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notches

2010-02-04T09:13:00.001-05:00

Save pens; use Garamond: Flowing Data

How to report the news on TV: You Tube

How a counterfeit bill fights corruption: The World Bank

Ever seen a Gandhiwarmer?: Hi Low & In Between

White on white: Erasing

Moving a giant sculpture, by helicopter: ArtBabble

Protectors of art, Sentry and Guardians: Andy Freeberg Photography

Bulletproof fashion, "I shoot all my employees": CNN

boutique sewer profile: Jeanie Taylor

2010-02-03T08:52:00.001-05:00

We're continuing our series of posts highlighting participants in the Boutique Sewer Program by introducing Jeanie Taylor from Cape Cod, MA. Jeanie sells her work through her boutique sewing business, The Pea Green Boat.

Jeanie, why don't you tell us a little about yourself and your background. When and how did you learn to sew?
I live on Cape Cod in a magical house in the woods. It was created by and for a local potter on the grounds of his pottery, and every time I drive home through my own sculpture garden, I feel very lucky. My home is temporary, but one of the things the last year has reminded me is that everything is temporary.

I grew up on the coast of Texas in Port Arthur, hometown of Janis Joplin and Mary Karr. I climbed trees and hung upside down on the trapeze in my backyard, and I read and read and read. My mom sewed a lot, and my job was hand sewing the hems. The first real garment I made was in junior high in home ec, and I am pretty sure I never wore it. It was turquoise, some kind of tunic, and to my eyes really ugly.

When I graduated from college I worked for a year as a newspaper reporter, and one day I found a Singer treadle machine in the classified ads before they went into the paper. It cost $10, and it served me well for a long time. As a reporter I covered the Miss World USA Pageant, and for the ball (where the winner was escorted by the police chief dressed in a too-short brown suit) I made my escort beautiful wool formal bib overalls with a cummerbund and silver buckles. I also made my wedding dress, a sweet 1970s cotton dress, perfect for a simple wedding in the yard.

Over the years I made all kinds of things for my kids and myself. During a year spent in Scotland I got the chance to use Liberty fabrics, viyella, and other fabrics that weren’t available in my local store. I did smocking and used Folkwear patterns to make clothing for family and friends.

In addition to making clothing I used my imagination and fabric to decorate our world. Our 1920s house had a sleeping porch that we used as a playroom. It had lots of windows and yellow walls, and I made soft, puffy, satin clouds to hang from the ceiling. For Christmas I made smaller versions of the clouds with hanging ribbon rainbows to hang on the tree and puffy satin hearts to add to the evergreen garland that twisted down the banister.

One of my part-time jobs when my kids were small was working in a fancy gift store that carried beautiful yarns. After months of looking at it and touching it, I decided I had to learn to knit, so my co-workers taught me. I loved knitting, and I made lots of sweaters for my kids and myself, doing very little sewing during those years.

Then I went from being a part-time worker with kids to being a full-time worker with kids to being a full-time worker with kids and a full-time graduate student, and all my crafting was put aside.

I took knitting up again a few years ago hoping that the occupation would help me stop smoking. I did stop smoking, but not because of the knitting. What did the trick was my son saying, “We want you to be healthy and well so that you can run around in the yard with your (future) grandchildren.”

How did you first discover Oliver + S patterns?
My first grandchild was born almost two years ago, and when I knew she was coming all my creative juices kicked in. I began searching for patterns for sewing and knitting, looking at fabric and yarn, and planning a lifetime of garments. Early in my search I discovered the Oliver + S patterns online, and I fell in love.

How did you come to participate in the boutique sewer program?
It never occurred to me that I would make clothing for sale, but two things led the way to the opening of my Etsy shop. I lost my job, and I wanted to make more garments than my granddaughter could ever wear.

A few months after my granddaughter’s birth, I got a new job in Boston to be closer to family. After thirty years in the Midwest, very far from the ocean, I moved east and started my job in September 2008. In January 2009, my new job disappeared in the chaos of the economy.

I moved from Boston to Cape Cod where winter rents were manageable and the ocean was almost at my door. It took a while for me to begin to imagine the Etsy shop, because I was sure that a new job was just around the corner. But gradually I got very excited about the idea of offering my clothing (and other things) for sale, and after a few months I got brave enough to call myself a boutique sewer.

