Miette – Sew Becky Jo

I’m loving getting the Ottobre subscription. The last pattern I did for the babies was a knit and a bit more on the intermediate side. These Bermuda style shorts are on the super-duper easy side.

They’re from the 3/2011 issue (you get a free back issue if you order a subscription) and they’re soooo customizable.

The kids and I sat down with the photo from the magazine and decided how they wanted them to function. Long, short, pockets, etc.

They only wanted front pockets, and this round we’re doing walking short length for Alex and almost clam-digger length for Hazel.

Hazel’s are a gifted fabric that feels like it’s probably linen or a linen blend.

They’re very light weight and breezy. She had her pick of the fabrics and made a good choice!

I took some pink grosgrain ribbon to trim the bottoms and the pockets.

The pockets are lined and sewn on top of the shorts making that much easier!

They have a cute mock-fly on the front.

It would be super easy to fold that part of the pattern under if you wanted to skip the fly.

Here’s a side shot after she wore them all day…

And there’s plenty of room for the buns…

The obligatory little sister matching outfit is just a onesie with a zig-zag stitched Z for Zoe and an elastic waistband skirt with pink Kona binding.

Alex’s shorts were made with some leftover Robert Kaufman linen-cotton denim from my Miette skirt.

I used the same variegated blue thread for stitching as well…

I lined the pockets with a cute black and cream gingham.

However, after just a few hours of wear, the seams started splitting.

Really splitting…

Really, really splitting…

Lesson learned…while the RK linen/cotton is a great fabric, I should have made another Colette Sorbetto with the leftovers or maybe something with more give like:

Regardless, I’m really glad I found this out before I used it in a quilted bag or something. The linen-cotton does not hold up to any stress on it whatsoever. Even if I were to restitch the seams, or re-enforce the seams, the stress on the fabric is the problem. I suppose I could line them, but at this point, when they’re made just to fit…I’m going to have to call them a loss. It may not be the blend so much as how it’s done. The Aztec vest was made in a RK linen and is holding up great, and I have some yarn dyed Essex that many quilters use and is thicker feeling than the cotton-linen.

Point is, if you’re looking to use one of the linens, I suggest sticking to the Essex or the straight up linen if you need to sew something with stress points aka structure. My Miette skirt went through the wash this week and held up great, therefore, in a garment with more drape, the linen-cotton is a wonderful option.

AND hello, Ottobre FTW again!

I dunno….admin work puts a sneer on my face….even if it’s for myself. The idea of “filing” patterns makes me just want to burn my bra.

That, and I need to SEE what I have….just the other day I was cruising the inter webs, going to finally buy a Renfrew and a Miette pattern, when I was positive I needed a knit-wrap-dress pattern too. I opened up my binder of patterns, and there was a Vogue knit-wrap-dress pattern staring indignantly at me. I already have one! (I have to come up with another reason to get a Cake pattern now….)

Which brings me to…well, I use binders.

Specifically, BIG white view binders in low-VOC and D-rings if I can get them.

I use sheet covers and tabs.

Tabs not because I’m going to actually number and collate and make a table of contents…oh hell no. hahahaha. NO. Just to have a place to mark between patterns.

It came time again to take the piles of patterns I had been accumulating and stashing around, and add them to the binders…so I took a few shots.

If this idea helps you, great. If not, eh. It’s just an idea. Filing works for some people, just not me.

Here’s an example of a store bought Burda pattern. I use the crap out of this pattern–specifically the pants.

I put the envelope and unused portion in one sleeve.

And the cut part and instructions in another…with any notes I may have. This pile happens to also be in a plastic bag.

My beloved Colette patterns get traced. I keep the booklet and original patterns in one sleeve and the traced patterns in another.

PDF patterns are similar. Instructions in one, cut patterns in another.

The inside pockets can hold wonky, oversized patterns.

I use the view portions to hold receipts, mostly so I can remember the fabric types, a ballpark of costs and what ever miscellaneous items I’m too lazy to find a place for…

After this cleaning, I can see I need new binders for quilt patterns and bag patterns as they’re growing to that point.

So…the pros are that I can leaf through them like a magazine. I can get an instant view of what I already have vs. what I might need. I also have no problem storing multiple traced sizes or versions to one set of instructions.

Cons are storage for the binders…they could, after this, still go down in a large drawer if you wanted, but mine sit on a shelf. Also, I’ve yet to decide how to handle traced patterns out of Ottobre or books. My traced patterns are very well labeled, but the visual of the finish photo would help. I’m not into printing more than I have to…so we’ll see. For example, I’ve printed the Miette pattern recently without printing the instructions, and I have some Craftsy patterns I haven’t printed yet…more decisions. My Burda book patterns, which I have the book on iBook, are ok because of the instruction covers.

I need to make a decision there soon because I totally forgot about the Craftsy patterns! Whoopsie! I may not have needed that Renfrew after all….oh, who are we kidding, sure I did!

Tag: Miette

Ottobre Bermuda Shorts

How-To: My Pattern Organization