Background
Ottobre 4/2023 #6 is a children’s winter coat pattern for European sizes 62-98 (basically infants through toddlers). It features rounded patch pockets, a hood with darts at the back and elastic at the middle front for additional shaping, and extra long raglan sleeves meant to be cuffed. This jacket is fully lined.
I made a size 80 for my son. I think he’s about 31″ long and 22-23 pounds so at this point (just a guess, he’s really hard to measure now).
Materials
The pattern calls for ready-quilted fabric and fleece lining. I chose instead to use a wide wale deep navy medium weight corduroy from Gorgeous Fabrics.
For the lining I used a soft, sturdy cotton flannel from Fabric Mart (which was left over from my husband’s pajama pants).
Since this is meant to be a winter jacket I wanted more warmth, so I used 3M Thinsulate C150 from Vogue Fabrics for the interlining. I actually bought the Thinsulate a dozen years ago…just getting around to using it!
Instead of velcro for the hood and snaps for the front I chose to use wood buttons. It seemed to fit in more with the rustic corduroy and flannel fabrics.
Construction
The pockets are a single piece which is folded over, sewn, then turned out. This makes it very easy to get a nice rounded edge, plus it provides a self lining.
For the Thinsulate interlining I placed attached it directly to the lining, with the fleecy side facing the wrong side of the lining and the quilted side facing the wrong side of the corduroy. I never worked with Thinsulate before so it was a new experience for me. I didn’t need to baste it to the lining as the flannel provided plenty of “grip.” I did trim it down to 1/8″ seam allowances after sewing a seam. This stuff is pretty fragile with heat, so pressing the seams needed to be done lightly and carefully. (I accidentally melted a section of it.) It does have some loft but is lightweight and easy to sew through. I had no problem making the buttonholes, though I did use a buttonhole stabilizer plate simply due to wanting to eliminate error with the bulky fabric.
Ottobre instructions are quite minimal (basically the same as Burda’s used to be) so you should have some experience with sewing a coat before you attempt this pattern. The nice thing again about baby clothes is since they take so little fabric it isn’t a big deal if you need to recut and start over again! I haven’t sewed a lined jacket/coat in forever so I needed to think a bit about how to bag the lining, but I managed just fine. There’s no front facing so that makes things simpler.
Clothing Engineer 
I think one reason why Ottobre pattern instructions are viewed as “minimal” elsewhere is that in Finland everyone has to have sewing classes throughout elementary and have to take either sewing or wood or metalworking classes as optional throughout middle school. So everyone has been taught how to use a sewing machine and patterns, crochet and knit. As it is an originally Finnish magazine, that is the demographic they cater to 🙂. They just became popular and spread elsewhere too.
The thinsulate interlining seems genius! I didn’t know one could buy it for home use, now I need to look into it… The coat looks great, your fabric choices go so well together! Seems like it’s functional as well as good looking, I’m on the lookout for patterns that allow for an energetic child to move 🙂.
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I didn’t know that about Finnish education, makes sense! We did a tiny bit of sewing and woodworking when I was in middle school but I have no idea if they even offer that now. I wish people would not underestimate the value of a good book or even YouTube when it comes to sewing. Not all sewing pattern instructions are well written or show the best construction methods.
I’ve been happy so far with the Ottobre children’s patterns. I like how they have a nice mix of wovens as well as the more typical knits for babies and toddlers. He wears his Ottobre corduroy overalls all the time! They’re great for when he is crawling around outside.
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This is a lovely coat. Sewing for children is such a pleasure.
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I never really understood it before I had my son as it seems like a lot of work for something quickly outgrown, but now I get it. It is such a pleasure to dress him in clothes that are well made and fit well even if they will be outgrown soon.
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