Liberty fabrics are all the rage these days, not just among crafters, but also in the fashion industry. All the top magazines seem to be featuring Liberty prints, as you can see from these tearsheets I’ve collected over the past few months.

Of course, sewers have long appreciated these amazing fabrics. The cotton has a lightweight, silky hand, and the prints are beautifully executed and amazingly detailed. I first encountered Liberty lawn in my early 20’s when I came across rolls of the luxurious lawn in a dusty corner bin at B&J; Fabrics one day after work. Back then I couldn’t afford to purchase suitable work clothing for myself, so saved up birthday money and spent my evenings stitching wool suits and skirts. But when I found those amazing prints I knew I aspired to them. I still carry around swatches and splurge whenever I have the opportunity.

One of the great things about making kids’ clothing is that they don’t take much fabric, so although the Liberty prints are more expensive than most cottons, they’re still affordable in the small quantities needed for little dresses and tops. The Bubble Dress lends itself especially well to Liberty fabric; the weight of the fabric is perfect for the lined dress. This one was sewn by Keri of A Bookish Life for her little daughter, C (be sure to click that link–you’ve got to see her adorable face).

I love how simultaneously timeless and modern the dress looks. Again, one of the great things about Liberty; it never goes out of style.

(Keri’s photo is used with her permission. Thanks, Keri!)

We were rather excited to learn that our new friends at J. Leutenegger, our exclusive distributor in Australia and New Zealand, decided to reproduce our booth at their quilt market, held last weekend near Sydney. And they did a bang-up job, too, especially considering the short time frame in which they assembled it all. Look, they found the same cabinets, table, and chairs. And even the same flowers!

Boutique sewers, here’s your chance to use those labels! We’ve lined up two shops here in Manhattan, two sweet little boutiques that want to carry Oliver + S handmade clothing.

If you’d like to lay claim to selling your sewn garments in New York City, drop us a line at information@oliverands.com. We’re assembling a list of interested craftspeople and will pass along that list to both shop owners. The shop owners can then contact you to negotiate terms for a small collection of Oliver + S clothing styles in their shops.

Please note that Oliver + S won’t be part of these business arrangements; we’re merely making introductions so you can start discussions and hopefully work together to assemble a collection that will be unique to each shop. The specifics are up to you and the shop owners to work out.

Good luck, and happy sewing!

P.S. Regarding the photos: I love that word, “purveyor”. Makes me wish we had used it in our branding. I mean, “Oliver + S: purveyors of quality sewing patterns for children’s clothing” is a bit long, but it has such a nice sound to it, doesn’t it?

During the three years that I’ve written a blog, I’ve really come to love the crafting community. There are so many wonderfully creative people out there with so many ideas and skills, and they all seem to be the nicest, most friendly and warm people I’ve ever met. I’ve made friends all over the world through my blog and have had some terrific conversations with other sewers and crafters about all sorts of topics. I’ve even had the pleasure of meeting some of my on-line friends in person!

One of the topics that frequently surfaces in the blogging world (and in the general crafting world as well) is one of copyright and fair use. The creator of a design or a pattern invests a great deal of thought and energy (and sometimes money) into his or her work. Some designers attempt to control their work by imposing stringent “do not”s and “cannot”s around it. Others essentially let go of their work and any control over it.

It seemed to me that there must be a middle path here–a way to allow others to use a design as a starting point or an inspiration and to take it in their own direction while still maintaining ownership of the original idea and being able to financially support the continued production of new ideas.

Essentially, it boils down to this: as the holder of the copyright for my patterns, I need to maintain control over those patterns and how they are used to be able to continue to create more work. But I also want to permit individual sewers to make and sell garments based on my patterns, and I want to enable people who don’t sew to purchase garments based on the patterns (because I certainly can’t sew all those clothes myself!). So I wanted a way in which I could protect my copyright and the investment I’ve made in this company while allowing sewers to use my work to make garments that they can sell.

It look a long time, but we’ve come up with a solution that we’re launching today, and we hope you’ll like it! We’re calling it the Boutique Sewer Program.

The idea is simple. Through the program individual sewers can purchase licenses to make and sell garments from Oliver + S patterns. Each license comes with a label that must be sewn into the finished garment before it is offered for sale. The presence of the label indicates that the garment has been created from an Oliver + S pattern and is being sold with the permission of the design’s copyright holder.

By purchasing a license, the sewer agrees to abide the terms of the program, which you can read here (be sure to read the FAQ and Terms pages). Sewers may purchase more than one license at a time and can make more than one garment for sale, but each item must be unique and handmade (in other words, not made in a factory or in large quantities).

The cost for one license is $6.00, and the license can be purchased only via our website (so that we’re able to keep track of all the licenses that are sold). You, in exchange, can market the garment as being made from an Oliver + S pattern. And as the program grows (which we hope it will), we plan to add additional features. We’ll be highlighting some of our favorite licensed items on the blog and in our newsletters, and eventually we would like to add some additional functionality to Boutique Sewer Program section of the Oliver + S website.

So if you’ve been wanting to make and sell something based on one of our patterns, please try it out. The licenses are available for purchase starting today. Shipping is included in the cost of the license, and we can’t wait to hear what you think of the program!