This was unfortunately the best photo I could get of him wearing the set…he’s not the most cooperative child and would not stand still while facing me.
I have been wanting to make this for my son since I first saw it when the issue came out nearly two years ago. About two months ago I finally got around to it.
Pattern Background
The velour hoodie has a half zip front with a bear face applique. The bear has little ear and paw pieces that are sewn in. Sizes are European 62-92.
The slim leg pants have an elastic waist and front pockets. They come in sizes 62-92. Velour is recommended for them as well, though I think they’d be great out of a jeggings denim or stretchy French terry.
My son is currently a 92 so this fall was my last chance to make it before he grew out of it forever!
Fit/Alterations
For the hoodie I added a total of 2” width to the bottom at the hem. For the pants I added 1/2” to the center back crotch curve at the top. These alterations are mostly because he wears cloth diapers and needs extra room there.
Materials
I used cotton velour knits from Nature’s Fabrics for the hoodie, bear face, and both pairs of pants. For the face and lining of the ears and paws I used single knit cotton jersey, also from Nature’s Fabrics. I’m not entirely sure where I got the ribbing for the cuffs, hem band, and hood binding…it was probably also from Nature’s Fabrics but Fabric Mart is another possibility.
The zipper is a #3 molded plastic YKK zipper from WAWAK.
Construction
I have almost no experience with applique, and found the bear face finicky and time-consuming. Ottobre has you iron fusible knit backing to a piece of single knit and then cut out the eye, eyebrows, and mouth/nose pieces from that. I also added an iron-on tear-away stabilizer to the back of the brown bear head before doing the applique. The pieces are extremely tiny and very tricky to place and stitch, especially since velour isn’t the easiest fabric to transfer markings to nor to applique. My applique work is not perfect (as I mentioned before I have pretty much no experience with applique and velour can be tricky for fine work) but hey, it’s for a kid that will outgrow it sooner rather than later.
The good news is that once you’ve done the face applique and little ears and paws, the hardest part of the hoodie is over. I did find the instructions for the zipper a little confusing, but basically you take a piece of velour, fold it over, and place the raw edge at the bottom of the zipper and the folded section facing up towards the zipper pull. This is what it looks like when finished:
The pants are super simple. I did most of it on my sewing machine, just using the serger to finish the edges and to attach the waistband. Before sewing the waistband in place I ran a three step zigzag along the inside upper edge to make sure the elastic wouldn’t roll during washing:
Conclusion
My son has gotten a lot of wear out of both his hoodie and pants. Velour is great for hoodies and pants – it is breathable, durable, easy to wash, and very easy to layer due to the smooth backing.
Jalie 3675 is a simple unlined bomber jacket meant for stable knits or stretch wovens. It has a zip front opening, front welt pockets, and a little fabric tab where the hem band meets the zipper. It comes in sizes 2T (21″ chest, European 92) all the way to European size 52 (50″ bust). I was looking to make a fall jacket for my two year old son now that temperatures around here have officially left summer territory, and thought it was a perfect fit for the fabric I had recently purchased. Normally I love using Ottobre patterns for my son’s wardrobe, but with the tariff chaos they aren’t currently shipping to the US so I had to look elsewhere.
Materials
The main fabric is a quilted poly/cotton/lycra blend quilted knit from Jumping June Textiles. As soon as I saw this online I had to get it. It is definitely one of the most expensive fabrics I’ve purchased, but since toddler clothing has minimal yardage requirements it made the purchase less painful. I also have enough left over for a vest or colorblocked future jacket for him.
If you purchase this knit make sure to serge or bind the edges because it loves to shed.
The zipper is a navy blue #3 molded plastic zipper from WAWAK. I needed to shorten it to 12″ and didn’t have any #3 zipper stops in stock, so I borrowed a couple of stops from an old zipper in my stash.
The thread is Gutermann Mara 70. Normally I prefer Mara 100 or 120 weight for garments, but I couldn’t really find a good thread match for this fabric (it is like a saturated mustard color with orange/brown tones in it) and already had this in my stash, so I decided to just go with it. Luckily the thick knit was able to hold up to the heavier weight thread (and the topstitching does look nicer due to the loft of the fabric).
Fit/Alterations
My son is currently a size 92 in Ottobre. I hardly ever buy RTW clothes for him anymore, but when I do it seems right now he’s typically closer to a 3T than a 2T. Even though size 92 in Ottobre fits him pretty generously I decided to size up to the 3T in this pattern (Euro size 98) because I wanted him to be able to easily layer and hopefully get a year of use out of it. You can see it is a bit big on him right now but not overly so.
