Thursday, March 24, 2016

Done them all! (again)

I can now officially say that not only do have all of the Oliver + S patterns but I have also made at least one view of every pattern, including the free ones.
Phew!
I'm caught up once again after a year sewing hiatus.

So here goes......

First up is the Carousel Dress.


I really like the details in the dress, especially the pockets.

Since Miss C suits an A-line style dress therefore I made View B for her, size 7 and used a very dark navy chambray.
I told her to look serious and she didn't fail with the expression :)

The dress went together rather quickly, easily and the instructions were clear.
I'd like to make this dress again if her mum wants me to.




I also like that this dress calls for topstitching details so I used green thread throughout.


Next up is the Hide and Seek Tunic/Dress pattern.


Since Miss C wears a lot of tunic tops, it was a no brainer to make the tunic version, View B with View A sleeves.


Again, the pattern went together quickly, easily and with a good result.
I made size 7 and used brushed cotton for the bodice and sleeves and a cotton twill for the bib section.  
I am thinking about using the same cotton twill to make skinny jeans to match. All in good time.




Then I made the Butterfly Blouse and Top.


I am more than please with the results of this pattern.
The skirt went together in a flash. I used kelly green linen. Size 7.
For the peplum blouse, I used a lace cotton and lined it with batiste.

She had navy shoes and a navy hair bow to wear with this outfit but the pink shoes, bow and bangles were handy and they work too.


The last item I made for her before making something for her brother, was the pattern called
Lunchbox Tee and Culottes.


The knit top went together quickly but in hindsight, should have used a heavier weight knit. I used a lighter weight ponte de roma but found more stabilizer was needed to keep the pockets from sagging.
The Tee is size 7 and it's at bit snug.



The culottes on the other hand were a complete fail.  I went by the size chart and made her a size 8. They were huge. I even cut off 3 inches from the hem.
I won't bother making the culottes until she's older. Right now, she isn't interested in that style.


Moving on to the last pattern, Parachute Polo and Sweatpants, I made something for Mr. A.


He is 4 years old and usually wears size 5 RTW, therefore I made size 5 and between me taking his measurements and making the shirt, he grew!




The buttons need to be added to this shirt but he was a willing model to I seized the moment to get a photo.

The lighting in my sewing area is not very good at all. The black collar and placket proved to be a daunting task given poor lighting and I'm not at all happy with the outcome.
Talk about using the force while sewing blind!


I want to make this shirt again however next time, make the sleeves a little longer and use a lighter coloured collar ..... or stadium lighting if I go with black again.

So there we have it. At least one view of all the patterns (including the free ones) from Oliver + S.
Done and done!


Sunday, March 20, 2016

Fairy Tale Dress

A few days ago I got a request for a few dresses to wear for special occasions.  So I quickly whipped up a Fairy Tale Dress using a pretty blue Liberty print.


But as soon as the dress was finished, it was whisked away even before I got a chance to remove the blue markings for the zipper and double check for stray threads!

Needless to say, I didn't get any photos of the dress on the hanger let alone on the wearer.
So in my best whining voice, I asked for some photos and this is what was sent to my Blackberry.

This one is blurry.


Nice shot of the oak doors.
Oh, am I whining?



Well, at least you can't see the blue wash-out pen marks around the zipper that would be more than visible in a regular photo.
As for stray threads ..... who knows?


No matter. I do appreciate that our model co-operated despite being exposed to chilly morning air and her mom (my daughter) didn't forget to send me photos.

The bottom line is you can't go wrong with a Fairy Tale dress. It's easy to make, looks good and it fits like a glove.

However it's too bad you can't see the tucked hem on the dress. The machine tucked hem saved time instead of hand sewing so I could get the dress done quickly and sent off to wearer tout suite. Hence no photos and my whining.

Size 8.