Romper boy!

Woot! I'm on a sewing roll right now. Last weekend, it was some cute tiger overalls. This weekend it was a new romper.

Inspired by Christina's review, I immediately procured a copy of the Spring 2011 issue of Ottobre Design. Ottobre is a magazine focused on kids' fashion and includes patterns to make all of the featured clothes. A single issue usually includes 30-40 different designs. It is an amazing value! The downside: the patterns have to be traced (because there are multiple designs printed on a page, and they all overlap one another), and the instructions are generally minimal. But I was feeling brave, and loved the idea of having a bodysuit that actually covers Little Bear's cloth diaper-clad bum. So I went for it.


The design is called the "New Star Bodysuit," and I made it in a size 74 cm (which seems to be about equivalent to a 9 months size). LB is 11 months old and about 20 pounds, and it fits great. The romper has a little bit of length to the legs, which allows for full coverage of the diaper area. It's a pretty cute look, too.


The fabric is an organic cotton knit I bought from Near Sea Naturals, back when Big Bear was a baby. Ahem. It has been sitting in my stash for quite awhile now. I'm glad I am finally using it.

My one previous attempt at an Ottobre pattern didn't go so well, so I was initially worried. However, I ended up being pleasantly surprised at how easy the instructions were to follow on this one. I especially appreciated the directions on how to do an edge finish with knit binding-- they worked like a charm!


I even broke out the dreaded coverstitch machine to do the double topstitching at the neck, legs, crotch, and arms. It's horrible, I know, but I really do feel trepidation whenever I even think about using it. I think I need to find a shop that can offer me a lesson or two on it, build up my confidence some. My stitches aren't perfect on this project, but at least they don't look bad on the outside and I'm definitely happy that I gave it a go.

And look! I remembered to do a label (with size information written on the back). Yay!


I used my SnapSetter tool to attach the snaps and it worked really well. (And it was much easier than snap tape!)


This crawling action shot really shows the great, full bum coverage. Really, I think this is just a fabulous design. I need to make more!


Happy romper boy!

Epic Fail!

Not every day is a happy sewing day. Case in point: Saturday evening, I decided to make a pair of pants for the Boy. The pattern was from Ottobre magazine. If you aren't familiar with Ottobre, it is a sort of fashion magazine focused primarily on children's clothing (though they do have a couple issues a year dedicated to women's fashion). The magazine is published in Finland, and then translated into English. It showcases a variety of designs that range in size from newborn to pre-teen. The designs are really fun and often have a distinct European flair. They always have great details, and definitely look much cooler than many of the ready-to-wear clothes found in stores. The cool part? ALL of the patterns to make the outfits are included with the magazine.

About a year ago, I went ahead and bought a subscription. Since then, the magazines have been languishing in my bookcase as I worked up the courage and motivation to tackle a pattern. There are challenges with this magazine. One is that the measurements are all in metric, so I have to convert the measurements to inches to make sense to me. The patterns need to be traced and have seam allowances added. Another challenge is that, though there are instructions for each of the designs, sometimes they can be difficult to follow because they are only written (and I'm very visual... illustrations are my friends!). Also, because it is a translation, sometimes the instructions can be a little confusing. Now, if you are a skilled/experienced sewist, that wouldn't be an obstacle at all. But I'm still learning, and so it presented me with a bit of a challenge.

Okay, back to Saturday night. I was trying a pants pattern (#25 in the 1/2008 issue). I traced my pattern and cut the fabric. I started sewing...

Most of the construction seemed to be going pretty well (though there was lots of topstitching, and that was taking a good amount of time). I even learned a couple new techniques (a cool "bellows" pocket and a new fly-zipper insertion technique). I had to do some seam ripping and unsewing, but it wasn't too bad.... until I reached the waistband. It wouldn't fit, the instructions were weird, nothing was working. After 5 hours of work, I had reached the breaking point, and I literally ripped those pants in half!


Stupid pants!!! (Deep calming breath.)

In hindsight, I know that was a pretty inane thing to do. But it did feel good at the time (3 am). I've had some time to stew on it now, and am feeling like now I could try again and be successful. I definitely learned a lot, and will be able to apply that to my next attempt. In fact, I am feeling like I need to try again, because it is a challenge, and I know I can do it. But first, I need to re-build some confidence. I need some sewing success. Hmmm... a new Dear Jane block should do the trick.