Ottobre Magazine… is it good?

I have been awake since 4am again and rather than lie and bed and watch the clock, I am up and browsing the web. It’s a very peaceful time of day – no traffic, no noise in the house… just guilt-free browsing.
This morning I discovered Ottobre Design Magazine. It appears to be a beautiful sewing pattern magazine from Finland — which comes in both seasonal Women’s issues and Kids’ issues. Personally I am not so interested in the women’s line but the kids stuff looks great with a mixture of styles from street to classic – and lots of very nice layouts. Has anyone bought this magazine before? I would love to know if it’s worth the purchase price (in both ease of use and quality of design) before going to the trouble of ordering it from Finland.

They have some free printables on the website too which I have been madly printing off.

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30 Responses

  1. lahtjaa@luukku.com says:

    Ottobre is simply the best sewing pattern magazine 🙂 I’ve almost all the Finnish issues and I love them all. I used to buy German Burda magazines as well as some Dutch magazines, but they haven’t been as good as these. The chief editor, Ms. Tuula Hepola is a professional clothes designer and a mother of four. She used to have a tiny little atelier at the basement of her house some 15 years ago. She sold the kids clothes there and at craft fairs. Started her business in a very small scale, but since then it has grown substantially. Would like to compare to some of you craftsters selling your staff at the etsy 🙂 The shop is a bit bigger now but still cozy. Her kids used to model for the magazines, but now they are too old for that. I live here in this same small town of Oulu in northern Finland (200 km to the Arctic Circle) as she, so I feel myself priviledged when it comes to Ottobre Designs.

  2. I have a subscription and Love it! Easy to follow, patterns come together easily and fit well and the details make them very stylish. No probs. getting them sent to Oz. Past issues have had smaller sizes.

  3. justine_duggan@yahoo.com.au says:

    love Ottobre! here’s a link to buy from an Aussie based site. When i ordered mine it came all the way from Finland in only a week!http://www.craftymamas.net/shop/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=66&zenid=1591e06f9e99c8245fcc184f71dfeb1a

  4. Ms. Claire, you have got to stop posting fabulous things like this on your blog before I go broke! 😉
    I just ordered my subscription and can’t wait to see it! Hope it ships quickly!

    Any sign of babies yet? I keep checking!

  5. Thanks for the link. Their printable stuff looks great.

  6. hi clairei have their current issue (size 62cm-170cm, so nothing for babies under 4 months of age)and i am impressed with the magazine. the instructions are clear and guide you through the process step by step. the actual patterns are on two pattern sheets, the lines for the individual models are in different colours so it’s easy to see where you are supposed to trace. if you want to see all the models in the magazine drop me a line and i can send you some photos.
    hope all is well, been reading your blog a while now and thoroughly enjoy it 🙂 all the best for the next wee while, and don’t believe the 666 hype 😉 xx barbara

  7. I haven’t heard about it before, but the magazine looks like a real find! If you figure out how to order it from Finland, please share how to get it 🙂 I’m off to check it out.

  8. i have never used it myselt but have been wanting to get my hands on it for ages. alot of the ladies in a yahoo group i’m in get it and rave about it. meant to be pretty easy to follow and the reults are great. they manage to find it in the newsagent (in Australia) but I never have. I really should just get it from the website.

  9. I’ve never bought it, but I often see it in Canada on the newstands. Gorgeous stuff and looks good for patterns and instructions. I’ve sometimes seen these packaged two at a time, no doubt the nlocal distro trying to offload old copies. If I see any around, I’ll let you know.

  10. I ordered from the website, very easy and great customer service. I haven’t made anything yet, but it does not look hard, and the patterns are very cute. If you make a few things from the magazine – probably cheaper than buying patterns – that’s my justification for having a subscription anyway;).

