Oliver + S – Page 2 – The Finished Garment

Lotta Jansdotter Challenge & Giveaway

I know I’ve mentioned that I’m part of the Warp & Weft Sewing Society before, but this spring Esmari, the owner of Warp & Weft organized something really fun for us – a sewing challenge.

And there’s something for one of you too, so don’t forget to enter the fabric giveaway at the end of this post.

There are seven of us in the sewing society, and we each got six fat quarters from Lotta Jansdotter’s latest collections MorMor and Sylvia. Then we had to sew something related to spring.

Esmari has made a lovely, bright quilt. Sherri made some cute tote bags. Carla made a beautiful set of bags. And there are still three more days to go.

Everyone got a different bundle and you can see what mine looked like below. The fabric is so pretty! And perfect for spring.

My Lotta Jansdotter fat quarter bundle from Warp & Weft

Unfortunately, mother nature has been taking her time delivering spring, at least where I live. So I decided to do something a little different.

Instead of sewing something that celebrates the joyous bursting forth of spring with flowers and vibrant colours, I created something that celebrates the moment before – the time where spring appears to be still on it’s way. There are no visible signs of spring – yet! – but everything is slowly building underground. It’s the part of spring when you have to have faith – that spring will come, the flowers will bloom, the birds will return and the cycle of like repeat once more.

I made a baby quit, using just two fat quarters and a grey background. It’s a bit monochromatic for spring, but that’s what spring looks like here right now.

A monochromatic baby quilt sewn by The Finished Garment. — Front detail on the spring quilt.

So that left me with four fat quarters. Actually that left me with three fat quarters, because I cut one up for the quilt and then changed my mind. We all make mistakes sometimes, right?

So I took the two coral fat quarters and made a tunic for my littlest. This is the Roller Skate Tunic by Oliver + S. It was a dream to sew. I think I finished the whole thing in just over two hours, including the cutting.

The Roller Skate Tunic sewing pattern by Oliver + S, sewn by The Finished Garment. — The Roller Skate Tunic – front.

Quilt Summary

Pattern: my own.

Fabric: Trassel in Mist from the MorMor collection, and White sufi from the Sylvia collection, both by Lotta Jansdotter for Windham Fabrics.

Size: 36″ by 36″.

Tunic Summary

Pattern : Roller Skate Dress and Tunic by Oliver + S.

Fabric: Little Blomster in coral, and solid coral from the MorMor collection by Lotta Jansdotter for Windham Fabrics.

Size: 18-24 months.

Sewing Level: Advanced beginner.

Modifications: Colour blocked.

Results: Great!

Fabric Giveaway

Enter to win 12 Fat Quaters from Lotta Jansdotter’s latest collection MorMor and Sylvia, generously provided by Warp & Weft.

In order to enter this Giveaway please follow the Rafflecopter instructions and leave a comment on this post.

You can obtain 7 entries in total by leaving a comment on each participating blogger’s Lotta Jansdotter Challenge post.

The winner will be announced April 28. Good luck!

Blog Hop Schedule
Esmari – Warp & Weft: April 21
Sherri – Thread Riding Hood: April 22
Carla – My ½ Dozen Daily: April 23
Shannon – The Finished Garment: April 24
Cathy – Blueberry Patch: April 25
Cynthia – cynthiaf: April 26
Lysa – Lysa Flower: April 27

a Rafflecopter giveaway
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A monochromatic baby quilt and tunic sewn by The Finished Garment. — My Lotta Jansdotter challenge sewing.

Blue Velvet Valentine’s Day

Everyone needs a new dress for Valentine’s Day, right? I made three.

The Hopscotch Dress sewing pattern by Oliver + S, as sewn by The Finished Garment. — Here is the littlest dress.

Years ago, I made myself the Ever After dress, as a Halloween costume (never blogged). It was lots of fun, but there was so much fabric left over afterwards, including 1.5m of wide, dark blue stretch velvet. For Halloween it was great, but it’ not really my style for everyday wear. And so it sat in a box.

But I have recently made a mini inventory of the fabric in my stash, and yikes, there is so much of it. I counted up the meters of fabric, but no, I am not posting it here. Too embarrasing. I am determined to remove some of the largest, oldest pieces of fabric. This was definitely a “what can I do with this?” project, but it turned out quite well.

I made three versions of the Hopscotch Dress by Oliver + S in sizes 18m, 4 and 6. It’s a simple, knit A-line dress with some gathering in the front, and can be made as a dress or top, with long or short sleeves. I made the long-sleeved version because I thought it would look better in velvet.

