And the winners are...

We would like to thank everybody of all those lovely comments and wishes. We promise to do our best also in year 2010.

We printed all the comments, wrapped them into paper rolls with a giant Prym knitting needle, cut them in pieces and mixed them well. Our little helper Peppi inspected that the draw was fair and reliable.



And here are the lucky winners of OTTOBRE design 2010 calendars:

1. Mermaids, December 24.
2. Lüttjepööks, December 25.
3. Maarit, December 25.
4. Anonymous (kristi (ejpierce...), December 28.
5. Naptime Seamstress, December 24.
6. IneS, December 25.
7. Delben, December 29.
8. Julia, December 27.
9. Anne--Chri, December 25.
10. RG, December 24.

Congratulations!

Winners, please contact us by email and let us know your name, address etc. Please inform us also which do you prefer: the Finnish/Swedish or the English edition of the calendar.

ottobredesign at gmail dot com


Happy New Year to every Ottobre fan!

Ottobre staff

A little holiday greeting and calendar giveaways!

Just in time before New year we giving away ten lovely OTTOBRE design® 2010 -calendars. To be in to win simply leave a comment in today's post. We'll close comments and announce the winners by December 31.



Wishing you all Good Luck and Lovely Holidays!

***You find the winners in December 31. post.***

OTTOBRE design® kids fashion 6/2009

OTTOBRE design® kids fashion Winter issue 6/2009 will be published October 23, 2009.



Including:

WINTER ADVENTURE
A cute collection for babies’ winter adventure. Lined pants, a furry-knit vest, a warm jacket, a winter bodysuit, T-shirts and a retro romper.
Sizes 56/62-92 cm

HAPPY SNOW
Children have great fun playing out of doors after a snowfall. Three tunics, a skirt and two different pairs of pants plus various coats for girls. A quilted bodywarmer, outdoor pants and a warm sweat jacket for boys.
Sizes 86-158 cm

NIGHT OWLS
Pajamas and nightdresses for very young and slightly older night owls. The little children’s striped jersey pajamas are pepped up with appliqués. Schoolchildren will be delighted by pajamas with a reindeer appliqué, a feminine nightdress and a camisole and pants set.
Sizes 92-128 cm and 134-170 cm

SPECIAL DAYS
A fabulous collection for festive occasions in the holiday season. A dress, a skirt, a pinafore dress, a blazer, a wool-knit jacket and a jersey blouse for girls. Dress shirts, dress pants and a jacket for young gentlemen.
Sizes 92-128 cm and 128-170 cm

Night Dress Modification

The lovely night dress is sewn by modifying the pattern for design no. 1 (Bloom Print Top) in issue 5/2009 of OTTOBRE design®.

OTTOBRE knits - Baby Beanie and Mittens

OTTOBRE design® 4/2009 (page 2).



Baby beanie and mittens for a baby aged 8-12 months.

MATERIALS
- 80 g self-striping BFL wool yarn (100 g/225 m) (http://www.handu.fi/)
- set of double-pointed knitting needles (5 needles), size 3-4 mm
- darning needle for finishing ends
- cardboard for making pom-pom

GAUGE:
10 cm = 24 sts and 34 rows

BEANIE INSTRUCTIONS

Cast on 96 stitches and divide them equally between four needles. The beanie is knitted in the round.

Rounds 1-11: *Knit 2, purl 2*. Repeat from * to * around.
Rounds 12-31: Knit stockinette stitch.

Decrease as follows:
Round 32: *Knit 14, knit 2 together*. Repeat from * to * around.
Rounds 33-34: Knit stockinette stitch.
Round 35: *Knit 13, knit 2 together*. Repeat from * to * around.
Rounds 36-37: Knit stockinette stitch.
Round 38: *Knit 12, knit 2 together*. Repeat from * to * around.
Rounds 39-40: Knit stockinette stitch.
Round 41: *Knit 11, knit 2 together*. Repeat from * to * around.
Round 42: Knit stockinette stitch.
Round 43: *Knit 10, knit 2 together*. Repeat from * to * around.
Round 44: Knit stockinette stitch.
Round 45: *Knit 9, knit 2 together*. Repeat from * to * around.
Round 46: Knit stockinette stitch.
Round 47: *Knit 8, knit 2 together*. Repeat from * to * around.
Round 48: *Knit 7, knit 2 together*. Repeat from * to * around.
Round 49: *Knit 6, knit 2 together*. Repeat from * to * around.
Round 50: *Knit 5, knit 2 together*. Repeat from * to * around.
Round 51: *Knit 4, knit 2 together*. Repeat from * to * around.
Round 52: *Knit 3, knit 2 together*. Repeat from * to * around.
Round 53: *Knit 2, knit 2 together*. Repeat from * to * around.
Round 54: *Knit 1, knit 2 together*. Repeat from * to * around.
Round 55: *Knit 2 together*. Repeat from * to * around.

