length alone. I did omit the faux fly, since it seemed odd in a knit short, but I love the other details, so all the pockets and yokes got to stay. Logan loves pockets.

The main feature of these shorts is the deep back yoke, which I decided to highlight in a contrast fabric. Logan loves his Rocketboy tee, so I used some leftovers from it to make the back yoke and pockets. The main fabric is a 10oz. interlock from Chez Ami. Beefy, but still nice and soft.

The biggest challenge for these shorts were the back pockets. I wanted to coverstitch them on for a professional look, but all those points... I did manage to pivot a few of them - tricky with two needles - but some of them I had to tie off. I'm pleased with the end result though, and Logan does like them.

On the boy, the yoke hits just at the bottom of his bum, and right where the front pocket inserts the seam. I find it a quite pleasing juxtaposition, and the seam intersection right there is nice and smooth, without much bulk. Very easy to sew.

Yay! A win! These are going to see a lot of playtime. Just no more pictures, Mom!

Ottobre 03/2009-38

I really am working on my Fall wardrobe plan. The first muslin of my jacket is done, and only needs a few adjustments, so progress is being made. Still, it is summer and Myra still didn't have a swimsuit that fits well.

Ottobre to the rescue, as usual.

The pattern is from the 03/2009 issue of Ottobre, the "Seahorse" swimsuit. The fabric is more Tactel Jersey from Chez Ami. It really is lovely stuff, and I'm glad I have quite a bit of it. For this suit, I decided to try rubber elastic instead of swim elastic, and I really like it! It was very easy to sew and apply. I also think it is a bit less prone to curling out.

For Myra, I sewed a 98 in length and a 92 in width and it is a very good fit. As you can see, her mobility is excellent. The only change I made to the pattern was to square off the front so that I could sew on a strip of binding across the front and then a continuous strip of binding for the straps and around the armholes and back. Most of my RTW camis are done this way and it is much easier, I think.

I didn't make the tie straps, instead I stitched down the straps in back, angling them in a little so they wouldn't slip off her shoulders. I'm thrilled with the coverage in back. Her little booty is contained! And she's comfortable; nothing needs pulling or tugging back there.

Myra is happy with her new suit, although she did ask me where the ruffles are. Next summer. I'm just glad we have a pattern that fits!

Ottobre 03/2009-23

With the completion of the popular "Bert" shorts from the 03/2009 Ottobre, Logan's outfit for KCWC is done!
I can see why this pattern got so much use when it came out. It really is great, with fun details, but still easy to sew.

For Logan's shorts, I went with a more understated color for the topstitching. This is the "jeans" topstitching thread from Coats & Clark. I added a single Mater applique to the leg of the shorts just for fun.

Much like Duncan's shorts, these feature a nonfunctional fly, which is topstitched down. The pockets are patch style, which gives you more opportunities to show off your topstitching skills. My twin needle made short work of these. Since I couldn't cut the pocket opening on the straight grain for these, I interfaced the opening with a strip of interfacing.

In back are patch pockets and a deep yoke. The waistband assembly is a little fiddly, but resulted in a really professional look, so I think it was worth the extra effort.

Now I just have to convince the ornery boy to actually try them on. Next up is a purple butterfly/polka dot dress that will definitely get worn. That little princess of mine can't resist a new dress. Wonder where she gets that?

Ottobre 03/2009-19

When I ordered the pink matte jersey I used for my Vogue 1020 cardi, I thought I'd use it to make a dress, so I got 3 yards. When it came, I realized that it was too thin to make an unlined dress, so I put it aside until inspiration struck. Since I had so much yardage, I thought Myra might like a cardigan, too. I had already traced out this pattern for a friend, so I had it on hand and just cut out our cardigans together.

The pattern is from the 03/2009 issue of Ottobre. It's a bit of a sleeper though, as there is only one photo of it and it is on a page with several other designs; easily missed! 

That's too bad, because it really is quite a nice pattern! I love the ruched yoke and the bound neckline, and so does Myra! It is otherwise a very simple waist length cardigan.

Here is a closer view of the neckline (and the cute elephant buttons). The yoke section is gathered into the body and then into the binding strip. Since I wanted to use the binding attachment on my coverstitch machine, I gathered the upper yoke onto a strip of fusible interfacing, which I fused onto the gathers to stabilize them, then ran it through the binder. It worked, but I think the interfacing made the neckline a little too stiff, particularly since the gathering already adds a lot of bulk there. Speaking of fusing, I did use fusible thread on the hems (both this and the Vogue cardi), and I LOVE the result! The fusible thread tames the tendency that thin knits have to shift, so the hem doesn't end up twisted, which used to make me crazy. It also makes the hem allowance easy to keep even, since you stitch along the hem edge. This is great for coverstitching/twin needling especially, since you need a nice even hem allowance.

The front edges are finished with cotton bias strips. I used Wright's quilt binding, cut to the appropriate width. How great is that color match? Anyway, I like the way this stabilizes the buttonholes and the front edge, but still is quite flexible. I'm not usually a fan of a bias finish for knits, but it really works here. I can also see the potential for some fun color and print combinations. I think the ruched yoke section would work well in a lightweight cotton (like a voile or lawn) and then the bias bands could coordinate. How cute would that be?

A note on the sizing - Myra is a 92 at the moment, but I heard from some other sewists that this pattern ran a bit small. I sewed her the 98, and I'm really glad I did! the sleeves are just a smidge long, but I really like the fit in the body. So if you're planning to make this cardigan (and you should!) I'd go up a size from what you typically sew and just check the sleeve length.