Placket Pride!

I've made the Oliver + S Jump Rope dress pattern before (view A) but have seen a lot of really cool view B's in the Flickr pool as of late.  I'm generally drawn to loud bold patterns, and have seen some very successful versions using bold fabrics.

I used some fabric from my shop - Free Spirit cotton from Eleanor Grosch's Imperial Pheasant line.  I love her designs - she's doing a new line for Cloud9 Fabrics that looks pretty cool as well.  The placket and collar are shot cotton from Kaffe Fasset.

 

I started this last weekend - put together the collar and placket and let the dress hang on the hanger all week, admiring my work.  The placket on this pattern goes together so beautifully - it looks so professional, and really all you have to do is follow the directions, and make good pattern markings. 

View B is definitely a quicker sew - there is no belt, no belt loops, no gathered waist.  On the other hand, I think my child prefers the more girly version.  Next time - and there will be a next time.  Unfortunately for me, I have to buy the larger size for the next one.  But that's ok - I'm sure I'll get a ton of use out of it.

This is a size 3 and is a perfect fit.  The pockets get lost a little in the loud fabric, but in person, you can see them better.  I love how they go together and add a really cute detail to the plain front.

 

Love the collar, love the placket.  And, I loved the buttons I found that are a great match - in fact, my 18 year old son even said he liked the buttons!

So I've done both views of this one - next I want to try to make it in a knit as a rugby shirt....how cute would that be??

Fall Wardrobe....in 97 Degree Weather....

I long for fall.  Real fall, with leaves turning, and apple picking.

Instead, I get 90 degree days and walks on the beach.

I do know that the weather will turn here (at some point) and my kid will need more clothes.  So, I'm trying to plan outfits that go with shoes, and outfits that have coordinates.  A lot of Julia's clothes will be various shades of purple and teal this winter.

I started with actually the first Oliver + S pattern I ever sewed, the Sailboat top.  I made this in size 18-24 months just over a year ago, and I made this on in a 3T which is the largest size in the pattern.  I'm sure I'll be purchasing the larger size because I love the Sailboat top.  In fact, I'd like one for myself.  In fact, I'd like this exact top I sewed for Julia for myself.  I'd totally wear it.

I made this in a teal knit, 100% cotton, from Free Spirit/Westminster fabric.  The fabric is conveniently located in my shop, so I have to try some out.....it didn't shrink barely at all in the wash (when I pre-washed it) and the color stayed vibrant.  I used a woven for the facings, from Eleanor Grosch's, also from Free Spirit/Westminster.  The way this pattern is put together makes all the insides seem so, well, finished.   I opted to roll up the sleeves, bartacked one seam, and put a button on the cuff.  I thought it was kind of a cute look.

And, the skirt.....it's another Oliver + S pattern - the 2+2 skirt.  I've made the top a bunch of times, but never made the skirt.  Well, silly me for waiting!  It's freaking adorable.....for some reason I avoided pleats in the past, but after this, I'll be making a lot more.  The skirt has a flat front waistband, and an elasticized back.  It's got a really well put together side placket, and a button loop closure.  All really nice touches.

I tried on the outfit for fit, but since it was so hot out, I had a less than cooperative model.

The skirt really looks adorable on...

I'll definitely be using both of these patterns more....

I Hate This Dress!

No, I don't hate it.  My kid, however, does.  With a passion.

This is the absolutely darling Play Date pattern by Oliver + S.  Pretty much everything I sew is Oliver + S, so it's not really unexpected.

One of the smart sewists on the Oliver + S forum came up with the "Make It While It Fits" challenge to use all the un-used patterns in our stashes before the release of the new season's.  A great idea it was, so I jumped on the bandwagon.  I still have several patterns that I haven't used, and the Play Date pattern only goes to a 3T, so this was the first one I attempted.

I chose some Eleanor Grosch fabric from Free Spirit (conveniently located in my shop! - www.the-fabric-stash.com).  I have some really cute turquoise shoes in my eBay wish list in preparation for this outfit.  I used Kaffe Fasset shot cotton for the piping and the hem facing.  I reviewed every single photo of the play date dress in the flickr group before doing this pattern.

I got the idea to do embroidery on the yoke instead of buttons or ruffles.  I tried a couple of patterns that didn't work for me.  Sometimes it's harder than it looks to choose the right embroidery pattern to match the fabric.

The pattern is of course extremely well thought out and well written.  There was one spot finishing up the back seam of the yoke where I had to really ponder how it was going to go together, but once I actually read the instructions rather than just look at the pictures, it ended up perfect.

I had tried the dress on Julia a couple of times while I was putting it together.  I wanted to make sure it fit over her head, and wanted to check the fit.  For some reason, that made her hate the dress.  I think she could use a size 4 in this pattern as well, so maybe it fit tighter than her usual dress.  I really can't figure out a two year old psyche.

I made this over Saturday and Sunday, maybe about 4 hours total.  It went together very well, and when it was completed, I made the suggestion to my child that she put on the dress, and we go across the street to the beach and take some photos.  ABSOLUTE MELT DOWN.  Screaming.  Yikes.  It is amazing how passionately she feels about things.

Once she calmed down and became a human being again, she agreed to wear the dress, briefly, in her sister's bedroom only.  I did get some fairly good modeled photos after all:

What a silly kid.....I'm hoping that if I put this hanging in her closet for a while, she'll change her mind....otherwise, I'll be looking for a size 3 kid with the first initial "J" to hand this down to!

Ice Cream at the beach!

I'm trying to plan for color continuity in my daughter's wardrobe.  I'm trying to be conscious of wardrobe planning, so that we get to a point where she can pick out her own clothes and have the chances of them actually matching be pretty good.  Thinking ahead to the fall, I've already bought a good amount of shoes in various colors, so I have a jumping off point for the wardrobe plan.  Expect to see a lot of purples and red in her future....

I made another pattern by Oliver + S- the Ice Cream top.  How amazing it is that a top can literally have two pattern pieces, yet look so together and not home-made at all.  I chose two fabrics that I recently purchased for my shop - Freespirit's designer Eleanor Grosch's Imperial Pheasant line.  I was immediately drawn to the colors in the line, and the simplicity of the patterns.

I intended to have the top be tunic-length but had a brain fart while cutting and cut the fabric short.  So, I just added a few inches of contrast at the bottom.  My plan for this top is to have it available for fall/winter with a long-sleeved top under it.  The sizing is generous - this is a 2T cut to the length of a 3T, plus the added length.

I'm getting better at the spot on the back where the top yoke attaches to the shirt.  In my other attempts at this top, I was less than pleased with this one spot and did a bit of tight zig-zag stitches to cover up that spot.  This time, I went slower and pinned better, and am very happy with the results.

Julia loves to play in the sand but really, really hates seaweed.  She's also not really ready for walking and splashing in the water....still a bit afraid of the waves.  But, growing up near the beach, she'll get used to it!