How do you choose fabrics for the garments that you make, and what fabrics are you working with these days?
I have always loved fabric and yarn--beautiful colors, textures, and design. The fabric is a key part of everything I create. I prefer natural fibers and high quality fabrics, believing that the effort it takes to make a garment well should be matched by the quality of the fabric.

Right now I am working with some Liberty viscose, cotton laminate, cotton batik, and organic cotton fleece. I have a beautiful mola from South America that I plan to incorporate into a special dress.

What other crafts do you pursue?
I make all sorts of things like garlands and necklaces. I continue to knit, and I am venturing into a bit of quilting. I work part-time in an independent fabric store filled with quilters, and I am currently making an abstract silk quilted table runner.

What have you done to market your business that has been successful for you?
I am still learning how to market my business. The boutique sewer program is a wonderful opportunity to reach people who love wonderful design. I have also used the Etsy showcases to call attention to my shop.

What plans do you have for the future?
Given the last year I plan only a few months ahead, but my current plan for my shop is to spend the next few months really building up my stock so that I can place a web ad in a location that will call attention to The Pea Green Boat. I am also considering beginning a blog, perhaps.

dressing for real life

2010-02-01T09:38:00.003-05:00

We've fielded a lot of Formspring questions over the past few weeks, several of which have asked about how much sewing I do for S and what her wardrobe looks like.

I'm no Supermom, and I don't even try to set myself the goal of making everything she wears. But we do have fun mixing and matching her wardrobe with things I've made and things we've purchased or have been given.

This weekend it was pretty cold here in New York, and yesterday we were meeting a friend for brunch. We wanted to wear lots of layers to stay warm on our walk to the restaurant. S chose her tights first, so that's how her outfit started: with the mid-sized polka dot print. We picked out a long-sleeved thermal shirt for warmth, and layered a kimono-style top over it. (Yes, the Bedtime Story PJ top makes a great shirt, too.)

The floral print in the top was our large-scale print. Then we added the mini polka dot Sailboat skirt and topped it all off with her brown cardigan. There were a lot of patterns happening in this outfit, but we tried to pull it together with a tight color palette (brown and aqua) and a variety of scales in the patterns.

Sometimes it's fun to do serious mixing and matching like this. Don't feel limited to mixing only the tops and the bottoms that come together in the pattern envelope.

notches

2010-01-28T08:48:00.001-05:00

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's a: Craftastrophe

A giant knitted rock: Craft Business

From the annals of brilliant ideas in reusable packaging design: Subtraction

A great opportunity for fabric lovers who live in Portland: Heather Ross

Make your own Playdough brain: Spike

Cat shaped spots--on a cat: The WOW Report

Zee Avi, the best (and probably only) Borneo-born ukulele player you'll see this week: Studio 360/You Tube

Oh, the temptation of the infamous marshmallow test: Vimeo

What was in "Miss Average College Girl's" closet in 1941: Hand-Made, NYPL

What drives the boom-and-bust cycle--low interest rates or the animal spirits: Econstories.tv

Daybreak, UT: Triple Canopy

fabric series on the BurdaStyle blog

2010-01-26T12:04:00.001-05:00

Over the next year, I'll be contributing a monthly column to the BurdaStyle blog that goes into geek-level detail on fabrics. The column runs on the last Tuesday of each month.

The first piece in the series, a basic primer on fabric construction terminology, published this morning.

In upcoming months, I'll be covering topics such as the different types of natural and man-made fibers, uncommon fabric types, how to shop for interesting apparel-sewing fabrics, and how a designer puts together a fabric collection.

Enjoy!

notches

2010-01-21T09:08:00.002-05:00

A shop to benefit the work of Doctors Without Borders in Haiti: Etsy

Tutorial for a cat house: Sewtakeahike

Shortbread buttons: Forty-Sixth at Grace

The number of Crayola crayons doubles every 28 years: Weather Sealed

Carved baseball bats: Craftzine

The iVictrola: YouTube

Reminder: only two more days left in our winter free shipping sale; coupon codes can be found here

ask us

2010-01-18T08:13:00.000-05:00

During the month of January, we're giving you the opportunity to ask Oliver + S a question. Any question.

