Ottobre FAQ

Every time I post a new Ottobre project (and sometimes when I haven’t), I’m asked questions about my favorite magazine. I don’t mind answering, but it seems I could blog about more things if I wasn’t repeating myself. To that end, here’s my attempt to answer, in one place, the answers to some commonly asked questions about Ottobre.

What sizes are included? Ottobre is published in Finland, so the European sizing can be confusing to American readers. Fortunately, you can get a measurement chart from the “print for free” section of their website in either centimeters or inches. Most of the baby patterns start at size 56 (newborn) but occasionally there will be a size 50 (premie). On the other end, boys and girls patterns can go up to size 170 (for a child about 5′ 7″) but most stop a few sizes smaller than that. Occasionally there are designs for plus sizes, but with the multi-sized patterns it’s usually fairly easy to combine one size for the width and another for the length of the garment. The women’s patterns start at size 34 and go to at least 46; some go up to 52. They’ve also started including some maternity designs. I don’t know the US ready to wear equivalents, only that I usually make a size 38 for myself. Really, your best bet is to print up that measurement chart, grab a tape measure, and see for yourself if they have size(s) that work for you.

Is it worth the subscription price? I think it is! Unfortunately the USD has gone down since I first subscribed; now a one year subscription to both the women’s and children’s editions (6 issues total) is about $81. Ouch. I still plan to renew, and here is why. $81 / 6 issues = $13.50 per issue. I don’t always sew from a new issue right away, but eventually I sew at least 3 garments per issue (or as many as 20+!). I average 6-8 garments, though, so being conservative that would be $13.50 / 6 = $2.25 per use. That’s close to what you’d spend on a pattern when the Big 3 are on sale. But not only are Ottobre designs more stylish, they are also better drafted (that means you’re much more likely to end up with a garment that actually fits the person intended). And once you’ve collected a year or so of Ottobre, those pattern sales will be a lot less tempting. (And yes, I do keep track of what I sew~as I finish a project, I note in the magazine, next to the directions, when I made it, what size, fabric, and any alterations made/needed.) I started out by ordering a back issue to see if I wanted to subscribe.

Do I need a serger? No. As with most sewing projects, the serger simplifies but isn’t necessary. The instructions generally explain how to finish your seams with or without a serger.

What is the best issue for my boy/girl/baby/toddler/etc? Ummm. . .all of them? No, I don’t have all of the back issues~just most (I missed out on 2001). Honestly, this is really a matter of personal preference: what do you want to sew? Off the top of my head, my most used issues are: knit tops for twirly girl~1/2003; knit tops for me~2/2007; hoodies for the lost boys and knit pants for me~3/2003. For other garments (dresses, pants, dress shirts, etc), I don’t necessarily have a favorite issue. This is where Ottobre’s website really shines. At the bottom of the home page, see all those pictures of magazine covers? Click on one and a new window opens where you can browse the whole magazine (minus patterns/instructions) online. There is also a pdf file with line drawings for each design, complete with size range available. I actually print these up so that when I want, for example, a pattern for overalls in size 80, I can quickly see which issues have a pattern I might want to use.

I’m new to sewing, can I use Ottobre too? How new is new? If you’ve never sewn before, I highly recommend finding a Kwik Sew pattern for your first project. If you’ve got a few projects under your belt and a basic sewing reference on hand, you might be ready for Ottobre. The patterns themselves are not necessarily complicated, but the directions do assume some sewing knowledge and generally do not include illustrations. Also, the fact that they are a translation (not originally written in English) makes them hard to follow at times. If you ever get stuck on an Ottobre project though, head over to the ottobre-english list on Yahoo; you’ll almost always find someone there who’s already figured out the answer to your question. Another thing that puts off really new seamstresses is that not only do you need to trace the patterns, but the pattern sheets are decidedly unlike anything I’ve ever seen before.

(added 7/17) How much fabric do I need to buy? Ahem. I’m not sure I can answer that one without invoking the wrath of husbands everywhere. I live in the boonies, so most of my fabric shopping is done online (or on vacation). Therefore, my method involves buying yardage based on what type(s) of garments I think I might end up making. Once upon a time, I had notes in my purse of average yardages for the kinds of things I sew most often. Now I generally wing it. Anyhow, the point is, when I’m ready to sew, I head to my stash and see what I have that might work for what I’m wanting to make. . .or, just as likely, I pull fabrics from stash and then find patterns to use. But what if you’re wanting to purchase fabric for a specific pattern? Ottobre gives yardages (and fabric widths) in centimeters, of course. Yardage is usually listed out in a range such as 75-75-80-80-80-85; the number of yardage amounts corresponding to the number of sizes for the design in question. After I find the yardage for the size I’m making, I roughly convert cm to inches using the conversion chart on the same page as their size chart in inches (included in the magazine as well as available online). You can do the same thing with the width, though these aren’t exactly the same as US standard fabric widths. . .but in general, a pattern for knits calls for a wider fabric width than a pattern for wovens, as is the case here in the States. Unless you like to run out of fabric, round up a bit and you should be fine. A bit more confusing measurement issue is when a pattern calls for 60. . .95 cm 10mm elastic. In that case you’ll want to look at where the size you’re making falls in the range for that design: for the smallest size use 60cm, for the largest use 95cm, middle size use about 77cm, and so forth. You can convert to inches or use the cm side of a measuring tape; and by the way, 10mm is 3/8″.

I hope this helps someone decide whether or not to take the plunge and subscribe! If you think of a question I missed, feel free to post under comments and I will update this post to include it.

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