Ottobre

Bad, because he isn’t growing as fast which means that he isn’t a baby anymore. I had to title this post “Baby Tops” because I fear that it won’t be long until we are referring to Harvey as a toddler more and a baby less. Boo hoo.

The growing baby required some more tops though. I managed to squeeze the front and arms of this top out of a little piece of this favourite left over cloud fabric that I had. Because I didn’t have quite enough for the whole top, I used a little left over piece of solid grey (from this dress) for the back. I like the look and think I will be using it more in the future. A good way to stretch out your favourite fabric that little bit further too!

This pattern is one that I have used a lot in the past. From Ottobre 1/2011 called “White Rabbit”. I used some solid grey ribbing for the neckband and sleeve cuffs.

And this slouchy top was added to the collection too. I used a new pattern for this one – from an older Ottobre magazine: Spring 1/2009. The design is called “Muksis” jersey tunic and top” – you can definitley tell the way that trends and styles have changed over the years of Ottobre magazines. The older styles are much more slouchy and baggy. I don’t mind how this top is nice and loose fitting though. It will definitley fit for a long time – particularly becasue the sleeve cuffs are folded over. 

I don’t love the envelope neckline though, I never have really. It doesn’t ever seem to sit right and tends to stretch out of shape. The ribbing I used to bind the edges is quite thick too so was a bit tough to sew to the shoulder seams and ended up pretty bulky, but nothing too noticeable for a baby’s top. The little pouch pocket is very cute too. Unpractical, but cute!

SUPPLIES:
Grey cloud jersey knit

Charcoal jersey knit
Hilco campan knit in lime/blue

 

I purchased this star-print french terry lycra from Miss Matatabi at the beginning of the year with no plans for it’s life (all sold out, but a few other prints here.) I tend to do that when I see a boy-friendly fabric – especially one that will work well for all ages. They can be hard to come by so I like to stock up the stash when I find them.

So, the pattern…from Ottobre of course! From issue 4/2013: Stardust Hooded Jacket with Diagonal Zipper.  I loved the quirky feature of the diagonal zipper down the front and the only zipper I had that kind of matched was this bright green one, but it’s fun and adds a pop of colour to a dreary day! There is one circular pocket on the side too which is pretty cool. The only thing I did differently was to add sleeve cuffs instead of binding on the sleeve hems. The sleeves were extra long with the intention of being rolled back, but I didn’t like the thick band of navy blue showing so I cut a bit off the sleeve hems and cuffed them with the ribbing instead. The sleeves were quite wide to start with also, but the cuffs tighten them up a bit and keep his arms warmer too. You can see the original sleeves in the photo below:

The jacket is lined with a soft navy blue jersey and bound with some bright Hilco ribbing. I did have to shorten the zipper, which was much more difficult to do than I imagined, but we got there in the end!

Harvey used to hate wearing hoods, but now when we put them on his head he giggles and moves his eyes upwards trying to look at it! So no more cold baby winter head! He’s cute, isn’t he? And now he is warm too.

 

My Harvey sewing has slowed down considerably now that he isn’t growing as fast. (He turned ONE this week! I’ll blog about it soon, but you can see some pics on Instagram if you’re interested.) It’s kind of nice knowing that what ever I sew him now should fit for the next year and not just a few months! I pulled out the size one hand-me downs from the boys last month and found that most of them have seen their day. Funny how you think they are still good when they are packed away but realise how faded, stretched and worn they are when you pull them out a few years later!

I hemmed this top using a mock coverstitch on my sewing machine, love how it looks and because it is thicker than a straight stitch (I usually use a triple straight stitch for hems) it doesn’t seem to flip up as much as other hems do. The fabric is DinoBones from Lillestoff.

The little cord pants were really quick to make. They fit really well everywhere but seem a little bit short. There is a panel in the knee of the pants where the cord is cut in the opposite direction, creating a nice feature. This is important because, along with all the topstitching it makes the pants look a little less “homemade” and without it they would just be a basic pair of elastic-waisted pants and look a bit pyjamaish!

The pattern for these are from Ottobre 4/2011: Ever Grey Corduroy Pants. It is a really good, basic pants pattern for little boys and would look great made up in any woven fabrics – denim would be cute too! I’ve had this cord in my stash for a long time but think it was from Spotlight. It’s actually a little thin and not so good for a crawling baby, the knees are already a little worn but he won’t be wearing these for too long and I cut them out of a scrap of left-over fabric so not a big deal!