Pattern Review: Ottobre hoodie - Issue 1/14

Today we have a guest post from Kristi who blogs over at Kopykat & Kidz.  Her blog covers sewing for both kids and adults and various craft projects. She has a fun casual style that is certainly worth checking out.

Thank you Kristi for giving us another option for the ever popular hoodie!

Name of the pattern:

The pattern I’m using for this review is the Zip Up hooded fleece jacket.

Pattern Source:

This pattern is from the sewing pattern magazine, Ottobre, issue 1/14.

Sizes available:

Ottobre is a European magazine so it is published with European sizing.  This threw me for a loop when I first started sewing from it because using my kid’s measurements to figure out sizing put them all over the place.  Then I found out that the sizes roughly equate to their height in centimeters.  This made my life much easier!  The pattern comes in sizes 128 – 170 cm.  Abby is about a size 10/12 and I sewed up a 140cm based on her height and it fits her perfectly.  If I would have sewn her pants I might have based the size on her waist measurement and added length.

inside view

Special materials required:

The only special material I needed was a separating zipper, however if you want to make it just like the pattern you also need two zippers for the pockets, two grommets (and a little bit of interfacing) and flat cotton cord.  I don’t know if it’s a special material, but I did use a size 14 stretch/knit needle for sewing as well.

Skill level required:

I think this is probably an intermediate pattern to sew up.  The thing that makes it lean more toward intermediate is the zipper installation and the fact that Ottobre is catering to people who already know how to sew.  What I mean is that there are no pictures of the construction.  If you have sewed up a hoodie before you will not have any problems following Ottobre instructions.  Also the princess seams in the front and back mean that you are sewing curves together instead of straight lines which can be a little trickier.

back inside view

How you came to choose the pattern:

In the case of this garment the fabric came first.  Abby and I were at JoAnn getting some microfleece for a coat for me (I finally got it sew and you can see us pictured in our hoodies.  Mine is also Ottobre Women’s, issue 5/14, very similar but with no hood.  The sizing women starts at a European 34 which is about a U.S. size 4.  This could also be a great option for the older tween/teen) and she found this light blue microfleece.  Since I love to sew for my kids and she did need another hoodie for fall we bought some.  Then we talked about hoodies and I decided to make this one.  I love the princess seaming it has.  I think it elevates the regular boxy hoodie to a slimmer fit one for tween/teen girls.