Have you seen all the wonderful Lazy Days Skirts that are showing up in the Flickr group? Lots of great fabric and ribbon combinations, and some really adorable little girls enjoying their new skirts.

Yes, it’s up. My goodness, what a nice reception the fall line is getting!

The infamous S and I will be busy filling orders tomorrow while Megan takes a much-deserved break. I’m glad you’re keeping us so busy. Thank you! It’s very rewarding to see such a wonderful response to the patterns already. I can hardly wait to see what you make with them!

I was chatting with Grandma and a friend of hers the other afternoon. We were talking about sewing and children’s clothing (of course), and Grandma’s friend was reminiscing about her childhood.

Back then, every department store had a yard goods department, usually located on the top floor of the building. When I picture the yard goods area in my mind, it’s always elegantly furnished with rich wood fixtures and row upon row of luxurious bolts of fabric, with kindly but stern-looking shopkeepers to wait on you once you’ve made your selections.

Nancy (my Grandma’s friend) told me her aunt was a seamstress, so every fall they made a trip to the department store to select her fall wardrobe. Wouldn’t that be fun? Somehow it seems so refined and exciting. In my imagination, Nancy’s mother and aunt confer about their selections, debating the merits of wool tartans and long-staple cotton shirtings. And since Nancy mentioned that her aunt also sewed all her undergarments, I’m also imagining drapey batiste and French laces for lovely slips and underwear.

That late-summer ritual has been forefront in my mind the past few days because the fall Oliver + S collection has arrived in our studio. We’ll be opening the website for fall sales beginning this Thursday.

Are you dreaming about the possibilities? In addition to all the wonderful cotton prints available at your local quilt shop, what about fine-wale corduroys, lightweight wools, and striped or plaid shirtings? Fall is my favorite season; the colors can be so sophisticated, and the fabric possibilities are endless.

We can’t wait to see what you make with the patterns. We’re doing a little sample sewing ourselves, and we’ll show you our creations very soon. Start your planning!

For those of you who were interested, the silk Tea Party dresses are now listed on ebay here and here. Cheers!

August is meant for relaxing and hanging out on the porch. At least, that’s what we had in mind for this skirt. It’s about as easy to sew as a skirt can be, since it’s made from a single width of fabric. And when it’s finished you’ll still have plenty of time to contemplate the day from the porch swing.

We’ve been testing it on several little girls, and it’s perfect for dog walks too.

With a simple elastic waistband, it’s also comfortable, which is a crucial element for hanging out during the most relaxed month of the year.

But our favorite part is the ribbon at the hem. You can use almost any sort of ribbon in any width you like. It makes a clean finish to the hem, as you can see.

Download and print your free instructions for the Lazy Days Skirt here. We hope you’ll make a skirt or two, and when you’re finished be sure to post photos of your finished skirt (or skirts) to the Oliver + S Flickr group.

And then go enjoy the rest of your summer. Maybe you’ll find a hammock to share with your favorite active little girl.

I mentioned in last week’s hem facing tutorial that I like to use a blindstitch for nearly invisible hems. It’s an easy stitch to do and looks neat from the inside of the garment as well as the outside. Here is a simple demonstration, if you’d like to try it yourself:

1. Use a single strand of knotted thread and a hand needle. If your thread has a tendancy to twist and knot on itself, you might try drawing it through a little beeswax or Thread Heaven before you start.

2. Unfold the pressed hem and hide your thread knot in the fold of the hem (or hem facing). Then re-fold the hem and pin it in place while you stitch.

red fabric = hem facing; floral fabric = dress skirt

3. Working from right to left with your needle pointing to the left (or vice versa if you’re left-handed) and keeping your stitches loose and very small, roll the hem edge back about 1/4″, and take a small stitch in the garment fabric. Catch just a few threads in the stitch so it won’t show much from the outside of the garment.

4. Then take a tiny stitch in the hem or hem facing about 3/8″ to the left. Take another small stitch in the garment 3/8″ to the left, and continue alternating stitching between the hem and garment fabric, producing a series of small v’s.

5. When you’re finished, your stitches should be nearly invisible from the right side. If you look very closely, you may be able to see the tiny stitches like mine, below. If you use a thread that matches your garment, these stitches will be almost impossible to see.

My other favorite stitch for hemming is the catchstitch, which is very similar to the blindstitch except that instead of working toward the left, work toward the right with the needles still pointing to the left.

The result will be a series of X’s. Leave your stitches a little loose when hemming with the catchstitch. The advantage of the catchstitch is that the thread is unlikely to break if it gets a little tug; the X of the stitches gives the thread a bit of elasticity, which is especially great for children’s clothing, pant legs, or anything that might see some extra wear and tear.