Since I wanted to easily layer this over some of his sweatshirts I removed some of the shaping from the sleeve, turning it into a straight line from the armpit to the hem instead of curving in around the elbow slightly as drafted. I’m not sure this was actually necessary but hey, the room is there if we need it. I also added a total of 2″ to the hem width because my son wears cloth diapers and that often means shirt hems too snug and tend to ride up.
Construction
This is one of the newer Jalie patterns. The instructions are very clear compared to some of their older patterns. I hadn’t done a single welt pocket in a while and had no problem following Jalie’s instructions (which include illustrations for each step as well as written instructions in both English and French). There’s also a video tutorial on the website. IMO Jalie has put a lot of effort into making their patterns more accessible in both expanded size offerings and more thorough instructions. I am not super dependent on instructions but as I spend most of my days sleep deprived and/or distracted by toddler antics I appreciate the extra hand holding.
I did use a narrow, dense zigzag stitch to reinforce the pocket openings. This wasn’t in the Jalie instructions but Ottobre often recommends it.
Conclusion
This is a great jacket pattern for the whole family. Instructions are clear and the drafting is well done. He wore it for the first time today when we went to see Grandma and Grandpa and refused to take it off the entire time we were there!
The Green Pepper 557 is a pattern for lined booties/slippers for babies, toddlers, and older children. 1/8” elastic shock cord and a spring cord lock ensure they stay snug on feet.
This will fit babies through children’s size 6 shoe. There’s a graphic within the pattern sheet you measure you child’s foot against. My son measured just above the largest infant size (approximately 18-24 months) but below the smallest toddler size. Due to the fabrics I used (a heavier corduroy and a heavy cotton sherpa fleece) I ended up sizing up to toddler size 7. If I had used a lightweight fleece and thin exterior fabric the largest infant size probably would have worked.
Materials
My goal with this pattern was to create a warm, washable indoor winter slipper of natural, breathable fabrics. It seems difficult to find slippers for little ones that don’t use polyester fleece. It was mandatory that they stay on securely, but I didn’t want a Velcro closure because I find it’s too easy for him to undo and gets messy over time. It was also important to that they have a very grippy sole because my son runs around full speed on hardwood and LVP floors.
For the main fabric I used a sturdy 100% corduroy from Fabric Mart.
For the soles I used Dritz anti-skid gripper fabric. (FYI – one package of this fabric is enough for three toddler size bootie soles.) I wanted to add some extra durability so I fused some low loft fusible fleece to the wrong side of the gripper fabric to help reinforce it and give a little more padding. I didn’t go with a higher loft because I felt like the thick fleece lining combined with a higher loft fleece might make things too unstable when he’s running at top speed.
I didn’t have any 1/2” grosgrain ribbon in stock to create the elastic casing, so I subbed in 5/8” satin ribbon from my stash.
The instructions included with the pattern are clear and straightforward, and include illustrations as well as text. You make this entirely on a sewing machine (no serger needed). My only struggle was sewing the Sherpa fleece lining because the bulk and loft of the pile made it difficult to see the edge of the fabric. If I had used a micro fleece as suggested in the instructions it would have been much easier, especially when it came time to attach the lining to the main fabric of the shoe.
I did find the elastic measurement for the bootie too long by about 3” or so. I think the instructions assume you will be using a cord lock with one hole, not two, so they have you loop off some and tie it into a knot. My cord stops have two holes so I didn’t need to do this.
Conclusion
My son was so excited when he saw his new slippers! (He always gets excited when he sees a new piece of clothing I’ve made for him, somehow he knows it’s made just for him so I guess it makes him feel very special.) He immediately insisted on wearing them and started running and stomping around the house with them. I’m pleased to report the gripper fabric works really well. He had no issues whatsoever with slipping despite all of his running around. Despite it being a warmer fall day he insisted on wearing them for hours! I plan on making another pair for him to keep in my diaper bag for when we go visiting other people’s homes in the winter.
This is a great pattern for baby showers and Christmas gifts because as I mentioned before, it seems like most commercial booties/slippers for babies and small children use polyester fleece for the lining. With this pattern you can make something much more special than what you would find in a store.
Ottobre 3/2012 #2 is a sleeveless knit shirt with a neckline and armholes finished with rib knit. Two snaps at the left shoulder help with dressing. It is drafted for sizes 50-86.