Finishing: Cut yarn, leaving approx. 25 cm long end for fastening off. Pull yarn through remaining 6 stitches. Weave in all yarn ends on wrong side.

Pom-pom: Cut two circles of cardboard, both 8 cm in diameter, and cut a hole, 2 cm in diameter, in the center of each circle. Slash the edge of each circle. Place the circles together, aligning the slashes. Wind yarn around the outside of the circle and through the center hole until the hole is almost filled with yarn. Cut through the loops of yarn around the outside of the circle, holding the pom-pom tight. Insert a 55 cm long double strand of yarn between the circles, loop it around the center and tighten it slightly. Remove the cardboard circles, tighten the yarn and tie the ends in a knot. Shape and trim the pom-pom and attach it to the top of the beanie with the yarn ends. Weave in the yarn ends on the wrong side.




MITTENS INSTRUCTIONS

Cast on 28 stitches and divide them equally between four needles. The mittens are knitted in the round.

Right mitten: Rounds 1-15: *Knit 2, purl 2*. Repeat from * to * around.
Rounds 16-23: Knit stockinette stitch. Mark the thumb opening with a piece of scrap yarn (25 cm piece of contrasting yarn) as follows:
Round 24: Knit 6 with marker yarn. Transfer the 6 stitches worked with the marker yarn from the right needle back onto the left needle. Knit stockinette stitch with the working yarn to the end of the round.

Rounds 25-38: Knit stockinette stitch. Decrease to shape the tip of the mitten as follows: Round 39: *At the beginning of needles 1 and 3, first knit 1 and then slip 1, knit 1 and pass the slipped stitch over (skp). At the end of needles 2 and 4, knit the third and second last stitches together*. Repeat from * to * until there are 4 sts left.

Thumb: Remove the marker yarn. Place the live stitches onto two needles and pick up 1-2 stitches at the sides of the thumb opening to make a total of 14 sts. Divide the stitches equally between two needles.

Rounds 1-9: Knit stockinette stitch. Decrease to shape the tip of the thumb as follows: Round 10: *At the beginning of each needle, first knit 1 and then slip 1, knit 1 and pass the slipped stitch over (skp). At the end of each needle, knit the third and second last stitches together*. Repeat from * to * until there are 4 sts left.

Finishing: Cut yarn, leaving approx. 25 cm long end for fastening off. Pull yarn through remaining 4 stitches. Weave in all yarn ends on wrong side.

Left mitten: Knit the left mitten in the same way as the right mitten but mark the thumb opening with scrap yarn at the end of needle 2 (instead of the beginning of needle 1 as on the right mitten).

Fabulous Fall - OTTOBRE design® woman 5/2009

OTTOBRE design® woman Autumn/Winter issue 5/2009 will be published August 28, 2009.



Including:

FABULOUS FALL
Our warm autumn and winter collection includes wonderful wool coats, tunics, tops, pants and a skirt – all items that are perfect for layering. Earthy tones, tweed, wool jersey and boiled wool. Sizes 34–52

OLD-SCHOOL GLAMOUR
The festive season is full of sparkling luster, swinging hemlines and lovely details. A special-occasion top, a ballooned satin skirt and a beautiful jacket. Sizes 34–46

WONDERFUL WOOL
Whether purple or grey, fantastic wool knits are equally charming. Every woman’s favorite cardigans, dresses, pinafore dresses, a classic shirt blouse and a gorgeous wool scarf. Sizes 34–52

INTIMATES AND SPORTY BASICS
Beautiful underwear for women of all sizes: a camisole in retro-print knit and panties in two basic styles. A soft-shell jacket and casual outdoor pants for active women. Sizes 34–52

OTTOBRE knits - Rib Knit Beanie

OTTOBRE design® 4/2009 (page 64)



MATERIALS
- 100 g rose-pink merino wool yarn; for the sample beanie, Katia Merino Baby 100% extra-fine merinowool (50g = 165 m) is used
- set of double-pointed knitting needles (5 needles) or 40 cm circular needle, size 3 mm (metric) or no. 4 (US)
- darning needle for finishing ends
- cardboard for making pom-pom

ABOUT DESIGN
The unstretched circumference of the beanie is approx. 40 cm. Since the beanie is knitted in a rib pattern, it is very stretchy and fits head circumferences from 50 cm to 58 cm.