This is the first time I’ve sewn knits on my new machine (a Pfaff), and it was a dream. I don’t have a serger, but it wasn’t really necessary with this pattern. My regular machine worked very well.

As always with Oliver + S, the instructions were wonderful. The sewing was also quite quick. And the fabric, which is quite stretchy, worked very well.

The only thing to keep in mind with this pattern, is that it is quite fitted and fits very true to size, while I find a lot of Oliver + S patterns are a little big. Unfortunately, that means the dresses might not last past spring, but then the kids won’t be wearing velvet in the summer anyway. And really, I am just happy to see so much fabric out of my stash and in wearable form.

I ended up with three dresses that are very comfortable to wear, but look quite dressy – perfect for Valentine’s Day.

And don’t worry, Kid No 2 who is not much into dresses, got something nice too. Blog post coming soon!

This dress is part of the Kids Clothes Week Winter Challenge (a little late), and the Stashbusting Sew-Along (The Love Challenge), and the Sewcialists’ Blue February Sew-Along.

Summary

Pattern Review: Hopscotch Dress by Oliver + S.

Fabric: Deep blue stretch velvet.

Size: 18 months, 4, 6.

Sewing Level: Average.

Modifications: None.

Results: Great. The dress is very fitted though, so I would go up a size next time. I plan to make this again.

Indigo Linen Jump Rope Dress Redux

Does this dress look familiar? If you read my blog, it might.

The Oliver + S jump rope dress sewing pattern, made by The Finished Garment — Another jump rope dress, this time for Kid No 1.

This is the Jump Rope Dress (view B) by Oliver + S. The shirtwaist dress features cuffed sleeves, gathered patch pockets, collar and front placket. I made view B which has long sleeves and an a-line shape. I made the size 7.

This is the second time I’ve made this dress, and this version is almost the same as the last one, but larger and with different contrasting fabric. The main fabric is a cotton linen chambray. I really like that the pattern and fabric work well both for summer and winter.

I only made two changes. The dress was very long, so I turned up about two inches and made a wide hem that I can lengthen later. I also finished the cuffs so that they are wide and can be turned up with a nice seam finish.

This dress is part of the Kids Clothes Week Winter Challenge, and the Stashbusting Sew-Along (The Love Challenge), and the Sewcialists’ Blue February Sew-Along.

Summary

Pattern Review: Jump Rope Dress (view B) by Oliver + S.

Fabric: Cotton linen chambray in Indigo Washed by Robert Kaufman. The contrasting fabric is FloraDots in Violet from the La Dee Da collection by Erin McMorries for Free Spirit Fabrics.

Size: 7.

Sewing Level: Intermediate to advanced.

Modifications: I made a wider hem and cuff and used contrasting fabric for the pocket binding and inside front placket.

Results: Great. This is the second time I’ve made this pattern and I will definitely make it again.

Mittens!

I didn’t quite get all my Christmas sewing done on time, so this year, all my kids received New Years’ mittens.

The pattern is from the book Oliver + S Little Things to Sew
. I made four pair, in sizes extra-small, small and medium. They are a bit big, but in a nice way.

As always with Oliver + S, the directions were a breeze, but I did make one major change.

I live in Montreal, where it is cold. Very cold. This week it was an icy -38° celsius (that’s about -37° fahrenheit). That is not a typo. Too cold to go for a walk. Too cold to go to the store. Too cold to go outside. Too cold for single layer mittens.

Instead I made a dual-layer mitten. I used super-soft white fleece for the inside. Then I used another grey fleece with a soft berber texture for the outside. I encased the elastic between the layers.

Irene over at Froo & Boo has some great photos on how to do a two-layer mitten with this pattern. She used nylon and PUL to make a waterproof outer layer.

I was more concerned about cold than waterproofing. The extreme cold makes everything incredibly dry, even the snow. And these mittens are cozy.

It was a little tricky sewing together the two layers, with such thick fabric and such tiny mittens, but it didn’t take long.

The fit is great. Even with double laters, you can still pick things up.

And just a quick note about fabric requirements: the pattern calls for 1/4 yard of fabric. I bought two yards of each type of fleece. In the end, I cut out six pair of mittens, and four hats (coming soon), and still had a yard of each left over. If you aren’t sure if you have enough fabric, or are thinking of squeezing these out of scraps, these mittens take up almost no fabric at all.

If you already own this book, there is Little Things To Sew: Cover to Cover Challenge that runs until August 2014. The sew along is organized by Lightning McStitch over at Bartacks and Singletrack.

Summary

Pattern Review: Mittens from the book Oliver + S Little Things to Sew.

Fabric: Two types of polar fleece.

Sizes: XS, S, M

Sewing Level: Beginner.

