Oliver + S Class Picnic Blouse & Shorts in yellow and blue

This is one of my very favorite Oliver + S patterns. I made the top last fall and lengthened it to a dress. Rachel never wore it, though, because I didn't like the fabrics I chose and it looked like a nightgown. The fit was perfect on her then, so I made the same size in blouse form.  These coordinating fabrics are part of the Oliver + S for Moda line (now sold out) and were purchased from Fabric.com several years ago. I only purchased 1 yard of each but as clothing for little girls barely takes any yardage, I have lots left over to use in later years.

For the blouse I cut the 6-12 month for width and 2T for length. The sleeves were cut at the shortest size to be cool for summer. The shorts I knew needed to be cut at the 6-12 month for width but was uncertain what to cut for length. I ended up measuring the crotch length on Rachel, comparing that with the pattern, then cutting the 18-24 month for length.

I just love the design of this pattern! What other pattern company is making peasant-style tops or shorts with such cute details? Also, the construction techniques are different and really thoughtful (except in one particular head-scratching instruction noted below.)

Here you can see the top of the shorts and all the fun topstitching. I love the mock-fly front! The way the legs are finished with the edging is really interesting and leaves the edges neat and crisp. I'm planning to make a pair in denim with orange topstitching and the reverse side for the edging. Won't that be adorable?

I used the checked fabric for the inside yokes of the blouse and the bias strips at the sleeve tops for a bit of fun. You can see it peeking out when she moves around. The shorts are finished at the back with topstitching top and bottom to keep the elastic in place.

The pattern calls for the contrast fabric at the inside waistband which matches what I did on the blouse. All the raw edges were finished with my machine's over-locking foot. I deviated from the instructions by folding the seam allowance of the waistband up and slip-stitching it in place. Their way is fine, too, but I like the neat finish of this technique better. In a thicker fabric it would be too bulky but with these thinner cottons it works perfectly.

I chose not to topstitch the yokes along the gathered fronts but slip-stitched them down instead.

Okay, so my one complaint about this pattern is the width of the shorts edging around the curves and up to the waistband. It should be the same around the entire leg opening but in those locations it was 1/4" wider. I didn't notice this issue until I folded the edging to the front and was about to topstitch it down. I had to go back to cut away the excess, then refolded it to topstitch. The picture below is what it looked like before I trimmed away the extra width.

Here you can see where I corrected my pattern tracing for the next time I make these. The edges of the paper are curving up so it doesn't look congruent but it is.

As for the head-scratching instruction that I mentioned above, it came as a hint of what to do to obtain a nice curve at the outside of the edging. It tells you to first trim away the seam allowance to 1/8", then sew a gathering stitch around the curve to cinch up the seam allowance, then flip the facing to the outside and topstitch. I've never tried this method, so maybe I'm mistaken, but that seems like a sure fire way of ending up with bulky curves right at the front of the garment - especially if using some sort of heavier weight material like a denim. I always want to reduce bulk and make things lie smoothly, so instead I graded my seam allowances and cut little notches all along the curves. One thing my mom taught me to do is always grade my seams, and I am a Nazi about it. Nothing looks more happy-hands-at-home then lumpy edges.

I do think this is a fantastic pattern but for those two minor quibbles, and I love Rachel's new outfit. It's a little strange to see her in clothing that actually fits as I've gotten so use to seeing her in things that are too big and baggy.

Up next is a dress for me, in case you're tired of all these little girl garments and think I've abandoned sewing for myself. :)

NewLook 6200 - Sea green + pink horse dress

Sewing clothes for little girls is addicting. It's total instant gratification: 30 minutes of tracing + 30 minutes of cutting out on stable cotton fabric + a couple hours sitting at the sewing machine = a new dress with no fitting issues.

I used another cotton from Fabric.com, from the wildly popular Michael Miller "Wee Wander" series. I picked a simple dress pattern to not cut up the horses too much, and spent some time laying out my pieces carefully. The jumbo rick-rack and pink bow were purchased locally and matched as best as possible.

I cut a size 1/2 for the width and a size 4 for the length and left off the pocket. She's not typically a 4 in length but this dress was drafted somewhat short. It's pretty blousy through the torso which is fine for a little girl's dress.

I did make a number of changes to the pattern instructions. The front neck band was interfaced and the angle of the straps straightened before attachment. I used fabric bias strips to finish the armholes instead of the bias tape that was called for. The back strap attachment was changed to look neater and I put in an invisible hem instead of a topstitched one. If there's no other topstitching present in a garment, it looks odd to me to have it at the hemline.

The neckline of this dress was so fiddly to sew - tiny front band that the whole front of the dress gets gathered and stitched to, then attach the gathered front straps, then sew the inside band to it and mind the corners for a nice sharp finish. While I was in the middle of wrestling with it, I vowed that this was the last time I'd use this pattern. However, it turned out so adorable in the end that I'm sure I'll make it again.

I hand-stitched the bow from the backside so that it wouldn't come untied and fray-checked the ends. This is only the 2nd or 3rd time I've used rick-rack and I think it's so fun and girly. You can see the bias bands I used at the armholes in the next picture and the side french seams. Also you can just barely see that the tops of the straps are gathered too. I forgot to get a close-up of that on Rachel.

I really enjoy using NewLook and Simplicity's toddler patterns and have a number of them. I wish McCall's and Butterick had more contemporary designs and started their sizes at 1/2. Skinny girls need cute patterns too.

Oliver + S School Photo Dress in yellow

Just in time for Spring that is finally arriving in south Texas, I have made Rachel a new dress in that favorite hue of mine. I was waiting for what seemed like years for her to get big enough to fit into these patterns. She finally gained enough girth for them a year or so ago but I was still just lovingly gazing through my collection from time to time. Enough of that! It's time to get busy stitching them up before she gets too big!

The fabric is a nice weight cotton from Fabric.com, my favorite place to buy cottons for kids clothing. I have found that these quality cottons, priced between $7 and $10 per yard, wrinkle far less then the quilting cottons available locally. I don't know about your kids, but mine does not like to sit still and take care not to wrinkle her clothes. ;)

I love the details of this dress - the roll collar, kangaroo front pocket, slightly belled and cuffed sleeves, front yoke and princess seaming, full lining with separate pattern pieces that aren't a repeat of the outer dress. Most toddler dresses from the big 4 just aren't very detailed. I suppose most people who make kid clothing like simpler designs but I prefer a challenge. That's why I'm willing to pay the premium for these Oliver + S patterns.

Speaking of the kangaroo pocket:

 Can you tell she loves it? She is definitely going to be a pocket person. As for sizing, I traced the 18-24 month size for the width and the 2T size for the length and got a perfect fit. This girl is tiny. In August she'll be 4. I'll probably be able to make her a fall version with just an inch or so added to the length and not have to re-trace the pattern.

The zipper I had to special order online from Zipper stop because I couldn't find a good match locally. The button peeking out on the left I happened to have in my stash. It is connected to the other side of the collar with a thread loop. The lining I did in white cotton sheeting from Hancock's fabrics. No pictures of that, though. It's too overcast today to take any interior shots.

This was such a fun little dress to make! I am still in a sewing funk for making stuff for myself but have a number of garments I want to make for her lined up. If you like seeing kids clothes on my blog then you are in for a treat. If not, well, sorry. I've got to go where my mojo takes me.