Since we opened up our Formspring page for questions, we've fielded over 30 excellent inquiries on topics ranging from how to make specific types of alterations to what music is playing at the studio on a typical day.

We'll continue answering your questions here for the next couple weeks, so think of that issue that you have always wondered about and ask away.

small but mighty

2010-01-15T00:41:00.004-05:00

Not only an apt description of Cloth and Bobbin, in lovely Narberth, PA, but this phrase potentially describes the School Days raincoat I'm about to make during our workshop tomorrow.

This Amy Butler print is not exactly small, with bright pink and orange in a large, bold repeat. But when finished, the jacket should, indeed, look small and mighty.

If you can quickly cut your fabric in preparation, I think there is still a space left in the class! Contact Johanna for details.

notches

2010-01-14T09:16:00.000-05:00

The best passive aggressive fridge notes of last year: Passive Aggressive Notes

The cutest things of last year: Cute Overload

Interesting piece on copyright and ethical dressmaking: The Sewing Academy

We're totally doing this at our house: Cakies

If we lived in Minneapolis, we would totally do this: Twin Cities Daily Planet

Monkeys teach their babies to floss: BBC

Ah, siblings: Spike

That's the way I like it: YouTube

Loving this woven cowl: SwissMiss

principles of fabric selection: approach juvenile prints with caution

2010-01-12T08:37:00.002-05:00

I've been dreading this blog post because it means we've come to the end of my Principles of Fabric Selection series. But I know many of you have been waiting to hear what I have to say on this topic, so here we go.

Juvenile prints are a subset of the larger print category known as conversational prints, or prints with pictures in them. They are intended to appeal to a young person and often feature animals or toys. Juvenile prints are cute and appealing and seem to be frequently used by home seamstresses, maybe because they are so different from prints typically found in ready-made clothing.

I like juvenile prints. I just don't like them to be very juvenile. I like little robots and flowers and animals and things as long as there's some degree of sophistication to them. (There's that word--sophisticated--again.)

The Japanese fabric companies seem to handle this well. They print on unbleached linen or on a solid background. The prints are small and spare with lots of empty space around the images. And in general the prints aren't powder pink, baby blue, or filled with loads of vibrant primary colors that compete with each other for your attention.

I also like Heather Ross's designs (disclosure: Heather is a friend in addition to being a talented illustrator and designer) because although they're filled with brilliant colors, the palettes are sophisticated (i.e., not just primary colors) and the images are a little quirky rather than being saccharine sweet. Just like Heather. (Just kidding, Heather. Or maybe you would take that as a compliment....)

So let's say you fall in love with a particular juvenile print and really want to use it. What's the best way to sew clothing that doesn't overpower the child or overwhelm the viewer? Well, all those other principles of fabric selection we've already discussed can help. You might pick a solid or neutral color to pair with the print to help tone it down a bit, or find a small supporting print from another fabric collection that enhances it. Here are a few examples from the Oliver + S Flickr group that I thought handled juvenile prints especially well.

This owl print is used in just a small quantity and, paired with the gray solid, provides a nice touch of whimsy that doesn't overpower.

Heather's matryoshka dolls are cute on a brown ground, and I love the black and white gingham ribbon at the hem of this Lazy Days skirt. Very sophisticated.

While this Japanese print might otherwise overwhelm, I think this dress is successful because there is plenty of white space around around the characters, and the white bib with elegant brown buttons helps to frame her darling little face. (Note that this print definitely works best on younger children like this little sweetie!)

Here is another Japanese print that's been paired with a red and white gingham for great effect. Cute, right?

This is a subtle juvenile print on an unbleached linen/cotton ground. (Oh, those fabulous Japanese fabric companies!) I love how this one is paired with a subtle neutral-patterned print on top, and the red piping and buttons give this Tea Party Playsuit its pop of color while tying the prints together. It's very successful.

Plenty of white space between these Heather Ross bicycles, and I love the way the piping continues the small-scale pattern from the dress yoke. This is really a wonderful dress.

Using this Heather Ross print for the entire dress would not have occurred to me, and I think it's especially successful because of the solid piping. I really love this one.