Modifications: I lined the mittens in a second layer of fleece, and encased the elastic between the two layers.

Results: Great. I would recommend this pattern and plan to make more.

Note: This post contains affiliate links.

Stashbusting for Kids

Gastroenteritis folks. It’s done two rounds at our house. The laundry has been Sisyphean. The sewing, minimal. The sleep? Well, let’s not even mention the lack of sleep.

I have managed to eek out a super quick project though.

The Sunday brunch skirt by Oliver + S, sewn by The Finished Garment

Ages ago I bought a few yards of chocolate brown baby cord. After four pair of kid-sized pants and my Ginger skirt, I was left with just under a yard. Cue kid No 1 complaining about having no winter skirts “at all”. Hmmm, possibly a slight exaggeration. But in any case, we couldn’t have that, so I whipped up this skirt the same evening.

This is the Oliver + S Sunday Brunch Skirt. It’s a simple, straight skirt (though the pattern is described as a-line), with elastic waistband, pockets and a black kick pleat. I made this in a size 6 and it fits just right.

As always with Oliver + S patterns, this was a dream to sew. The instructions were so very clear, and I finished the whole thing in under 3 hours. That includes tracing the pattern and cutting the fabric. If I hadn’t added piping, it would have been even faster.

The only changes I made were to add an inch to the length and add flat piping in a pretty lavender print. The skirt definitely needed that extra inch. And the piping will match a top that’s in the works.

Kid No 1 was in the skirt the next morning and out the door to school, so I would have to say that this was a highly successful project. Unfortunately, that left very little time for photos, and it was dark and dreary so these are not my best. Another skirt for Kid No 3 is on the way, if only I can get the laundry done.

This project is part of the Stashbusting Sewalong.

Summary

Pattern Review: Sunday Brunch Skirt by Oliver + S.

Fabric: Baby cord. I used quilting cotton for the flat piping. The print is FloraDots in Violet from the La Dee Da collection by Erin McMorries for Free Spirit Fabrics.

Size: 6.

Sewing Level: Beginner.

Modifications: Added an inch to the length and used flat piping for trim.

Results: Great and fast. I would recommend this pattern and plan to make it again. In fact, I’ve already cut out the fabric!

Four and a Half Bats

“What do you want to be for Halloween?” I asked.

“I want to be a fruit bat”, announced my three-year-old, “a baby fruit bat”.

“Yes, yes! I want to be a fruit bat too!” kids No 1 and 2 agreed.

Umm, ok then. My kids had been waffling over Halloween costumes, and nothing was really getting them excited about dressing up. Until this. So fruit bats. Hmmm.

I decided to start with the Red Riding Hood pattern from the book Oliver + S Little Things to Sew. It is sooooo cute. Ack! I’ve been waiting for a good excuse to sew it. So off I headed to the fabric store, three-year-old in tow.

I cut the bottom in a scalloped pattern.

I was hoping for a black faux suede, but there was only grey or brown available.

“Feel this, isn’t it soft?” I said. “Would you like to be a grey or brown baby fruit bat?”

In response I got a “no” that was part determined, part horrified and the look that I will one day get when I have to pick her up from high school. Sooo embarrassing, mum!

“I want to be a black fruit bat.”

So we tried another store, this time with all the kids in tow.

“Would you like to be a shiny bat?” I said, showing off the faux leather. Oh, the horrified looks!

I managed to find a faux suede/velvet with a herringbone pattern that met with approval. I was worried it would look a bit odd, but it was great. It was incredibly easy to sew with, and no black fluff everywhere! A first for fuzzy Halloween costumes!

This pattern is so easy! And fast! Of course I had to make it four times, so fast is a relative concept. But if you are lucky enough to only have to make one, you will be pleasantly surprised.

Four bat costumes using the Oliver + S Red Riding Hood pattern from Little Things to Sew.

I skipped the arm openings, lengthened the capes by about two inches, cut the bottoms of the cape in a scalloped bat-wing pattern and hand sewed on ears. I used fine elastic for the button loops, which I thought would be less choke-y with a lot of bat-like swooping. I also added elastic loops at the end of the wings to make it easier to swoop without having to grab onto the wing tips.

The pattern comes in medium and large, so I graded a smaller size for my smallest. I found the pattern fit large, perfect for bats, but maybe I would go down a size for each kid, if it were for real life clothing.

The cape is a bit big, but good for bats.

The capes got a lot of use, and we even took the kids to the bat exhibit at the zoo so they could say hello to the real fruit bats, dressed as bats. Fun!

