I've wanted to get my hands on an Ottobre magazine for a while now, but Anna Maria's suggestion that I might find some cute boy patterns in there finally made me take action. My copy recently arrived all the way from Finland, and I didn't waste any time before delving in.

Please pardon the lack of Finnian's face in these shots. I made this in a size up, anticipating Fall/Winter wear. Being a little on the big side wouldn't have deterred me, though. The truth is, there's no way I could have dressed him in this when the heat index is in triple digits. Ugh. It's diaper-only weather here (still). I seem to have decided to sew winter clothing to keep my mind looking forward to cool breezes.

The hooded vest is fully lined in a soft knit, and the outer fabric is a cotton velour. The tee shirt is made from pure cotton knit. It's oh so soft and touchable - perfect for comfy toddler wear.

The velour vest is, quite possibly, one of my favorite sewn items to date. I just love how it turned out, and it really seems to prove that there are cute boy clothes out there, and that they can be sewn. FYI, you don't need a serger to make either of these pieces. Just follow some of my basic tips for sewing with knits here.

Ottobre has such a wealth of patterns in each issue, ranging from infant wear to teens. And, they offer just as many boy patterns as girl pattern. Sweet. Where else is that the case?

Here's the combo I made, found in the Spring 2010 issue.

You can order the magazine in English, and you get a lot of bang for your buck - this issue contains 39 patterns.

It comes with several pattern sheets, so you'll obviously have to have some Swedish tracing paper on hand to trace your pattern pieces. A word about the instructions - you have to know what you're doing in order to successfully sew from an Ottobre magazine. It might be tough going for visual learners or beginners, because none of the steps offer diagrams. You need to be advanced enough to "see" how to put a garment together without relying on diagrams.

I'll be sewing many more designs from Ottobre. I feel like I've hit a goldmine!

Have a great weekend - I'll be back on Monday with a list of my go-to retailers for buying quality knit fabrics.