  11. People rave about it on Pattern Review (http://www.patternreview.com) and there are lots of reviews there of specific patterns people have made. Try http://sewing.patternreview.com/cgi-bin/search.pl?CompanyID=84&search=Search

  12. I have bought it twice before in Sydney at newsagents ($16.60AUS) but don’t seem to see it regularly. (It might be quarterly?) I have not used the patterns yet but I agree, it is a beautiful magazine and I am always on the lookout for it.

  13. I subscribed for one year, but am ashamed to say that I never made anything from it. That was before I discovered craft blogs and started crafting heavy duty again, so I am thinking of dragging out my old copies and checking out the patterns. I have heard they are great. The clothes look more stylish than typical American patterns. Not sure what you have available in Australia.

  14. I have nearly all the English Language issues. I love it!! It takes some time to get accustomed to the layout of the patterns for tracing and to the directions having no illustrations…but it’s totally worth it. The sizes are accurate and all the added details–even simply topstitching–make the outfits look much more RTW. 🙂
    Totally worth checking it out.

    Jeni

  15. OHHHHH I LOVE THE PATTERNS!! I completely understand the wake up pregnant feeling…Now that my tinyone is 1 and a half I get to sleep all night…on my tummy……ahhhhhh

  16. Ta for the link. This looks like the most incredible site. It may further fuel my sewing frenzy. I can put off communicating with the rest of the world for a little longer and just live in the Land of Sew, where it sews all the time.Mia

  17. What a great find. sorry you were up at 4am but at least you found a great site. Thanks so much for sharing!

  18. I have seen it locally so you may not need to order it from overseas. I am thinking of you and hope you are feeling well in your last week of pregnancy!

  19. I am pregnant and up at 4 a.m., too. What’s with that?

  20. hi Claire – I have been a subscriber for about 3 years now and even bought the back issues.
    It is a FANTASTIC magazine – the photo shoots are simply gorgeous and the patterns go together really well. You can order online and they come really fast.

    They have very cute baby stuff, and cool stuff right up to about 14 years old, and their new women’s mag is great!

    Jen
    (a satisfied customer!)

    ps have a beautiful birth 🙂

  21. I love Ottobre patterns! Everything I’ve made from there has turned out beautifully – they go together so easily. The only con – the instructions are minimal. I especially love that the patterns are sized by height and weight. I can so easily make funky things that fit skinny, tall little girls.

  22. It’s fantastic, Claire, and I wouldn’t use any other patterns for kid’s clothes after using these. I order my copies straight off the website, and their service is fabulous. A big 5 stars from me!

  23. Hiya Claire! My goodness Amelia is growing UP! And you have another bean on the way! lucky you! I am thrilled for you! Been a while since I was here and lookit! You are famous woman! LOL I have been reading you for years…to think I ‘knew’ you back then! LOLOL Have a great day! iwill be praying for a safe delivery…not on 6.6.06! *snort*

  24. Ooooh, thank you for the link! The dog and cat purses look too cute … may have to make them for some little friends of ours. 🙂

  25. How is your 6.6.06 day going? Mine is hell-a-shish if I do say so myself.Have a great one though if you can!

  26. As a Finnish woman abroad, it warms my cockles (that would be an English saying) to see something Finnish sneak out and make an impression. 😉
    I am going there in July; will have to keep an eye out for that magazine.

  27. Hi ClaireIt’s not long now! (Although if you end up being overdue, the days might drag on forever. I was overdue three times, and if it happens to you, hang in there and find lots of distractions.) Thinking of you.

  28. oooh! are you off having a baby?

  29. I’ve been thinking of you all day.
    I hope everything is going well. The last time I woke up that early for no reason, I went into labour that afternoon…

  30. It is a great magazine. I have been subscribing for a few years now. I make most of my 2 daughters’ clothing from it – they are aged 6 and 9. I wish I had discovered it a lot earlier. I don’t believe it is available anymore at the newsagents here in Australia for some reason. There is a forum (in English) that you can get help and see photos at Yahoo.