Ottobre Design Woman 5/2010

I'm waiting for the new Ottobre Woman to arrive (05/2010)--it should arrive any day now! I've subscribed to Ottobre women for several years. This is a Finnish pattern magazine is published twice a year (Spring/Summer, Autumn/Winter) in several languages, including English, German, Dutch, Finnish and Swedish. I love looking at the designs, models and fashion layouts. The Ottobre models represent a range of ages and body types, which is refreshing.

Why is this issue number 5 for 2010? Because Ottobre Design publishes other issues devoted to children, girls and boys. The designs are really cute, so if you have the opportunity to sew for young'uns you should check it out.

Ottobre Design Website

[True confessions: my primary impetus for posting this entry is to get two entries for a giveaway from Ottobre Women. That said, if I felt differently about Ottobre, I would not have written this. Please use your own judgment when reading anything on the web]

Self Stitched September and Jalie 2909

Earlier this summer I signed up for Self Stitched September. Last weekend I realized that September is only a few weeks days away, so I had better start stitching for the cooler faller weather. Well, starting on Monday, the San Francisco Bay area has been hit by a heat wave. It's been averaging 90 plus degrees in my area. I have found it challenging to pull the wool blends from my stash to sew. I decided that I need to make some winter/autumn weight (err...this is San Francisco Bay area winter/autumn weight, which means that while it might get cold, we don't get any snow or ice that doesn't melt away).

I have made progress, though. I have made 3 pairs of Jalie 2909, Women's Classic Trousers. As I mentioned earlier, this is a very simple pattern with 3 pieces. The pattern is designed for a fabric with 20% crosswise stretch (one of my favorite tips for a knit gauge is located here on the Sewing Diva's blog (not the current blog)) but you can alter the pattern for fabrics with zero stretch. Two of the pairs of trousers are suitable for autumn, in color and fabric weight (the summer weight pair was made from a pastel plaid---I'm going to try and wear them several times before the season is over). I've used stash fabric from Happy Stop, Fabrix, and Michael's (Yay! that's close to 9 yards!). I'm planning on making two more pairs, so I can wear one pair each day to work. When I finish making the trousers, I'm going to look at some tops, jackets and sweater tops.

Since I have altered the pattern so it fits, these pants a very fast sewing job (umm. I'm not putting in the crease and I'm adding belt loops. I should probably draft a contour waistband so it fits better). Cutting out the fabric is very quick (rotary cutter), and I can sew a fly zipper in 20 minutes. I'm not doing an elaborate seam finishing: just top stitching down the seam allowances with decorative stitches.

I'm going to try and use my bias tape collection to finish the seams. Now that I know that the pattern has been suitably altered, I can see that it will be easy to apply the bias tape before assembling the different pattern pieces. I have bazillions of yards and packets of bias and seam tape. Whenever I go to an estate sale that mentions sewing goods, I end up with more bias tape and zippers. My zipper drawers are full (yes, I have TWO drawers of all sorts of zippers), and I need to create a more organized space for the bias tape (and everything else in my apartment).

Speaking of estate sales, I found the mother load on Monday night, and it was right around the corner from my house. I had a trip planned to Costco and took a quick look at Craigslist. I saw that a "free stuff" listing that described "some sewing goods." Since the house was close by I decided to drop by. It turned that the previous owner (deceased several months earlier) was a serial crafter, from sewing to knitting to rug hooking to jewelry making. I was able to go through the items and ended up with a large amount of vintage patterns (including a lot of Stretch-and-Sew patterns), seam tape, more zippers, random yardage of nylon tricot in funky 1970s patterns, hem markers, and other stuff that I'm still going through. I ended up splitting the available collection of stuff with another sewist who was also going through the materials. My tiny little car was packed when I drove away. I told the young couple who were handling the distribution to call me if they found the button collection, but I also advised them that they could probably sell the buttons on eBay, especially if the buttons were on cards or that they would make a nice memento for someone in the family. I have an over abundance of fabrics and notions, so now I need to actually use some of it. When I go to estate sales, sometimes I see the foreshadowing of my own life....

August Accomplishments

I've been sewing a little bit, taking dance classes and have been watching way too much TV (as well as working and preparing for a work conference).

Sewing: I've made 2 more Simplicity 2614s. I still have a my muslin of Hot Patterns MoneyPenny PussyCat blouse to finish. I made one more pair of striped Hotpatterns Marrakesh pants. I used fabric with no stretch so they are slightly tight. I've put them away in the closet until I lose weight on my hips. I'm trying to eat less and exercise more.

I've also started working on a Jalie 2909, the simple trousers. I realize that Self-Stitched September is 2 weeks away. I need to make some autumn weight work clothing (autumn in the SF Bay area is not very cold). The Jalie 2909 pattern is very simple--there are 3 pattern pieces: the front, back and the waist band (okay, there is one more piece--the fly guard). I made what I think are my standard alterations: altering the back pattern piece for my full hips, which also includes lengthening the crotch and allowing for my full inner thighs. I'm almost finished with my first pair--I need to add the waistband, add the button closure and hem them. I'm planning on making further alterations: lengthening the hemline by 1 inch (right now, they seem to be just barely long enough--I'll have to use hemtape to hem them), lower the waistband (in the front, the waist already comes up to my navel and I still haven't added the waistband), and I will add belt loops because my measurements fluctuate throughout the month.

Dance classes. I've taken two dance workshops, 1 was very intensive, and I did enjoy going to back to dancing, I need remember to stretch. I developed a sore/tight IT band which made it painful to walk the next day. Stretching and massage helped a lot. I'm really enjoying my dance classes though. I forgot how much I missed them.

TV. I'm watching Project Runway, True Blood and Mad Men. Since I have comcast on demand, I end up watching the episodes in mini marathons, often while sewing. I know that it's more than a bit obsessive, but I have to admit, it's a lot of fun. Project Runway inspires me to sew, Mad Men inspires the styles, and well, after watching all the episodes of True Blood, it has made me reconsider becoming a vegetarian.