This is a child’s dress that’s been in my head and in the pages of my sketchbooks for a while now, bouncing around while I played with a few different options for it.

It’s a children’s sundress, loosely based on our best-selling (and soon to go out of print) pattern the Tea Party Sundress. But it’s a sundress with some interesting twists and a different silhouette.

This is a close-fitting dress. It’s a sundress, not a jumper. A jumper has extra room and lower armholes so you can fit a blouse or shirt underneath. This isn’t that jumper. It’s slim and flattering when worn alone as a sundress. I really dislike it when a sundress gapes under the arms, and this one doesn’t do that.

The Seashore Sundress features simple button straps that come to a gentle point at the ends. This interesting little detail makes the straps easier to sew and gives the finished garment a little more visual interest.

It might be a little bit difficult to tell from these photos, but there is also a slight “V” at the front neck of the dress that echoes the gentle points at the end of the straps. It’s a simple solution to finish off the dress’s neckline, but I’ll be honest. This was one of the hardest details to finalize when I was designing the dress. I played with a large number of options for the neckline before settling on this one. This is the simplest and most elegant option of everything I tried. Much of the time, the simplest solutions are the hardest to find. They seem obvious in retrospect, but they’re anything but during the design process.

The dress has princess seams at the front and back. It also has a subtle drop-waisted silhouette with gentle gathers at the sides and back and a flat front to give it the slim and flattering fit I wanted it to have.

But my favorite feature of this pattern are the tiny little “treasure pockets” at the waist. I’ve been calling them treasure pockets because they’re smaller and positioned lower than a regular pocket. They’re not intended for hands. They’re intended for stashing the little pebbles and seashells that get picked up while spending a day the seashore.

And if you don’t live anywhere near the ocean? That’s OK. I’m sure the little girl you sew for will find tiny treasures of how own to stash in the pockets of the Seashore Sundress that you make her.

This pattern, as well as our other new spring styles, will be available for sale on our website starting next week. You’ll see copies of all these patterns showing up in your local fabric store shortly thereafter.

You may remember that last November your purchases on the Oliver + S website helped support classrooms in underprivileged schools across the United States. You can see photos of how your funds were used on our Public Page at Donors Choose.

We’re pleased to announce that board members of Donors Choose have recently provided additional funding that will allow past donors to support new classroom requests.

Oliver + S has received five Donors Choose gift cards, each good for a $25 donation to the project of your choice on the Donors Choose website. We will send these gift cards to the first five people who comment that they would like to use them.

Since Donors Choose projects are all based in the United States, you should be a resident of the U.S. to take advantage of this offer. And since we would not want this funding to go to waste, we do ask that all people requesting a card promise to make use of it by selecting a project and completing the funding process on the Donors Choose website.

Every little (or not so little) girl needs a unique special-occasion dress.

I’m not talking about the dress-up-party-make-it-with-six-pink-ruffles-and-sparkly kind of dress. I’m talking about the you-need-to-look-nice-but-not-like-you’re-trying-to-look-too-nice kind of dress. You know the dress I mean. It’s the one you wear for the school performance. The one you wear to grandma’s house for Easter Sunday dinner. The one you wear to this summer’s family reunion.

With a dress like this, the specialness needs to be in the little, and subtle, details. Short, sweet, slightly puffed sleeves with soft gathers at the cap create a unique silhouette that no one else will be wearing. Pintucks add a refined flair to a top or a bodice without making it seem overly fussy.

A button closure up the back provides an opportunity for you to add interesting visual details by choosing unique buttons.

Our signature hem facing, when completed in a contrast fabric, provides for a little surprise pop of color at the inside of the dress. And the rows of optional topstitching near the hem give the hem a little extra body while adding a fun detail to echo the pintucks.

The Family Reunion Dress is one of those dress patterns that can take on a wide variety of personalities depending on the fabric and embellishments you choose for the children you’re sewing for. The silhouette is clean and simple yet traditional and classic. For example, let’s say you make the dress in a solid-colored linen. Without any additional embellishment it can look minimalist and contemporary, relying exclusively on the structural elements of the pattern itself. But if you add a little contrast topstitching, some lace, or a little embroidery it will start to look like a classic heirloom that’s been handed down for generations. You’ll achieve an even wider variety of looks once you start thinking about prints and patterns. A small floral will look sweet and delicate.

A bold geometric print would give it a a more playful or casual feel.

The facing at the neck includes a unique construction method that we also used on the Class Picnic shorts. I don’t want to give away any surprises, but I’m almost certain that once you see how this is done you’ll use this technique over and over again in other sewing projects that involve outside facings. It’s really fun, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen it done this way before.

