I totally made another Ottobre shirt!

I have previously made a shirt from the 1/2015 issue of Ottobre magazine, see here.  I made another for my own toddler.

"I want to see [myself] doing cheesing!" - Toddler

The fabric is a nasty cheap polycotton from St Ives bank-holiday market.  I was so disillusioned with it's cheapness that I couldn't be bothered to pattern-match.  I also ended up using thread that was too light in colour because I lost my matching spool somewhere on my messy sewing table.  It turned up just as I finished the shirt, so it got used for the buttonholes only.  Oh well...

I got in a big pickle with the plackets last time and ended up drafting my own.  Time and reflection are a wonderful thing, and I totally understand them now!  I nailed it!  The key phrases that I wish were in the instructions are:  narrow right placket to be applied like an edge binding, and left placket to be applied to the front a bit like an appliqué strip.  And yes, you do need a seam allowance on the opening edge.

I also nailed the hem this time around.  I clipped the curves before overlocking the edge, then turned it under once and top-stitched.  That works!

I re-used six super red buttons from one of my mother-in-law's shirts.  Even omitting the collar buttons, I still didn't have enough matching buttons.  I used two of the six matching buttons on the cuffs and the remaining four down the front.  The lowest button on the front matches in style and size, but is blue instead (turns out my mother-in-law had two identical shirts in different colours).  Finally, the buttons on the collar-stand and pocket are the same red but completely different styles picked from my button jar.  You totally don't see the collar-stand button that much anyway.  Toddler is fascinated with the non-matching blue button: I caught him showing it to his father and then his brother.

I made the 98cm size again (approx 3 years old size), and it fits my tall slim 2 1/2 year old like a glove, which means it won't last long.  (He's just gone into UK age 3-4 clothes.)  I will not make this size for him again: time to trace out the next size up.

The fit of the shirt is amazing, absolutely perfect for my boys.  The outlay on the magazine is totally worth it just for this pattern.  I am already planning shirts number 3, 4 and 5!  Next I am going to make the trousers in the same image.  I scored some purple twill for £2/m from the St Ives market, it's going to be EPIC.