This preppy whale print verges on overwhelming, but the small size of the skirt combined with the ric-rac trimmed gingham pockets somehow rescues it, and I love it for that. This is such a fun summer skirt that could be worn with a simple white top and red sandals.

I really like how the dark red yoke of this Tea Party Sundress picks up the tiny bits of red in the print.

The playful elephant print looks great because it's limited to two colors. I like the combination of a fun print with the more grown-up Sunday Brunch jacket.

And by the way, this principle does not apply to PJs. When it comes to sleepwear, anything goes!

free shipping through January 22

2010-01-11T08:17:00.002-05:00

How about some inspiration to start a couple sewing projects this new year?

From now through January 22, order two or more patterns on the Oliver + S website and shipping to addresses in the United States and Canada is on us. Live outside North America? We'll take $6.00 off shipping for your order.

To receive free shipping on your U.S. or Canadian order, use coupon code FREESHIPJAN at checkout.
For discounted shipping to other countries, use coupon code DISCSHIPJAN.

Happy shopping!

notches

2010-01-05T09:33:00.002-05:00

How a fabric collection is created and produced: Moda

Sewing industry best of the decade list: Sew Mama Sew

Mornings just aren't the same without Carl: NPR

Fabulous elephant tea packaging on one of our favorite inspirational blogs: Lovely Package

Finding beauty in decay: The Ruins of Detroit

Training wheels are now a thing of the past: Gyrobike

Recreating American Gothic: Period Wardrobe

Beautiful vintage embroidery transfers: Collette Patterns

Photos of our favorite new New York park: Yarnstorm

Inspiring pattern picks: Alabama Chanin

notches: special new year's edition

2010-01-01T08:51:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year, ABBA style: YouTube

This year's ball drop in Times Square ("Blah, blah, blah. Move it along Coops."): CNN via Mediaite

New Year's Eve at Studio 54, 1978: MoMA

No New Year's resolution yet? No worries thanks to the New Year's resolution generator: Monina Velarde

Love all these holiday windows: On the Street, New York Times

Recap of a nice Christmas tradition we'll consider adopting for next year: Inchmark

notches

2009-12-29T08:21:00.002-05:00

Animals in utero: io9

Guerrilla handbell strikeforce: Improv Everywhere

Surfboards? Yes, surfboards!: Heather Ross

Thank goodness we can stitch directly from point A to point B--unlike how you must drive in Boston: Cartogrammar

Japanese design principles: Swissmiss

cooking and stitching

2009-12-28T08:59:00.000-05:00

When I first started cooking with Alice Waters' book, The Art of Simple Food, I couldn't quite put my finger on why I loved the book so much. But it started me making souffles and simple salads in a way I hadn't done before.

Then a few weeks ago I baked Todd a bread pudding from this recipe and loved the experience. And it suddenly dawned on me what appealed so much about these recipes: they explain the process of baking and educate me about why the steps are done in a particular way. For example, the bread pudding recipe instructs, "It is important to create an emulsion quickly or else a chemical reaction that produces heat will occur. If you do not whisk immediately, this heat will cook the egg yolks and cause lumps in the custard." Ah ha! So now I know what I'm doing and why I'm doing it.

It occurred to me that I like recipes like this so much because they use the same philosophy I use when writing sewing patterns. I think it's fun and useful to learn why things are done a particular way, and it makes me a better cook (or seamstress) when I understand the process rather than just following a set of instructions.

notches

2009-12-23T13:34:00.000-05:00

Quality, not luxury: W

Santas, Santas, Santas: On the Street, The New York Times

This should be hanging above everyone's sewing machine: The Blue Gardenia

Today's moment of cute; a baby hedgehog!: Pixdaus

field testing the School Days Jacket

2009-12-21T09:02:00.001-05:00

Remember that wool-cashmere blend School Days Jacket? We had the chance to do some serious field testing on it yesterday.

It passed all our tests with flying colors. See disdressed for the full visual recap.

inspiring books

2009-12-18T09:33:00.001-05:00

Several people have asked about the books we presented during last Saturday's Crafternoon at the New York Public Library. Jessica Pigza, our wonderful sewing librarian who organized the event, has posted a summary with catalog links to many of the books on her blog. I hope you'll have a chance to look at some of these materials--we enjoyed seeing the books and images that inspire each other and each managed to learn something new in the process.

