Battle of the Joggers! ~ Burda vs. Ottobre

The other day I compared two Raglan T-shirt patterns; today I’m comparing two Jogger patterns.  What are joggers you ask?  Well, they are essentially tapered sweatpants or loose, knit type pants with tapered ankles.  All the “cool” kids seem to be wearing them and they look pretty darn comfortable so I thought I’d give them a try. 
Keep in mind that my “joggers” are to be worn as pajamas. 

First up is BurdaStyle 11/2012 #135


Size:  The pattern goes from a size 34 up to a 44; my hips are in the 48 size range so I knew I needed to grade up.  I measured the flat pattern meticulously to see how my measurements compared.   Because of this I used a size 42 for the front waist/hip grading to a 44 for the thighs and back to a 42 on down.  For the back piece I used size 48 for the hip, grading to a 42 for the thigh on down.  I had to take 4 inches out of the center back seam for my sway back, yikes! 



Instructions: I didn’t read them.  Sorry, Burda instructions are horrible and I knew how to put the pants together.  I omitted the pockets on these at the last minute because I wanted to be able to adjust the fit as I sewed.  I didn’t like the huge bottom cuff on the original pattern (It was 7” high after folding over!) so I added 5” to the leg inseam and reduced the cuffs by this same amount.



Fabric: 1.5 yards Navy Blue Cotton Lycra knit.  Purchased June 2015 for $7.88 from fashionfabricsclub



Thoughts: I’m not loving these.  They are really baggy in the front and also in the back waist.  They aren’t very cute looking at all.  The cuffs were super tiny and the legs not so much so I had to really stretch to get them on.  The waistband is yoga style and I had to take 1” off each side just so the pants wouldn’t fall down.  I already attached the waistband because I was fed up and “over” these so I couldn’t adjust the bagginess.  They will work for PJ’s but if I make this pattern again I need to seriously size down the front and also bring the back down a size.

I'm only showing you this embarrassing photo of my bubble butt so you have an idea of the fitting challenges associated with it's size. 

Next up are Ottobre 05/2011 #5 ~ Loungers Sweatpants


Size: This pattern goes from size 34 all the way up to 52.  (Yay for Ottobre sizing).  I measured this flat pattern too and settled on size 42 for the front and 42 for the back.  However, I added 1” in the back hip and 1” for a Full Butt Adjustment.  I had to take out 4 inches of the center back seam for these too because of that swayback.  I also had  to shorten the inseam by 3 inches because these were super long! 



Instructions: Straight and to the point.  Typical of Ottobre. 
Fabric: 1.5 yards White/Black Lace Print; cotton lycra knit. Purchased for $7.88 from fashionfabricsclub in November 2015. 



Thoughts: I’m loving these.  They are super comfortable.  The print is fun for pajamas.  The pockets are sewn down onto the front piece so they aren’t flopping around.  I omitted the drawstring for comfort purposes.  The pants are a bit baggy overall;  If I make them again I will have to size this pattern down by one size.  My wild print makes it hard to see the details, sorry. I can assure you I feel like a rock star wearing this around the house!



For me the winner is the Ottobre joggers. 

• They are super comfortable
• The pockets are stitched down so no flopping
• There is a wide range of sizes offered

I’ll stick with that pattern and put the Burda back into the filing cabinet.

Miss K had to join me for the pajama party