INSTRUCTIONS
Cast on 160 stitches and divide them equally between four needles. The beanie is knitted in the round.

Round 1: *Knit 2, purl 2*. Repeat from * to * around.
Repeat round 1 until the height of the beanie is approx. 25 cm. Decrease as follows:
Round 1: *Knit 2, purl 2 together*. Repeat from * to * around.
Rounds 2-6: *Knit 2, purl 1*. Repeat from * to * around.
Round 7: *Knit 2 together, purl 1*. Repeat from * to * around.
Rounds 8-10: *Knit 1, purl 1*. Repeat from * to * around.
Rounds 11-12: *Knit 2 together*. Repeat from * to * around.

Finishing: Cut yarn, leaving approx. 25 cm long end for fastening off. Pull yarn through remaining 20 stitches. Weave in all yarn ends on wrong side.

Pom-pom: Cut two circles of cardboard, both 8 cm in diameter, and cut a hole, 2 cm in diameter, in the center of each circle. Slash the edge of each circle. Place the circles together, aligning the slashes. Wind yarn around the outside of the circle and through the center hole until the hole is almost filled with yarn. Cut through the loops of yarn around the outside of the circle, holding the pom-pom tight. Insert a 55 cm long double strand of yarn between the circles, loop it around the center and tighten it slightly. Remove the cardboard circles, tighten the yarn and tie the ends in a knot. Shape and trim the pom-pom and attach it to the top of the beanie with the yarn ends. Weave in the yarn ends on the wrong side.

How to give pants a worn look

Once you have completed the pants, you can give them a distressed-wash finish. Denim jeans will stand scrubbing well while corduroys will need a gentler treatment. Experiment on a scrap of fabric before starting.

Pin and stitch three or four tucks, a few millimeters deep, at the groins and the backs of the knees. Wash the pants and scrub them with a brush. Use a laundry detergent with bleach to give the pants a slightly faded appearance all over, which is vital for a genuine worn look.

You need to add “wear” to certain areas on the pants to make them look naturally worn. The knees, front pocket openings, zip fly, back pockets and leg bottoms are such key areas and you can rub them more firmly while washing the pants.

Remove the stitching after the pants have dried.





Pattern from OTTOBRE design 4/2009, design no. 39: Jeans in sizes 128-170 cm

OTTOBRE design® kids fashion Autumn 4/2009

OTTOBRE design® kids fashion Autumn issue 4/2009 will be published July 10, 2009.


The themes are:

RUSSIAN PEASANT
Rich Slavic colors and voluminous styles. Delicious clothing items for layering – both for boys and girls. Tunics, pinafore dresses, pants, a bodywarmer and three fabulous coats. A pinafore dress and a girl’s T-shirt also in plus sizes.
Sizes 86–158 cm



BABY DREAMS
A delicate vintage-style linen outfit and a soft, first outdoor coverall for a very young baby. Sweet hooded jackets, a little skirt and comfortable overalls for toddlers.
Sizes 50-74 cm and 62–92 cm



ENJOYABLE AUTUMN
Showy appliquéd and embroidered motifs appeal to schoolkids. Straightforward, practical outfits for daily wear: pinafore dresses plus T-shirts, knit jackets and pants for boys and girls.
Sizes 104–170 cm

A few more delightful designers

The fabrics that we use for the clothes featured in OTTOBRE magazines come from various suppliers. We have cooperated for a long time with Hilco, a German fabric wholesaler. Their collections include beautiful patterned fabrics as well as wonderful basic materials, such as fine cord, regular corduroy, poplin, and cotton and viscose jersey. Toptex is another German associate of ours. Their fabrics are especially suitable for our women’s clothes.



For our latest issue we also chose beautiful, soft cotton fabrics from the fabulous collection of the American designer Anna Maria Horner. Anna Maria designs fresh, innovative fabric lines for the “Free Spirit” collection of Westminster Fabrics. Fabrics in Anna Maria’s “Good Folks” collection can be ordered directly from her webshop – that’s what we did.



In conjunction with the publishing process of the latest issue we accidentally discovered two other talented American textile designers and are more than happy to introduce them to you. What happened was that bootleg versions of fabrics by these designers were distributed in Europe and, due to our ignorance, we picked them from the collections of a Finnish wholesaler and used them in some of our designs in the latest issue.

Our sharp-eyed readers did some detective work and noticed that the fabrics are copies. While the copyright issue is now being dealt with by the parties concerned, we take a clear, strong stand against illegal copying. From now on, we will also investigate the origin of the fabrics ever more thoroughly.