This is a cover from the July 1928 issue of Amateur Golfer magazine. Who knew golfing could be so inspirational!

spoonflower and kids

2009-12-17T21:10:00.001-05:00

We love Spoonflower. If you're not familiar with this innovative company, they can digitally print your designs onto a variety of fabrics like quilting cotton, sateen, and even a new linen/cotton canvas quality. Heather Ross made her skirt for our library appearance last week by printing onto Spoonflower's sateen, and it looked fantastic! The fabric has a nice hand, the printing quality is very high, and the price is shockingly affordable for custom printing of such a high caliber.

Every week Spoonflower has a fabric contest, and this week's contest required entrants to "create a sewing pattern and design for an article of children's clothing that includes -- in one yard -- all the pieces, cut lines, seam allowances and short instructions printed directly on the fabric." No easy task right? Well, they received seventeen entries!

I'm so impressed with this design by Sylvia Ion. The dress design itself, the print (love the lace!), and the accompanying illustration are all adorable, professional, and very clever. So you know who I'm voting for. What about you?

saturday at the New York Public Library

2009-12-14T09:57:00.000-05:00

Everyone had a great time on Saturday. And so many of you attended! Thank you, everyone who came. It's always lots of fun to meet other crafters and to get to know you. Many of you had cameras, too, so I'm hoping to see some photos of the event.

Heather showed us the most amazing illustrated books of field flowers and fish (as well as a mermaid!), and Denyse shared some old quilt books and contemporary art as inspiration. I was happy to display those fashion plates I showed you on Friday, along with some materials that have been inspiring me for some soon-to-be-announced projects.

I told you we had a beautiful room? I neglected to ask anyone to take photos, so these pictures were taken by S on our way out.

Thank you to to our friend and librarian Jessica Pigza, to Crafternoon author and organizer Maura Madden, to the staff of the library, and to Heather, who organized the event. And you must see Heather's skirt, made specially for the occasion using images from the library's digital collection. She also includes instructions for making it using a modified pattern from her book, so visit her blog for details.

come tomorrow; it'll be fun!

2009-12-11T08:08:00.001-05:00

The decorations are up, and we've been relocated to an amazing (and slightly larger) room for tomorrow's event at the New York Public Library. You won't believe how beautiful the space is!

Here are some images from one book I've selected to talk about at the event. It's filled with fashion plates from the 1930's.

I spent Wednesday afternoon blissfully working away in one of the reading rooms. It doesn't really feel like work when you're sitting in such a beautifully appointed room, believe me.

So pages have been turned, illustrations have been gushed over, and selections have been made. We have a treasure trove of materials to show you at the library tomorrow. And we'll be doing a little crafting (and maybe some holiday snacking?), too!

Find all the details here and here. Bring your sewing supplies, and I'll also be bringing materials for making walnut boat ornaments (no sewing necessary).

So, as my old boss (and dear friend) used to say, "Come tomorrow. It'll be fun!"

school days at cloth & bobbin

2009-12-09T15:41:00.000-05:00

Registration is now open for Liesl's January 16 School Days Jacket and Coat workshop at Cloth & Bobbin in Narberth, PA.

Signing up for the workshop will give you an excuse to visit both a beautiful little town located 10 miles outside Philadelphia and a delightful little fabric shop. (The owner, Johanna Hertz, jokingly refers to it as "a small, but mighty, fabric and notions store.")

Cloth & Bobbin carries the high-quality, designer-focused fabrics stocked by the best independent quilt stores. They also have a selection of mid-weight and home dec cottons, in addition to a new selection of laminated cottons and "honest-to-goodness" oilcloth--perfect for making the raincoat version of the School Days Jacket.

The town of Narberth, home to Cloth & Bobbin for the last two years, has wonderful shopping: a knitting store, a Japanese grocery store, French bakery, women's clothing, and children's consignment shops--all located in a quaint, walkable downtown area radiating out from the train station that provides regular service to Philadelphia.