Ottobre 3/2023 #5 knit shorts are hemmed just below the knee, with a hem finished with rib knit. The side seam has a decorative stripe made out of rib knit. The waist is elastic, with a decorative drawstring at the center front. It is drafted for sizes 62-98.
Materials
For the top I used a cotton/lycra jersey from Nature’s Fabrics. I had it leftover from another project and it was just enough to squeeze this shirt out of it.
The shorts were made out of a cotton velour, also from Nature’s Fabrics. I really liked using this fabric for his shorts. It is durable, soft, and washes well.
The snaps are from KAM Snaps. The rib knit is from Fabric Mart. The grommets for the drawstring (not shown) are #00 metal grommets from WAWAK. The 3/8” wide cotton drawstring tape is from Amazon. The 1” elastic for the shorts waist is also from Amazon.
Fit
I used a size 86 for both shirt and pants.
For the shirt I added about 2” width to the hem at the hip. My son wears cloth diapers and I find that adding some width helps it not ride up as much over the bulk.
For the shorts I added 1/2” height to the center back seam.
Construction
I found I needed to mark where the binding went at the bottom of the armholes of the shirt, because otherwise it is hard to see exactly where the bottom of the armhole is when you’re binding it and you may end up halfway down the side seam! Otherwise it was a straightforward process constructing the shirt.
For the shorts, a Clover bias tape maker to make the binding for the side seams made the process go much easier. No having to manually turn under the edges, just run it through the tape maker and then sew it onto the front before stitching the side seams together.
For both projects I used a 5/8” finished width single fold binder for my cover stitch machine to attach the ribbing to the fabric. I found the velour was too fussy when it came time to stitch the elastic casing for the waist with my cover stitch machine (so many skipped stitches) so I ended up using a zigzag stitch on my regular sewing machine for that.
I am using my Janome Coverpro 2000CPX more than ever. My little guy and I wear a lot of knits and I had been wanting to improve my skills, particularly when it comes to binding necklines. Bound necklines have always been the bane of my existence. I felt like I spent so much time trying to make precise, professional looking bound necklines, often having to rip it out and start all over again because I was unhappy with the quality of my work. I was getting super frustrated because I don’t have the time I used to for sewing, and wanted to spend it producing wearable finished garments, not ripping out stitching!
I decided to start off by buying the book Master the Coverstitch Machine: The Complete Coverstitch Sewing Guide. I saw a video by the author on her website and was impressed with her attention to detail and experience. I prefer sticking to books more than ever now. There’s too many videos on YouTube made by clueless people that clearly have no idea what they are doing. Some of these videos are of people doing these things for the first time! They have such poor technique and camerawork and try to cover it up with clever little quips and editing. They just look really dumb to me, putting it bluntly. I feel like people don’t want to put in the time anymore it takes to really master something before immediately jumping into being an influencer about it. Even the author of the book, who is clearly an experienced seamstress, said it took about it eight hours of practice before she really got the hang of using a binder.
Along with the book I bought some attachments for my machine. I had held off on buying a binder for my coverstitch machine for a long, long time because honestly, the price of the Janome ones are eye watering (like over $250 now). I also held off because I read posts here and there by people claiming that binders are clunky and don’t work well, especially the off brand ones. I kept reading though in my Ottobre pattern instructions about using binders though, so I decided to just go for it. I bought a 1/2” finished width double fold binder, along with a clear binder presser foot. I chose this size because the Ottobre children patterns often recommend a neckline binding finished width of 15mm, which is around 1/2”.
The video I saw on the author’s website suggested using cotton rib knit when you’re just starting out, as it is easy to work with. I have a ton of cotton rib knit in my stash, so that’s what I used. I cut the strips 1 5/8” for this particular binder (the width you need to cut is listed on the binder) using a clear ruler and rotary cutter. I then set up the binder on my machine. I ended up using the video on the Janome product page to help because the binder that I bought had absolutely no instructions. I then loaded the binder up with the rib knit, using an awl and tweezers just as the author suggested to feed it through. It took some fiddling to get it actually folded correctly under the presser foot, but once I got it going I was able to start perfecting the settings of the binder and my machine. The author recommends using a long stitch length (4mm) and playing with the differential length and presser foot pressure. I also had to loosen the screws and slide the binder around a bit in order to get the angle it fed the fabric under the presser foot correct. Once I was satisfied I started feeding some fabric into the binder, which involved more tweaking and testing. But it was completely worth it. I couldn’t believe what a perfect finish I got without having to estimate how long the strip would need to be, stand by the ironing table folding, etc. I tried a few different fabrics and while I needed to adjust some settings, I found that generally it gave a perfectly finished neckline without puckering or being too stretched out, and it had a ton of stretch – a lot more stretch than when I did it by hand with a serger/regular machine then topstitching with the coverstitch. I have no idea how the binder gets it so perfect despite the variety of fabrics I used, but it does it really, really well and saves me SO much time.
