Ottobre Woman 2-2016-2 T-Shirt, or My Sewing Machines Still Work!

posted in: Sewing | 0

What is this, you ask? A SEWING post?  Could it be? Yes!  It is!  After over a year of not sewing anything at all I decided that in the midst of the never-ending work that is graduate school I needed a project that I could see through fruition before I reached middle age. I’m a slow knitter and have a project on the needles already so I decided I was going to sew something.

 

I wanted something easy, quick, and that did not require a lot of fitting.  That eliminated all those beautiful coats I’ve tagged to make, you know, someday. The choice was clear, I needed to make something with knit fabric.
When I was in Belgrade (c’mon, I HAD to drop that in here, casually!) I picked up the then most recent issue of Ottobre Woman, and it had what looked to be a pretty simple tunic style t-shirt that looked OK. Ottobre has always been good for me fit-wise so I decided to go for it.

 

Ottobre Design Woman 2-2026-02

 

Now, remember how I said I wanted an easy project?  Well, I chose a light cotton jersey, which is a pain in the butt to work with. So, while the construction of the t-shirt is pretty straightforward – I didn’t even look at the instructions, not that they would have been helpful since they are in German – I may have shed a tear of frustration with the fabric itself.

 

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All in all, I am not in love with the final product, which is a bummer. My main issue with it is that I think it is too big and thus not terribly flattering.  I cut a size 42 (European sizes), which is already based on my high bust rather than bull bust measurement, but I think that because it’s a knit I should have cut a size smaller.  I also wish I had shortened it by about 2 inches since I’m not quite 5’2″ and these patterns are drafted for women who are 5’5″ give or take 1.5″.

 

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That said, the t-shirt is completely wearable so not all is lost. I really like the drape and feel of the fabric, which is a good thing because I have a ton of it.  I THINK I bought it in Mexico a few years ago. The color is pretty bright, which makes it great for summer.

 

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For more technical details, check out my review of the pattern on PatternReview.

 

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So, I’m going to call this t-shirt a wearable muslin, and thus I will wear it, even if just around the house. The really important thing here is that actually finished SOMETHING! Yay!

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