Textile and clothing designer Sandi Henderson designs fabrics for Michael Miller Fabrics Inc. and writes her amusing, down-to-earth blog. Genuine fabrics by Sandi’s are sold by Michael Miller Fabrics Inc. The authorized European distributors for the fabrics are also listed on Michael Miller’s website.



Textile designer and illustrator Amy Schimler designs fabrics for Robert Kaufman Fabrics Inc. You can take a look at Amy’s playful world here. Amy’s fabrics are cheerful with lovely childish motifs. They can be purchased at various online shops throughout the world. Amy’s latest collection can also be viewed on her blog.



On genuine American fabrics, the names of the designer and manufacturer are printed on the selvage. Notice also that American fabric widths differ from European ones, the most common width being 44’’ (approx. 112 cm). The fabric requirements in our magazine are based on the standard European fabric width of 145 cm. We have now calculated fabric requirements for the genuine original fabrics. You’ll find them here.

Illegal copying is shabby and nasty. We feel deeply ashamed on behalf of the offending Europeans! By choosing genuine designer fabrics you support the work of freelance designers and the right of individual designers to control the use of their work.

However, thanks to this wretched incident we made acquaintance with two talented, pleasant designers, and we are extremely delighted about that. We hope that in the future, we can continue our cooperation in happier circumstances. We entirely agree with the remark from one of our readers: “At least they are bootlegging good stuff!”

A couple of wonderful designers

While sewing patterns and instructions form the core content of the OTTOBRE magazine, we also try to make the layout and illustration as stimulating and captivating as possible. We hope that, in addition to adults, children also find the magazine interesting to browse through. Our family business has managed to build a network of talented, creative people from all over the world to cooperate with.

In the latest issues we have made use of two wonderful Scandinavian illustrators. Vibeke Høie comes from Norway and lives with her family in the small town of Sandnes. Vibeke illustrated the “Gardening with Friends” theme for issue 1/2009. You can take a look at her other works on her website. Our cooperation with Vibeke will continue.



Terese Bast, visual artist and mother, belongs to the Swedish-speaking minority in Finland. She and her family live in Jakobstad on the west coast of Finland. Terese created the lovely illustration for the baby theme in issue 3/2009. You’ll find more works by Terese here. You’ll also find charming postcards, prints and pins at Terese’s Etsy webshop.

OTTOBRE design® kids fashion Summer 3/2009

OTTOBRE design@ kids fashion Summer issue 3/2009 will be published April 29, 2009.



The themes are:

BABIES IN A PEA POD
Sweet summer outfits for babies. Intense colors borrowed from garden produce ripening in the sun: rhubarb, carrot and raspberry. A little jacket, tunics, a dress, a shirt, T-shirts, jeans and a sunhat.
Sizes 62–92 cm

VISITING GRANNY
Elegant special-occasion wear in vintage style for schoolchildren. Modernized sailor outfits for young children. Shirts, dresses, a skirt, shorts and a vest.
Sizes 62–170 cm

ZOO OR JUNGLE
A safari-themed collection dedicated to little boys. The clothes are pepped up with animal motifs, using new techniques. A jacket, T-shirts, a shirt, shorts, bermudas and pants.
Sizes 98–170 cm

TECHNICOLOR KIDS
Colorful outfits for the hottest days of the summer holiday: a T-shirt, a tunic, pants, dresses, sunwear and swimwear.
Sizes 92–170 cm



Technicolor kids: Design no. 18 Three-way dress made from printed cotton fabric. Sizes 92-146 cm.



Zoo or Jungle: Designs no. 23. "Bert shorts", 24. "Jungle" T-shirt and 25. "Windy" outdoor jacket. Sizes 98–134 cm.

Ottobre Hairstyling

A sneak peek at OTTOBRE Summer issue 3/2009

Fashion involves a lot more than just clothes and accessories. Hairstyling is can be great fun, and children too regard it as an important part of their overall appearance. Little girls love to play hairdressers, brushing each other’s hair and attaching hairpins and ribbons – just like in a real hair salon. Boys want to have a dab of gel on their hair to be able to twist it up in David Beckham style.







Lovely hair decorations for special occasions can be quickly and easily created from leftover dress fabric. We cut out butterflies and flowers from patterned fabric and ironed pieces of double-sided fusible web (Vlieseline® Vliesofix) onto their reverse side. After that we fused pieces cut from a more subdued area of the fabric to the reverse side. And then we just cut the shapes out along their outlines and attached them to the children’s hair with hairpins.

