Shorts and Tops from Ottobre Woman 2/2015

Can you believe it's the last day of March?  It's finally a balmy 63 degrees here in Illinois- shorts weather!   I was on Spring Break last week, and made my first pair of shorts this year and a couple of new knit tops from the latest Ottobre Woman pattern magazine.  Here are the garments from the magazine:

 And here are my versions:

 

 I started with design #19, the Due Tone Long Sleeve Jersey top.  The fabric is a rayon/lycra striped jersey in lime and off white that I bought from Hancock Fabrics in their value fabrics section.  It's very soft and silky, and I love the wide stripe.  I've gotten some good deals from that section lately.  I think this was about $4/yd and this design takes 1-1/2 yards, so I spent about $6 for the fabric.

I interfaced the pocket and used double needle stitching to finish the wide hem and neckband.  I think it turned out pretty nice!

Next up was #17, the Faded Stripes Jersey Top.   This top has a separate shoulder yoke and uses ribbing to bind the neck and armholes.  This is a 100% cotton jersey that I've had in my stash for a few years.  Luckily, we had a coordinating ribbing at SewBaby that just blends in perfectly.

My favorite of this bunch of items is #18, Gym and Sport Sweat Shorts.  These have a lot of details, but because of the raw edge construction, they aren't too difficult.  I used a super soft sherpa knit, with white ribbing, both from SewBaby.  I added 3 inches to the length, as the original design is super short.  I used a very lightweight interfacing to interface both the front and the back pockets.  I knew that would make them easier to sew in place.  The raw edges are topstitched with a double needle, and I'm sure that after they are washed, they will roll a little so you'll be able to see the fleecy side of the fabric.

The waistband has two small grommets for threading the tie made from the ribbing.  You run a line of stitching halfway up the waistband to make a smaller casing for the tie to go through.
I left the edges unfinished on the hem and the pockets, running a double needle stitching line near the edge of both.  You really would not believe how comfortable these are!   Here's a photo of the inside, so you can see the sherpa texture there.

Here they are on me.  I thought that my legs would be the same shade of white as the shorts, but I can see a difference in the photos!  These have a real retro feel to them that I like.  With all of the new slick techno fabrics available, you hardly ever see a pair of soft fleecy shorts in the stores.  They are probably not the best for real exercising because they won't wick away moisture, but they will be fine for lounging around and leisurely walks.

We sold out of the first shipment of this Ottobre issue, but expect our new issue any day now, if you'd like to preorder a copy.   I love this issue!  I posted a couple of weeks ago about the first few items that I made from it here.  These shirts will work with the skirt and linen pants that I made from that group as well.

Do you ever sew your own shorts?  If you do, what patterns have you liked?

Happy Sewing!

Ann