Here’s a tshirt I made my son recently, with one of those envelope style necklines, using a cotton rib knit for both the binding and the shirt. Perfectly placed stitching with plenty of recovery and no stretching or puckering. Making little boy shirts is SO much more fun now!
Now here is a light to medium cotton/lycra jersey tshirt I made for myself. For this one I used a smaller 3/8” finished width binder. I also chose to use a chain stitch instead of a two needle narrow coverstitch. Partially because I wanted a more subtle finish, but also because I wanted to experiment. The neckline lays perfectly flat when worn. Again, no having to measure and estimate what amount of length I would need. You just cut a strip of binding as long as you can, and the attachment/machine does the rest of the work for you.
The author warns in her video that lightweight, stretchy knits like rayon/lycra jerseys are difficult to work with using a binder, and not really suitable. I don’t agree, it is definitely trickier but as you can see below I got pretty good results using the 3/8” finished binder on a scrap of lightweight, stretchy rayon/lycra jersey. It IS much harder to get it initially fed through the binder though, and you have less tolerance with the settings. Practice with a few scraps is essential!
At least for my Janome Coverpro 2000CPX these off brand binders work just fine and are all less than $30 each. They all include the attachment plate. The 1/2” finished width Janome branded binder is currently around $267 and doesn’t even include the attachment plate (another $40!) I’m sure the Janome branded one has a better build quality but I’m just pointing out that you can make yourself an entire set with the most commonly used widths for a lot less than one Janome branded binder.
I did splurge for the Janome Coverpro tape stand. The book said you can use a paper towel roll holder, but I wanted the flexibility of the height adjustment and something that wouldn’t be so bulky. Much like the binders, it is stupidly expensive for what it is. However I have found that using a stand is essential for helping feed the binding into the binder, especially when you’re working with a flimsy rayon/lycra jersey that wants to fold over itself before you even get it fed into the binder. I did take the tip from the book to roll the cut binding into an empty toilet paper roll.
Something else I wanted to experiment with was reverse coverstitching. I think the industrial machines that do this call it flatlocking. A lot of Ottobre knit patterns call for this stitch. You sew the seam on a regular machine using a straight stitch and then open it up, press ur, and then and topstitch from the back using the coverstitch machine. The newer model Janome Coverpro 3000CPX has five threads and can do it from the top, not the bottom, but I can’t afford to upgrade my machine at this time. The book explains very well how to make do with a four thread coverstitch machine like I have though.
I found reverse coverstitching over a seam very easy with the help of the Janome clear guide foot. You can buy the branded Janome one for $62, but Amazon has a generic one for $27.
Coverstitching something like a pocket however was far more difficult, and I ended up having to redo my work so many times. Since you’re working from the back you’re sewing completely blind. I used the marking paper with a tracing wheel but even so I had a lot of mistakes that needed to be redone. For this reason alone I wish I could upgrade to the 3000CPX.
Below is a sample of the Ottobre zip sweatshirt hoodie I made lately. It is a cotton/polyester sweatshirt fleece so a fairly heavy fabric with a heavier rib knit for the trim. The hem band was sewn using the coverstitch over the attachment seam, and the pockets and their trim were sewn directly on top of the fabric. Even though I had to keep redoing it I love how flat the pockets came out!
I did find I had an issue with skipped stitches where the rib knit meets the side seam, as the fabric is heavy and the seams very bulky (there’s an attachment seam where the front hem ribbing is sewn to the back hem ribbing, as well as the fleece side seam bulk). Despite my best efforts I couldn’t get it right, so I ended up just fudging it with some hand stitching.
Overall I highly recommend the Master the Coverstitch Machine book. It has great instructions, very clear and high quality photos, and the projects section shows in depth how to apply the techniques to your own projects. Pretty much anything you might want to do with a coverstitch is covered. As I mentioned before I also found the generic binders and feet from Amazon worked perfectly fine on my machine, so I highly recommend trying those out if you are hesitant to go all out and buy the official name brand binder.
Clothing Engineer 