Ottobre Design Fall 2019 Favorites
It's that time of the year: fall issues of my favorite magazines are starting to pop up. Just like with knitting patterns and magazines, I think the fall ones are always the most inspiring. But this year the Fall 2019 issue of the Ottobre Design Woman sewing magazine was a bit of a mixed bag: a couple of hits, a couple of misses, and the rest somewhere in between.
Let's start with the hits. The design on the cover is on the cover for a reason: this turmeric yellow color is so eye catching! The Stripes and Cables knit dress comes with two length options (tunic or ankle length) and two sleeve options (short sleeve or 3/4 length). Funnily enough my absolute favorite piece, shown left in the above picture, is hidden as a tiny photo on the inside cover and it's not even included in the preview images on the Ottobre website. This tunic-length version sewn in a stripy jersey is something I love to wear and to make: simple, understated, comfortable. I'm not entirely convinced about the mock turtle neck, though.
My second favorites are the Digital Roses and Muse dresses. The Digital Roses one is a faux wrap dress with an interesting draping/gathering on one side. The Muse is a variation of the same pattern: same wrap bodice but no draping this time. It also comes with flutter sleeves and sash tied at the waist.
What I like about the way Ottobre designs patterns for any particular issue is that they often use a basic block pattern and then offer variations of it. In this instance the pattern pieces for these two dresses are interchangeable so if I like the simple silhouette of the Muse better (which I do), I could sew it with the full-length sleeves from Digital Roses.
The same is true with this next pair of patterns. The Floral Dreams blouse and the Wild Flowers dress are based on the same block. The dress is obviously longer and comes with pockets – yay! Both feature the same bracelet-length sleeves gathered with ties. And I adore both prints they used for the samples.
Then come the misses... The Asian Birds blouse is kind of pretty but I guess I'm mostly drawn to the print. There's just so much going on with this top: tassels, piping, the slit neckline. And massive statement sleeves with two-tiered flounces. A definite NOPE from me.
I've been looking for a wool coat pattern for a while but sadly this is not it. I was ready to diss on the Organic Fur coat pattern for the use of micro-plastic shedding synthetics. But this is actually made with organic cotton teddy so that's one point for Ottobre. But I'm not fan of the shape(lessness) and the plushy material makes it all look too much like a bathrobe.
This last one I don't know whether to laugh or cry about. Maybe little bit of both? The biggest miss of the issue for me was this seventies-tastic zebra print flare-legged pant suit. Those words shouldn't even be used in the same sentence! :D All the details and cut lines get lost in this busy fabric and the wild wallpaper as a backdrop doesn't do it any justice either. The line drawing for the coat doesn't actually look half bad; it's very on point with the ongoing work jacket trend. But the long, slightly A-lined body paired with an upturned mandarin collar is just too outdated.
There are a few more designs in the issue, including classic high-waist five-pocket jeans that might just make me want to try sewing my own jeans. You can see photos and line drawings of all the patterns on the video above or on the Ottobre Design website.
Pin this post!
