Sewing mamas!Calling all AmityMama's who like to sew! Do you make quilts, clothes, diapers, bags? Do you love to run your fingers through fiber? Can't get enough just sewing, but want to talk about it too? Come on in!
These are #33 from the new Ottobre (3/05). Girls cropped velour sweatpants. I think I made these a little too big for Mal, though (146 cm). They are loose in the waist and hips and since they rely on a drawstring (no elastic) she naturally hikes them up as far as they will go and they are baggy at the waist when she cinches the drawstring. They are supposed to be a bit low-rise, but on her they are up around her waist. If I make this pattern again, I'll make her 140's.
Here's the modeling shot. Forgive the mismatched shirt:
I learned a few things from this. I tried triple coverstitching the opposite way (with the three lines of stitching on the underside and the loops on the top for a decorative effect). I learned that I should have used size 90 needles in my coverstitcher on this project. Size 80 didn't work well when it came to two layers of velour and two layers of rib knit. I had a lot of skipped stitches when "topstitching" the waist with my CS. Instead of ripping them out and starting over, I just went around again for a second layer of CS stitches. It looks pretty sloppy. I think it passes the galloping horse test, though. And my dd never wears belly showing shirts so it will probably never show. Next time I'll get it right.
I also learned that I should measure the drawstring before I make the buttonholes. I made them too big, so the knotted end of the drawstring can slide back inside the waist casing. I also learned that I should not trace Ottobre patterns with a regular sharpie rubber-banded to a dull pencil. It was not precise enough. In the past I've used two pencils and gotten pretty good tracing results. But this time I went with a sharpie since I was using the tracing plastic from Becky and the sharpie shows up well and doesn't bleed through. But what I should have done was trace it with a pencil or ballpoint pen first and then go back over it with the sharpie.
Soon I'll make a coordinating top for this since she doesn't currently have anything that matches.
Thanks for looking!
__________________ Anne: Army wife & mama to four sweet girls
They do look really comfy. And hey, by being big she'll be able to get lots of use out of them! I hate when I make something that's almost too small when it's just finished up.
__________________
Kathy - mama of four lovely girls
All four in Cinderella's Castle, youngest to oldest
Those look really nice. Did you use a stretch velour? I have some I picked up in LA and have been waiting patiently for cooler weather to come so I can make a warm-up suit for Jordan. I'm expecting an Ottobre in the mail, hopefully its the same one. Thanks for the tracing tips BTW. Having never used Ottobre before, why is it an issue tracing with a marker versus a pencil? Does it make the line too wide so the pattern pieces end up too small?
__________________
Stacy
Attached Mama to Jordan 10, Zachary 8, Damien 4, and Scarlett Pearl TWO!
Those look really nice. Did you use a stretch velour? I have some I picked up in LA and have been waiting patiently for cooler weather to come so I can make a warm-up suit for Jordan. I'm expecting an Ottobre in the mail, hopefully its the same one. Thanks for the tracing tips BTW. Having never used Ottobre before, why is it an issue tracing with a marker versus a pencil? Does it make the line too wide so the pattern pieces end up too small?
Stacy,
The velour is 80% cotton 20% poly and it is quite stretchy (= comfortable!) If you are waiting for your Ottobre subscription, then I'm sure it is the same one. I just got this issue a few days ago. It was published on July 25th, I believe. As far as tracing, the thing about Ottobre is that there are no seam allowances included in the patterns...you have to add them yourself (sorry if you already knew that). I add them as I'm tracing the patterns (some people add them when they are cutting the fabric out instead). The way I do it is by using two rubberbands to tie together two pencils (one sharp, and the other one dull [where I've pulled the lead out]). I run the dull one along the line I am tracing, and the other pencil (sharp one) draws the line 1/4" outside of that line, automatically. Anyway, the problem I was having with using the sharpie pen instead of the pencil was that the regular sharpie isn't that fine of a point, and as I was tracing (depending on which direction I was going and the angle my hand was holding the pens) sometimes I would be making the seam allowance wider and sometimes narrower. Plus the sharpie has a thicker shaft than a pencil or a regular pen. So when I rubber-banded it to my tracing pencil (the one that has no lead...that I run directly over the line I'm tracing) it created a larger seam allowance than I'm used to. It made the seam allowance 1/2" which is big to me. I'm used to 1/4". It just didn't work well for me. Next time I'll trace with two pencils tied together, which allows me to add a 1/4" seam allowance without much variation (because of the fine point). Then I'll trace over the pencil lines with my sharpie so I can see it better.
The velour is 80% cotton 20% poly and it is quite stretchy (= comfortable!) If you are waiting for your Ottobre subscription, then I'm sure it is the same one. I just got this issue a few days ago. It was published on July 25th, I believe. As far as tracing, the thing about Ottobre is that there are no seam allowances included in the patterns...you have to add them yourself (sorry if you already knew that). I add them as I'm tracing the patterns (some people add them when they are cutting the fabric out instead). The way I do it is by using two rubberbands to tie together two pencils (one sharp, and the other one dull [where I've pulled the lead out]). I run the dull one along the line I am tracing, and the other pencil (sharp one) draws the line 1/4" outside of that line, automatically. Anyway, the problem I was having with using the sharpie pen instead of the pencil was that the regular sharpie isn't that fine of a point, and as I was tracing (depending on which direction I was going and the angle my hand was holding the pens) sometimes I would be making the seam allowance wider and sometimes narrower. Plus the sharpie has a thicker shaft than a pencil or a regular pen. So when I rubber-banded it to my tracing pencil (the one that has no lead...that I run directly over the line I'm tracing) it created a larger seam allowance than I'm used to. It made the seam allowance 1/2" which is big to me. I'm used to 1/4". It just didn't work well for me. Next time I'll trace with two pencils tied together, which allows me to add a 1/4" seam allowance without much variation (because of the fine point). Then I'll trace over the pencil lines with my sharpie so I can see it better.
Hope that explains what I meant!
- Anne
Very clear!!! Thanks for the explanation, it will definitely help me when I go to trace. I'm guessing my Ottobre will be an earlier issue. Its one of the sample ones from the newsletter gal. But if I can understand it clearly enough, I will be getting a subscription.
I think it passes the galloping horse test, though. And my dd never wears belly showing shirts so it will probably never show. Next time I'll get it right. 
Mom 2 
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