Choices, choices: you can make this pattern as a dress or a blouse, and you also have two options for embellishing the front, just below the neck band. The first is a simple little tab that highlights four tiny buttons of your choosing.

The second is a sweet little ruffle.

I imagine that you’ll think of additional ways to embellish this dress, too. I just finished making S a dress and added a little ribbon frill that I’ll show you soon. I can’t wait to see what you do with it.

If you’re in the New York City area (or if you want an excuse to come visit…), please join us at the New York Public Library on April 2 from 2:00 -4:00 for an Oliver + S Little Things to Sew Crafternoon event.

Bring the family. I’ll talk just a tiny bit about the book, show you some library-related inspiration, and then we’re going to make magnetic paper dolls and clothing, much like this magnetic paper doll I made for S a few years ago.

We’ll provide Oliver + S dolls, fabric scraps and trims, and all the supplies you’ll need to make your own paper doll.

You’re also more than welcome to bring a full-length 4″ x 6″ photo or drawing of someone you want to turn into a paper doll, if you’d like to personalize the project for someone you love, or for yourself. And there’s no sewing required for these dolls. We’ll stick with scissors and glue so everyone can participate. See all the details about the afternoon here.

We’re big believers in summer dresses at our house, but we know that every little girl needs pretty, relaxed shorts and tops in her summer wardrobe as well.

When I was working on this new sewing pattern I was thinking about the long, drowsy summer afternoons we spend watching the children chase each other through the sprinklers in the shady part of our neighborhood park. And dinners on the back patio at my sister’s house. And, of course, the annual class picnic, when games are played and everyone celebrates the last week of school. Winter must be nearly over, because I can almost feel the sun on my skin as I write this!

This blouse is my version of a classic peasant shirt. I cleaned up the style a bit, making it less voluminous through the body (all that fabric can swallow a child whole) and less cluttered through the neckline with a simple flat yoke at the front and back. The elastic in the shoulders at the raglan sleeves give it a flattering neckline that still allow it to be pulled on and off easily and provide a good fit. No slipping off the shoulders with this style.

The wide hems at the bottom and at the three-quarter-length sleeves will look especially nice with a lightweight or semi-sheer fabric (I had our lightweight Moda fabrics and Liberty of London lawn in mind here) because they give the hems a little more visual weight and substance. (The other nice thing about wide hems is that they can be let down to get a little extra wear out of the clothing as the child grows.) And lightweight cotton fabrics would be so cool and comfortable in the summer heat.

The shorts are easy to sew and to wear. They have elastic in the back waist so they can be pulled on and off easily, which is important when you’re in the middle of swimsuit weather, right? The details include a faux fly and a wide waistband with contrast fabric at the inside front waistband, just for fun.

The styling is almost a wrap look, and the interesting detail of the facing applied to the outside edge gives you lots of opportunity to show off the curved detail with a contrast or complimentary fabric. You could add a few buttons to the facing near the side seam for a little extra interest, too. I’ll have to show you what I mean sometime soon when I’ve had a chance to sew a few more pairs for S using some of the fabrics I’ve been setting aside for her summer clothing.

It’s finally time to take the wraps off our new spring and summer collection to give you a preview of the line.

This season, we are releasing three new patterns: two dresses and one blouse and shorts outfit.

So, without further ado, here we go.

The Family Reunion Dress pattern is a classic dress featuring pintucked pleats at the front and back, a choice of button tab or ruffle embellishment at the front, and a sweet neckline. The dress has gently gathered short sleeves, our signature hem facing with a sweet topstitched detail, and buttons up the back to complete the look. The dress can also be shortened into a blouse.

The Seashore Sundress pattern features button straps, princess seams, and two almost-invisible little pockets at the dropped waist which are perfect for stashing tiny treasures. The smaller of the two size ranges (6m-4) also includes our favorite bloomers pattern.

The Class Picnic Blouse + Shorts pattern will let you sew a comfortable and cute pair of elastic-waist shorts that include contrast trim, mock-wrap styling, and a faux fly. The matching raglan-sleeve pull-on blouse includes gathers at the yoke, elastic at the shoulders, three-quarter-length sleeves, and wide hems.

The patterns will be available in stores worldwide and on our website during the first full week of April. Be sure to sign up for our newsletter to be notified when the patterns become available. Wholesale customers can place pre-orders now by downloading the form from our Wholesale page.

Over the next few weeks we’ll be publishing more detailed posts here that highlight all the options included in each pattern. Check back frequently to see what we have in store for you this season.