We’re getting ready for summer at home, and I recently made something for S that I thought I would show. Here’s her new 2+2 blouse with short sleeves.

We debuted this pattern last fall. It appears on the website and on the pattern envelope with long sleeves. Many people don’t know this, but some sleeve shapes don’t lend themselves nicely to shortening. If you take a long sleeve pattern and shorten the sleeve, the finished garment can have a nasty tendency of winging out at the top of the shoulder.

We wanted to make this pattern more versatile for our customers, so we included a separate short-sleeve pattern piece in the envelope as well. The short-sleeve piece is shaped completely differently than the long sleeve, and I love the resulting fit. It’s a flattering shape that stays close to the arm without being restrictive, and it has a nice cap that’s not your usual puffed sleeve. I think it’s sweet and feminine without being frilly.

I used a few fabrics from the stash for this blouse, which is intended to be worn with the chambray/denim Puppet Show shorts we showed recently. (I’ll photograph the two items together one of these days when my model is in a co-operative mood.) The blouse fabric is from Lecien’s Calme collection, and it’s great for summer because it’s lightweight and almost (but not quite) sheer.

Since sewing gives a perfect opportunity for customization, S and I had a little fun with the front of this blouse. We (OK, I) eliminated the ties and added a button loop and covered button. S directed the embroidery of the button itself, selecting colors for the tiny house. We now refer to the blouse as the House Button Shirt.

And at the back, we opted for yellow thread with my beloved mother-of-pearl buttons (in smokey grey this time). The bright yellow is a subtle surprise for anyone who looks closely.

I like little details like this. But you already knew that, I think.

We continue to be amazed at the popularity of the Lazy Days Skirt pattern. If you take a look at the Flickr group you’ll see a large number of skirts made from this simple, free pattern. I’m sure we’ll be seeing many more of these appearing there in coming weeks with the warm weather that is arriving in the northern hemisphere.

We made this linen skirt the other day to show you that you can also use bias-cut fabric strips in place of the ribbon hem on the skirt, much in the same way our hem facing is done–but reversed so it shows on the outside of the skirt, instead of discretely finishing the inside of a dress.

As with the ribbon hem on the Lazy Day Skirt, the inside of the skirt will have a clean finish. Keep this technique in mind if you want to use a printed fabric for your hem or you don’t have any ribbon handy. You can see that we edgestitched the top of our hem with red thread to give it that je-ne-sais-quoi. (And to avoid blindstitching the top edge of the hem fabric. It’s supposed to be a quick skirt, after all.)

As you can see, the finished skirt is getting lots of wear. The wearer, however, is not practicing the name of the skirt. She just keeps going! And going. And going. Here’s to a relaxed and enjoyable summer ahead.

Every so often I get out of the studio and actually see a bit of the world.

Here are a few upcoming appearances that I will be making for oliver + s. If you’re in the area for any of them, please stop by to say hello.

• May 14 (4:45PM-5:15PM), Pittsburgh, PA: International Quilt Market Schoolhouse Presentation, “Capturing New Customers with Oliver + S.” Attendance limited to the trade only.
• May 14 (5:20PM-5:50PM), Pittsburgh, PA: International Quilt Market Schoolhouse Presentation, “Little Oliver + S Projects Lead to Big Sales.” Attendance limited to the trade only.
• May 15-17, Pittsburgh, PA: International Quilt Market Exhibition, booth 2442. Attendance limited to the trade only.
• May 30 (9:00AM-noon), Purl Patchwork in New York, NY: Sailboat Top Demonstration. Contact Purl Patchwork at 212-420-8798 to register.
• June 20 (11:00AM-4:00PM), Cloth & Bobbin in Narberth, PA: Birthday Party Dress Workshop. Contact Cloth & Bobbin at 610-667-5366 to register.

Full detail for each of these events is posted on the oliver + s Facebook group. Stop in there every so often, if you’re on Facebook, to see additional classes and appearances.

I just finished making this pair of Puppet Show shorts for S. In past summers she has lived in this style, and I suspect she’ll be doing the same this year. They’re very comfortable with an elastic waistband and fullness that gets gathered into bias binding at the leg opening. But my favorite part is the pockets, which are applied near where the side seam would be. (The shorts don’t have a side seam which makes them even faster to sew up.) The pockets are fun and easy to make and look more impressive than their actual difficulty.

I used a lightweight denim for this pair, but I used the wrong side of the fabric so it looks like chambray. I’ve got a thing for chambray; it looks a little dressier than denim. But I know that because of the durability of the denim these shorts will last through a summer of sandboxes, slides and bike riding.

Oliver + S is Twittering.

Stop by our Twitter page to start following updates on what’s happening in the studio and around New York.

Sew Hip, a new sewing magazine in the UK, commissioned an Oliver + S pattern for its most recent issue. (Yes, that’s it on the cover–shown with Martha the chicken). The pattern, called the Popover Sundress, is a simple pull-on dress with bias straps that tie at the shoulder.

The pattern is fun to make because it’s very easy to sew and gives you the option to add lace, rickrack, or a ruffle to the yoke. The adjustable straps make it an especially versatile pattern that would be cute as a swimsuit cover-up this summer or as a dressier garment if made in fabrics like linen or silk. It would even be appropriate over a blouse or shirt when the weather gets cooler.

Here are some photos we took before sending Sew Hip the samples for their photo shoot.

If you’ve sewn a Popover Sundress from the Sew Hip pattern, we would love to see it! You can add your photos to the Oliver + S Flickr group. We’ve already seen several versions sent to us via email, and it looks like lots of seamstresses are enjoying themselves with the pattern. We can’t wait to see more!

Are you on Facebook? If so, stop by to check in.

Join our Facebook group to leave us comments, discuss your experience sewing from Oliver + S patterns, and keep up to date on recent Oliver + S news and events. This week we’re hosting a discussion about what you would like to sew for fall.

Tiny rickrack also adds a feminine detail to this Sailboat Top where it was applied to the topstitching. April used a special tool for this step, but you could also apply the rickrack over topstitching or by using basting as a guide. I think the miniature rickrack enhances the sweet Little Red Riding Hood fabric and, again, adds some visual interest to a pattern that can be made for boys and girls.