Ottobre 1/2024 #2: Velour Bear Hoodie and #3: Velour Pants

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.

For the applique stitching I used Simthread embroidery thread from Amazon. If you buy this thread, make sure you check off the coupon to save yourself $7!

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.

Ottobre 3/2012 #2 (Infant/Toddler Sleeveless Shirt) and Ottobre 3/2023 #5 (Infant/Toddler Bermuda Shorts)

Hello summer!

Background

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.

Ottobre 4/2022 #2: Infant/Toddler Sweatpants

I did my best with photos. He is very active now!

Pattern Overview

These are the coordinating pants for the Ottobre 4/2022 #1 hoodie. The main design feature are the curved front pockets finished with ribbing.

Materials

I used the same cotton rub knit and rayon/lycra French terry I used for the coordinating hoodie.

Fit, Alterations, and Construction

I made a size 86. He fits perfectly into size 80 right now but I want to reuse them in the fall.

I made no alterations. They are really long right now and I rolled up the leg cuffs all the way. My son has short legs to begin with so I’m not surprised they ended up too long!

These pants ended up being really quick and easy to construct. The ribbing makes quick work of the curved pocket edge. When I added the elastic I just serged it to the edge of the waist then turned it over and topstitched with a wide coverstitch.

Ottobre 4/2022 #1: Baby/Toddler Hooded Sweatshirt and Ottobre 1/2020 #6: Baby/Toddler Jeans

Pattern Overview

Ottobre 4/2022 #1 is a hoodie with raglan sleeves with darts, a front kangaroo pocket, and a close fitting hood with darts. The edge of the hood is finished with ribbing. Ribbing is also used for the cuffs and hem band.

Ottobre 1/2020 #6 is a baby jeans pattern. The edges of the front patch pockets are finished with self fabric bias binding. The waist is encased elastic, so these just pull on.

Fit and Alterations

I made both of these in size 86. When I measured him last month he was 32” tall and 25 pounds. Size 80 is perfect on him right now, but since I’m hoping to use them again in the fall I decided to size up.

I kept the hoodie as is; for the jeans I added knee patches. Up until recently he was a knee walker (and he would ONLY walk on his knees) and as a result half of the pants I made him last fall have holes in the knees now. Now he walks great (on his feet!) but he still does some knee walking and is often on his knees when playing outside, so I’m hoping the patches will help prolong the life of these jeans.

Materials

For the hoodie I used a rayon/lycra French terry purchased years ago from Gorgeous Fabrics. I had originally used this for my first version of my Jalie yoga pants, but unfortunately they haven’t held up well. The fabric is coming apart at some of the seams. I am not sure what’s wrong with it, maybe it’s just old and can’t handle the stress of tightly fitted yoga pants! But it’s perfect for this hoodie since it is so soft and won’t be stretched all the time.

For the hood binding, cuffs, and hem band I used a cotton rib knit from Nature’s Fabrics.

For the jeans I used a lightweight denim from my stash. I have no idea where or when I acquired it. It has a soft, lightweight drape (actually would make a great shirt fabric). The only downside is that the fabric is too soft to hold a rolled up cuff.

Construction

Both of these were pretty straightforward and went together quickly. I will say that for the jeans they have you sew the waistband to the inside first, run the elastic through, then fold the seam allowances over and topstitch in place from the outside. It sounds simple but the elastic makes it fiddly and it was by far the most consuming part of the jeans construction. I would consider just attaching it to the outside first, then topstitch in place from the outside, without folding under the inside seam allowances.

Conclusion

This is a great play outfit for active toddlers!

I use the hoodie all the time now for when we are going out and it’s too warm for his coat but he still needs an additional layer. It fits well over a shirt. I do plan on making him a regular zip hoodie soon but for now this works.

The jeans are working out well too. They’re more durable than his usual sweatpants for playing outside on the ground and being jeans, they go with any shirt in his wardrobe. I would absolutely make the jeans again, but in a stiffer fabric so the rolled up cuff holds better.

Jalie 4457: Roxanne Cargo Sweatpants

Perfect pants for a cold, lazy Sunday!

With my new stretch bamboo fleece Ottobre hoodie

Background

Jalie 4457 is a pattern for sweatpants and shorts that includes side cargo pockets, side inseam pockets, and back patch pockets with flaps. The pants have a wider straight leg. The waist is finished with elastic that is topstitched in place with one or two rows of stitching (this will vary based on the size you make).

The side seam pockets can be made from one piece of jersey with the facing pocket piece self fabric to help reduce bulk. They hang from where the waistband is stitched, thus reducing bunching.

There’s the normal range of Jalie sizes, from 2T to women’s plus size 2X. I think they have an extended size pattern also available on their website that has more plus sizes. You can make these for men too though, especially if you are willing to shorten the back crotch curve for their typically flatter butts.

Materials

Jalie suggests sweatshirt fleece, French terry, and heavier jersey with at least 20% stretch across the grain.

I used a mid weight French terry with a brushed, fleecy back from Fabric Mart with 20% stretch widthwise and 40% stretch along the length. It is sooo soft and has great drape – perfect for the wider legs of this pattern!

Fit and Alterations

Based on my hip size I made a AA. I cut a size Z for the waistband elastic.

I left off the side cargo pockets. Maybe I will add them to summer shorts. I mostly bought this for the cut, not the cargo detail.

For alterations I lengthened the legs 1.25”. I probably only need an inch but I like to allow a little bit of extra fabric for new pants as I have noticed no matter how much I preshrink, as time goes on the length tends to contract. I also added 3” at the center back seam, tapering to nothing at the center front.

The 3” seems like such a dramatic amount of height to add, but a couple of years ago I got some pajama pants from Lands End that fit really well (balanced at the waist, no pulling down in the back when sitting) and when I measured them I discovered it was because the back crotch curve was so much longer/taller than the front. I use these measurements as a guide now for altering pants.

Construction

Jalie has great instructions for this pattern, perhaps even better than some of their old patterns. The pattern sheet is also color coded for the lines rather than the old style pattern sheets which are all black and white, which makes it very easy to trace your size.

The entire pants pattern uses 3/8” seam allowances, not 1/4”. You sew on a regular sewing machine then finish the edges on a serger as you go along. When it comes time to do the waistband casing you finish the edge with a serger then fold it over and stitch in place. This makes for a lot less bulk than folding the edge under. Also, when you make the front side seam pockets you baste them 3.25” (for my size) from the upper waistband raw edge, then trim close to the stitching. This way when you make the waistband casing the raw edges are caught in the seam, but you don’t have any extra bulk.

When I added the back pockets and flaps I used Design Plus fusible web tape to hold everything in place. Highly recommend over pins!

I recommend that after you sew the waistband casing in place and pull through the elastic that you try them on and adjust the gathering before topstitching the elastic in place. The first time I just went ahead after evenly gathering all around and the pockets were gaping with a lot of diagonal pulling towards the front. When I unpicked the topstitching (needed something to do after I couldn’t fall asleep after my son woke up) I adjust the gathers so there was almost none at the front and they were mostly in the back. Much better! The side seams were straight, the pockets flat, and the front was much flatter and more flattering.

Conclusion

Great comfortable sweatpants and shorts pattern for the slightly stretchier heavier knits out there.