Dress and tablecloth fabric from Hilco’s summer 2009 collection.

And the winner is...

The winner is Denise H. from Germany.



Thank you to all of you who sent Pea Pod Purse pictures to the first draw on our blog! We will contact the winner by email and send this lovely product package.



The marvellous package includes printed cotton fabrics in six different styles, linen fabric to make a another Pea Pod Purse, printed B/W viscose jersey and the Creative Workshop 303 (Women's Best Tops) pattern to create your own tops, ribbons, buttons, thread and, last but not least, the loveliest suprise for every sewing lady: Prym's Boutique Box including a pair of scissors, a thimble, a needle threader, a tape measure, a seam ripper (although you hardly ever need it), pins, sewing needles and a tailor's chalk pencil.

Warmest congratulations from snowy Rovaniemi
OTTOBRE Team

P.S. More draws will follow!

Four days to go!

Our Pea Pod purse pattern has truly inspired your creativity! We have received wonderful pictures of your delicious, innovative and elegant purses. Some of the first entries are displayed here.

A marvelous product prize awaits the winner, and we look forward to receiving even more pictures. Remember that the prize will be drawn amongst all entries, so no need to feel shy of participating.

The prize will be drawn on March 30 at 14:00 Finnish time (see the clock) and the winner will be announced immediately after the draw on our website. You still have FOUR full days to enter!

Please post pictures of your purse to: ottobre (a) ottobre dot fi

Good luck for the draw!















Thank you Bettina, Petra, Gabriela and Ms. M. from Germany, Sara from France as well as Ruth and Kathy from USA.

Pea Pod Purse pattern is now online!

The fabulous spring-green Pea Pod linen purse featured in issue 2/2009 of OTTOBRE design® appears now on our website. You can print out the patterns and instructions for it free of charge. The tunic and pants in the picture were also featured in issue 2/2009.

MAKE YOUR OWN PURSE!
Make your own Pea Pod purse and post a picture of it to us. We will display the purses on our blog and those who posted pictures will be entered in a draw for a nice product prize. Be quick – the winner will be drawn on March 30.

Pink Linen Dress Modification

Sew a casual, unlined linen dress for the summer using a pattern that appeared in the OTTOBRE design® woman spring/summer issue! We borrowed the idea for it from a jersey dress in Jackpot’s spring collection.


Photo: http://www.jackpot.dk

The dress is sewn by modifying the pattern for design no. 15 in issue 2/2009 of OTTOBRE design®. Make the following alterations to the pattern:

1. Choose the correct pattern size and trace the pattern pieces from the pattern sheet following the instructions for design no. 15.
2. Leave the allowances for the shoulder darts on the back panel and for the neckline pleats on the front panel spread out to add width to the neckline.
3. Draw new necklines on the front and back panels.
4. Measure the length of the neckline and cut a 3 cm wide casing strip for the neckline on the bias.
5. Cut a 2.5 cm strip for a neckline drawstring.

Stitch a small buttonhole at the front neckline, placing it at the center-front mark and 2 cm down from the outer edge of the neckline seam allowance. Stitch the bias-cut strip to the neckline to form a drawstring casing. Fold the drawstring strip in half, turn the seam allowances in and stitch the edges together. Thread the drawstring into the casing. Trace the pattern for the pockets from the pattern for design no. 3A in issue 5/2008. Stitch the pockets to the dress following the instructions for the same design. Fabric: Hilco



FLOWER EDITION
The charming special-occasion dress that appeared in the spring/summer issue gets a totally different look when sewn from floral fabric. This dress is sewn from printed linen that is included in Hilco’s summer collection. The shoulders are accented by fan-like pleats. The dress needn’t necessarily be lined.

"Trendy Chic" dress and belt

The design no. 16 - Trendy Chic dress - from OTTOBRE design® Spring/Summer issue 2/2009.

"Golden" skirt

The design no. 10 - Golden skirt - from OTTOBRE design® Spring/Summer issue 2/2009.

The reason why...

The best ideas seem to pop up just after the magazine has been sent to print. Or else we cannot fit all the lovely pictures and designs on the pages of the printed magazine. We set up this Ottobre design® blog as a forum for the informal ideas of the editorial staff. We will also publish modified versions and further pictures of the designs here. Readers can also have a say – feel free to post your comment!

The OTTOBRE woman spring/summer issue 2/2009 was mailed to subscribers at the beginning of this week, so you should receive your copy in the next few days. Here are a few pictures of the designs in the latest issue.