Ottobre's Every-Woman’s Pant - Finished

I finished the Ottobre cropped pants and have already worn them. Here is what they look like after two trips through the washer and dryer. Perfect for summer and I’m happy to have them.

From various reviews, I anticipated that the Ottobre fit would be more generous than Burda’s but I can't say that I notice a difference. The pants work and that has given me a green light to try other Ottobre pants patterns.

I still haven’t decided what to do about new shirt patterns but somehow I have to get it in gear soon. Motivation? Well, the tops currently in my closet are starting to look sad and I can’t find anything in ready-to-wear that fits. One would think that would be motivation enough…

I want to skip the trial and error part of fitting yet I know it has to happen.  So, in the meantime, I’ll just keep sewing pants and throw in a few TNT shirts until I can get inspired (or truly desperate).

I have traced and cut out the 5-pocket Ottobre Woman jeans (05-2007-10). I love the back pockets with the buttoned flaps but will be sewing the patch pocket for this first attempt with the new pattern. The waist looks a bit high – like edging into “mom” jeans territory but I’m going to sew “as is” for this round.

Ottobre Woman 05-2007-10

That’s all that’s new in my sewing world, though I have been spending a lot of time on eBay looking at old Pfaff’s, Bernina’s and Vikings. I don’t need anymore machines but I sure enjoy seeing what is out there.

Enjoy your week!

Every-Woman’s Pant - Ottobre 05-2008-16

Number 15 from the denim roll is slowing coming along. I’d traced the pattern and cut the denim last weekend. It sat by the machines, untouched, all week. This was after spending my sewing time the previous week pulling shirt and t-shirt patterns out of the file and comparing them to my BML (Bernina My Label) patterns. The comparisons made me understand why I bothered with BML. Many women that sew require a FBA (full bust adjustment). Well, I need a FBA too. However, my FBA is a full belly adjustment. To have a shirt fit, I have to do a full belly adjustment along with changing the sleeve length and shortening the shoulder to underarm distance. In addition, I often add length to the hem. A longer hem is a generally a preference and not a fitting matter.

Usually, I just straighten out the side seams and that will give me the extra fabric I need. The sleeve length is easy too – just a horizontal tuck in the sleeve pattern. More tucks for the front and back armholes and the sleeve cap. Not a big deal. Nevertheless, none of the new patterns I looked at were compelling enough to get me to make the necessary changes. Each time the overlapped patterns showed me what needed to be done, I simply folded the patterns and put them back into their respective envelopes.

Discouraged, I took myself to the San Marcos PremiumOutlets. I visited several stores and tried on many shirts. I came away with a new pair of shoes, a wallet and a renewed understanding of why I sew my own clothes.

I finally know what I have to do to a pants pattern to get it to fit. I want that same confidence with the shirts I produce. I have sewn several shirts that fit and I wear them often, but from my jeans sewing experience, I know that sewing one after another can work out my fitting issues.

While I’m getting my mind set to tackle shirts/tops, I have been sewing albeit at a sluggish pace. The Ottobre Every-Woman’s Pant (05-2008-16) is nearly complete. I added some back pockets (from Lekala 5742) and deleted the front waistband extension. Initially, I had included the extension but it just looked weird.

The waistband is yet to be finished: topstitching, belt loops, button/buttonhole and rivets.