Then my husband asked where his bat cape was. Doh! And then I got the flu. So next, year I have a huge head start on his half-made bat costume (ahem). Still, Halloween was a blast, and then we all got the flu.

But that just meant that there was one more day of swooping bats today (though only two bats were willing to swoop) so that mummy could blog her sewing.

Wings wrapped around. — Wings wrapped around the bats.

Summary

Pattern Review: Red Riding Hood from the book Oliver + S Little Things to Sew.

Fabric: Faux suede with a herringbone pattern. Some sort of synthetic.

Sizes: S, M and L.

Sewing Level: Beginner.

Modifications: I added bat ears, elastic loops at the wrists, used elastic for the button loop, and cut the bottom of the cape in a scalloped pattern. I lengthened the capes by about two inches. I graded a small size for my smallest, since the pattern only comes in medium and large.

Results: Great. I would recommend this pattern and hope to make it as real clothing.

Three-year-old approved bat costume using the Red Riding Hood pattern from the book Little Things to Sew by Oliver + S — Three-year-old-approved bat costume using the Red Riding Hood pattern from the book Little Things to Sew by Oliver + S

Note: This post contains affiliate links.

Star Pants

This past week Kid No 4 came down with the chicken pox, so sewing time and blogging time were extra limited. Babies with chicken pox are 100 per cent grumpy 100 per cent of the time.

The worst part is that there is a vaccine for chicken pox, a vaccine that all my other kids got at 12 months, but which is now given at 18 months. It’s like a guaranteed recipe for 12-18 month-olds with chicken pox.

Anyway, since I had only intermittent sewing time, I decided to tackle some unfinished objects (UFOs).

Sandbox Pants sewing pattern by Oliver + S as sewn by The Finished Garment — Sandbox Pants

This is the first one – my very first pair of Sandbox Pants by Oliver + S. I made them in a size 6, and they were just too big. So I put them aside, waiting for Kid No 2 to grow and started on some cords using the same pattern, but in the right size.

I made this first pair in a heavy twill with quilting cotton for the waistband and pocket lining. It’s hard to tell from the photos, but the twill is really beige denim.

I underestimated the weight of the twill and I think the waistband will be too flimsy. When I made my second pair out of corduroy I used corduroy for the waistband as well, and made a flat front pant. They are much more sturdy.

If the pants were in a lighter material, the drawstring waistband would be great. It’s not the pattern, just my poor pairing of fabric. So to compensate somewhat, I added a second row of elastic to the waistband, but without a drawstring, just to be on the safe side.

I also added a second row of topstitching to the pockets, since the pants seemed so much like jeans.

And of course the grumpiness was catching so the now taller Kid No 2 tried them on, declared them “wonderful”, then took them off and refused to pose for photos. Oh well. Some days are like that.

Summary

Pattern Review: Sandbox Pants by Oliver + S.

Fabric:Heavy twill, with quilting cotton (mystery print) for the waistband and pocket lining. Not a great pairing.

Sizes: 6.

Sewing Level: Intermediate.

Modifications: I added an extra length of elastic to the waistband, and a second row of topstitching.

Results: Great. I would recommend this pattern and I have already made them four more times.

Getting Ready for Halloween

I have been sewing up a storm, but you’ll have settle for a sneak peek.

Right now, I’m up to my ears in Halloween sewing. That’s the thing with having four kids who all want the same costume for Halloween.

I’ve got my pattern picked out and traced in 3 sizes. It’s from Oliver + S Little Things to Sew.

I have so much fabric. I don’t think I have ever bought this much of the same thing at once. And it’s heavy too.

Fabric for this year's Halloween costume. — Fabric for this year’s Halloween costume.

Here’s a little sneak peek. There is still a lot left to do though. When my husband heard what I was planning he said he wanted a costume too. We’ll see if I have enough fabric for that.

Detail of this year's Halloween costume. — Can you guess what I’m making?

And one more hint.

What about you? Do you have any Halloween sewing planned?

Note: This post contains affiliate links.

Linen and Butterflies

I can’t believe summer is almost over. This morning when we all got up in was only 10 degrees celsius. Brrrrr.

So I thought it would be good to clear my summer blogging queue, and make room for the fall sewing. This is one of my last summer sewing projects – two sets of the Oliver + S Ice Cream Dress (as tops) and the Puppet Show Shorts, in sizes 4 and 7 for my bigger girls.

The Ice Cream Dress I’ve made before, twice. It’s just as cute as a top and even easier to sew. Since I was making matching shorts, I didn’t do any colour blocking this time around.

Oliver + S Ice Cream Dress (as top) sewn by The Finished Garment. — Oliver + S Ice Cream Dress (as top).

