Ottobre Design: 2/2007 #2 T-shirt #15 Capris

I bought two Ottobre Woman magazines last winter and I finally made something from one of them. (2/2007). I considered a subscription, but I thought I'd try-out a pattern before I spent money on a subscription. I used the same sizes I use for BWOF, but without my usual changes. For me, the fit is very similar to the fit I get in BWOF. Tracing was more challenging because the lines for all the sizes are the same - no dotted lines to help differentiate sizes. The directions are just as sparse as BWOF's, but apparently Ottobre hired better translators because the directions are easier to understand.

The T Shirt
The t-shirt was typical. I used ribbing for the neck band. I felt the band was too long for the neckline, so I shortened it by about 3/4 inch. I've always stretched the band to fit the neckline. Before my adjustment the band fit the neckline in a 1:1 ratio. If I make this t-shirt again, I'll lengthen the body and adjust for the way the fron hikes up. I'd also have to add a little to the bust area.

The Capris
I wanted to see how an unaltered Ottobre pattern fit my body so I didn't make my usual changes to the capris. Usually I raise the waist. I'm reasonably satisfied with the way the pants fit. Ottobre used an unusual method for the fly front. In Ottobre's directions, the zipper shield was sewn to the zipper first, before sewing the zipper in the pants. I couldn't figure it out, so I ripped it out and used a method with which I'm more familiar. I used denim for these capris, but I didn't have a denim needle. The last denim I used was really heavy and it was difficult to sew through several layers, like the belt loops with my old Elna Diva (RIP).

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My Bernina 430 proved to be quite a workhorse while sewing this project! It sewed through four to six layers of denim, using a regular size 80 needle, with no trouble! I held my breath when I got to the thick areas and the Bernina went through all layers like buttah! I love this machine!


And now, back to our post.


I wasn't impressed enough with Ottobre to order a subscription. This outfit will be good for knocking around the house. The fit is good - Ottobre patterns will require the same changes I make to BWOFs. However, the designs are a little too ordinary. Ottobre lacks the design details I love in BWOF. I will check the website periodically and consider buying single issues from SewZanne if there are enough potential projects in the issue.