FO: Kelopuu Ottobre Hoodie

Okay, so I know I said  I would finish my UFOs before starting a new project but well, I didn't manage it.  I HAVE fininshed my Burda jacket and will share it soon though,  But then a couple of things happened in December: 

It got colder 

I realised I have few warm tops

A couple of months ago I was sent a copy of Ottobre Women's magazine, Autumn Winter 2014.  This was not because of a blogging promo but because I cancelled my subscription and I think they sent out a free copy to entice me back as a subscriber. On impulse about a month ago, I decided to make the Kelopuu hoodie, enticed by the pockets and the asymmetric front.   I used some fabric on sale at Minerva Crafts, only £2.99 a metre.  I went back to the site and think it is sold out.   It is wine coloured with white flecks and a heavy-ish sweatshirt knit. It is not the greatest quality as it is already bobbling after two weeks but I love the colour and it is warmer than I expected.

The magazine's example of the finished hoodie

The pattern was much easier and quicker to sew than I anticipated. I started tracing on a thursday and finished sewing on sunday. That was much quicker than I had thought,   Ottobre patterns need seam allowances adding - I added mine after tracing and before cutting.   

Here are the instructions....they are brief and as you can see there are no diagrams.   The pattern calls for welt pockets which were new to me.   I had to look up several tutorials before I attempted them.  There was no way I could try them only using the Ottobre instructions!  I need pictures for new techniques.  This was the tutorial I liked best.  They were more straightforward than I had expected.  They are a bit counter intuitive as you sew the inner pocket linings to the outside of the garment, make a slit and push them through.  There was also a lot of thick bulkiness to sew through with the welts and my machine didn't like this. It also didn't like the bulkiness of the cuffs, I had to stop and handcrank the needle through the thickest parts. As the pattern is written for a sewer with an overlocker, the pattern instructions call for the cuffs to be added to the sleeves flat before inserting the sleeve.  Then the sleeve seam and side seams are sewn.  AS I don't have an overlocker, the only drawback of this is the cuff has an unsightly seam inside it.  If I make this again I think I would add the cuff in the round to an already stitched sleeve to give a cleaner finish.  That is how I added cuffs to my Lola dresses and Renfrews.  The sleeves came out really long.  I mean about three inches too long.  I learnt my leson here, I should check sleeve length before cutting out.

I have been wearing the hoodie a lot since completion.  I have been struggling to get pictures with the poor light, So I thought I will just post this anyway.  I was thinking of making it again in a darker colour.  Making it has made me look again at my Ottobre magazines, the patterns are often wearable and functional - does that sound too boring?  As I have a stash of them I wo't be renewing my subscription.  I just plan to sew using what I already have.

Three

 Little RG is three today.  This is the post where longtime readers will say "Three! How did that go so fast?"  In some ways it has flashed by in the blink of an eye, in other ways the  last three years have been a long haul.  Strange how time stretches and shrinks in our perception.

Anyways, this is a brief pop in to share the homemade party bags I made. I thought, and thought and came up with these very simple bags using card.  Can you tell she is mildly obsessed with dogs?

2014 in review

 Compared to previous years I didn't make very much this year:
One Anna dress

Clockwise from top left: A Playing Card dress, V1247 skirt, Traveller dress, Lola dress,
Ottobre tunic top, Amy Butler Anna Dress

Two Lola dresses
Vogue 1247 skirt
Burda 7018 denim jacket (yay, I finished it)
Maxi skirt
Butterick 5612 blouse
Brown Lisette Traveller tunic shirt
Ottobre short sleeved blouse (unblogged)
Ottobre Kelopuu hoodie
(unblogged)

For RG:
one pair trousers
For Little I:
A Playing Cards Dress
 I was surprised to see I had made two Victory Patterns Lola dresses in 2014 - I really thought I had made them and the Anna dress last year.

The thing I am wearing most at t ishe moment the dark grey Lola  In the winter months it is in steady rotation.  I like the look of the pink Lola but it is so so bright.  I have to be feeling brave to wear it. I wore the Lisette Traveller dress a lot in the Autumn when it was warmer.

Here is my finally finished Burda jacket,  I'm looking forward to getting decent photos and sharing its making journey.  It was a long trek!  Mainly due to stops and starts. It has been too cold to wear it since finishing but I am hoping it will become a staple in the warmer weather.

The last make of 2014 was a Kelopuu hoodie from Ottober 2014 Autumn/winter magazine.  This is a sneak peek - I am writing a proper post about it.  It is by far my favourite make.  And I wasn't expecting that.  I love the colour, the asymmetry,the practicality and the fact it was far easier to make than I had expected.

On a personal note, this has been a tough year for me.  I hadn't blogged that my mum sadly passed away in March.  She was very ill but it was unexpected and it has hit me like a huge speeding train.   I have thought a lot since then about how much to share in this space.  Keeping on sewing has helped me immensely as it is the one thing I do purely for myself and the mechanics and thought processes of a new project  are a refreshing meditation and distraction from the demands of everyday life.  I am so happy to still have readers here and commentators.  I do think I have made some real friends through this space.  SO thank you.
It's not all gloom and doom though...I have been humbled by the support from some unexpected quarters and I have really learnt the benefit of having siblings.  And I have learnt the benefits of HOLIDAYS!  That was a revelation.
I am looking forward to seeing new sewing creations from my blogging friends....Happy New Year to you all  :)