I love the way these turned out. The fabric, some quilting cotton, was chosen by the kids. I picked this up at one of the local chain stores. I figure these will look good with jeans and they can wear them through the fall layered over t-shirts.

To go with the tops I made the Puppet Show Shorts, also by Oliver + S. This was my first time using this pattern, and I made it in one of my favourite fabrics, Cotton Linen Chambray from Robert Kaufman. I originally planned to bind the bottoms of the shorts in the linen, but working with linen on the bias is tough. The binding stretched out so much the shorts were barely gathered at the bottom. So I ripped it all out and started again. Still looks cute though.

Oliver + S Puppet Show Shorts sewn by The Finished Garment. — Oliver + S Puppet Show Shorts.

Now, some of you Oliver + S fans may have noticed that the Puppet Show Shorts do not come in size 7. I graded these up two sizes from the largest available, size 5. I also added two inches to the length, which is a little better for my 6-year-old. It wasn’t very difficult.

Pocket detail of the Oliver + S Puppet Show Shorts sewn by The Finished Garment. — Cutest. Pocket. Ever.

I love the pockets on these shorts. Adorable.

Ice Cream Dress and Puppet Show Shorts sewing pattern from Oliver + S, sewn by The Finished Garment. — I tried an indoor photo shoot on the day I finished, but it was doomed. This is the only good shot I got.

These are the size 7, and she really did need those two extra inches. Next time I’ll make the binding a bit shorter so that it’s a bit more gathered at the bottom.

I finished the outfits on a rainy day. After the first doomed indoor photo shoot we waited for a sunny day and had much better luck. But would the two kids pose together? “Nooooooo!” So you’ll just have to trust me when I say I made two whole outfits.

This post is linked up to Make It Wear It Thursday.

Summary

Pattern Review: Ice Cream Dress (as top) and Puppet Show Shorts from Oliver + S.

Fabric:

Sunset from the Fly Away collection by Amy Schindler for Robert Kaufman.
Indigo Washed Cotton Linen Chambray from Robert Kaufman.

Sizes: 4 and 7. The dress comes in sizes 6 months – 12. The shorts come in sizes 0-5

Sewing Level: Beginner.

Modifications: None. (Shorts were graded up a size to size 7).

Results: Great. I would recommend both patterns and would make them again.

Indigo Linen Jump Rope Dress

It’s been so hot in Montreal lately, the perfect weather for linen dresses.

The Jump Rope Dress by Oliver + S (view B)

My daughter is between sizes 3 and 4 at the moment, so I made a size 4, which was a little long and slightly large, but leaves room to grow. The linen fabric doesn’t have a lot of give, so making it larger, rather than smaller seemed like a good idea.

Ack! So cute! (The Jump Rope Dress by Oliver + S)

As with all Oliver + S patterns, the instructions are great, but this is not a pattern for beginners. Oliver + S patterns are rated by difficulty on a scale of four scissors, and this one gets three. It’s not really a difficult pattern, but it does have a lot of finicky details.

More cuteness! (The Jump Rope Dress by Oliver + S)

It’s made like a proper men’s shirt, minus the collar stand. The instructions for the front placket, for example, take one full page of the pattern instructions. On the other hand, the results were great. I’ll be making another. Seems kid No 1 wants one too.

Curved collar and front placket of the Jump Rope Dress by Oliver + S

The only change I made was to the hem. The pattern calls for a narrow hem, but the dress was just too long for my little girl, so I made a wider one that I can always lengthen later. I also used contrasting fabric for the pocket binding and inside front placket. I’ve seen other versions where the entire collar and placket were in a contrasting fabric and that looks really nice as well.

Contrast fabric on the inner front placket.

I have been hoarding this fabric forever, so it was time to get it sewn up. The fabric is a cotton linen chambray in Indigo Washed by Robert Kaufman. It has a really lovely sheen, and the colour is beautiful. It handles like a linen, which means it’s a little stiff at first, but also stretches a little while sewing. The key is lots of pressing. It has to be my favourite fabric ever.

I love how this turned out. It’s cute and easy to wear, comfortable for the summer, nice enough for school and quite durable. I really love the pockets.

Patch pockets with contrast bias binding.

This dress is part of the Kids Clothes Week Summer Challenge and the Stashbusting Sew-Along.

Summary

Pattern Review: Jump Rope Dress (view B) by Oliver + S.

Fabric: Cotton linen chambray in Indigo Washed by Robert Kaufman.

Size: 4.

Sewing Level: Intermediate to advanced.

Modifications: I made a wider hem and used contrasting fabric for the pocket binding and inside front placket.

Results: Great. I would recommend this pattern and will definitely make it again.