If you're interested in joining the workshop, contact Cloth & Bobbin at (610) 667-5366 to register.

her new winter coat

2009-12-07T22:51:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago on my personal blog, I posted about going fabric shopping for S's new winter coat? Well, while at Mood I fell in love with this amazing navy blue wool-cashmere blend. It was $40 a yard, but trust me when I tell you that if you felt it you would understand. Really. It's incredibly thick and soft and totally worth the price. (And $40 is actually really cheap for quality coating, I think, despite how it may sound if you're not accustomed to shopping for coat fabrics.) I briefly considered wrapping myself up inside it right there on the third floor of the store, but that would have been weird.

So I took it home and got busy, sewing just a few seams a day. I was almost finished with the outside (why do these projects seem to go so much faster when I'm not writing sewing instructions simultaneously?) when it occurred to me to insulate it!

I was inspired by this coat in our Flickr group, so I started searching around to find the right interlining when I came across Thinsulate. I had to try it, at least for the sake of research, right?

Well, this particular quality of Thinsulate is not so thin. Definitely thicker than I expected. I was a bit stunned when I opened the package. Apparently it comes in different lofts, like quilt batting, but this one is thick, and I started to feel a little intimidated by it.

But never fear; I soldiered on. I had already assembled the coat lining (it's a Robert Kaufman print I purchased at Treadle Yard Goods in St. Paul, MN last spring), and because I was concerned about the bulk I constructed what equates to a second lining from the Thinsulate. I cut out the lining pieces from Thinsulate and sewed them together in the same way as the lining.

After I sewed the lining to the facing I pinned the Thinsulate behind the lining and edgestitched it to the facing to hold it in place. It was sort of like sewing two linings to one coat, only one of them was about 80 times thicker than the other. When I hemmed the coat and the sleeves I folded the coat fabric over the Thinsulate so it wouldn't get in the way of the lining. And that's really the only thing I did differently in making it.

But the happy (and rather surprising) news is that I sewed the entire coat on my little Janome Jem--not exactly a heavy-duty sewing machine, no matter what they say. So if you're worried about sewing a thick coat on a not-so-heavy-duty machine, it's totally do-able. The walking foot really made it possible. I highly recommend getting one if you don't have and use it already. It's great for thick fabrics as well as laminates (and, of course, quilts).

I think this a really heavy-duty winter coat. It's definitely keeping her warm, even now that it's gotten pretty cold here. I was planning to make the removable quilting lining as well, but I'm afraid the bulk of the Thinsulate would make poor Tsia look like the Michelin Man, not to mention preventing her moving. And it appears that she's going to be plenty warm without it, although I may still make it anyway. I'm wondering if the Thinsulate will live up to its name and actually flatten out a bit after some wearing.

So there's only one problem with the coat: my kid keeps growing, and I sort of forgot that she's nearly 5 now. I made a size 4 and added an inch to the sleeves, to be let out next year. Now I'm nervous that she's going to outgrow her coat before then!

Can you see that mischievous gleam in her eye? She's scheming to grow another three inches before next year, I can just feel it.

P.S. Just before I posted this, I came across this article about adding a layer of insulation by interlining a garment. This isn't how I did it (the seams still would have been too bulky, I think), but you might consider this method if you want to try adding lighter insulation to a coat or jacket. At Oliver + S, we frequently use the interlining technique when we're making samples with really lightweight fabrics. A skirt made of Liberty Tana Lawn benefits greatly from an interlining of lightweight cotton. Just FYI.

free holiday mitten ornament

2009-11-30T14:12:00.000-05:00

At this time last year, we published a free downloadable pattern for a mitten ornament that can be used either on the Christmas tree or to make a non-traditional advent calendar.

Here's the post from last year where you can download this simple pattern.

Happy holidays!

principles of fabric selection: tonal and two-color prints look very fresh

2009-11-23T09:36:00.001-05:00

Next time I do a series of principles like this, remind me to list fewer principles! I feel like we've already addressed this principle in the course of covering some of the others, so I'll make this a quick post.

As I've mentioned before, I really like the refreshing look of tonal and two-color prints right now. They're easy on the eye, especially with the amount of color that has been prevalent in the market in recent years. In the Flickr group, I was able to find several great examples of how you have used tonal and two color prints in your Oliver + S outfits, and I'll highlight some of my favorites here. I hope you enjoy seeing them as much as I did.

Black and white in a subtle combination (if there's ever been such a thing as subtle black and white!) make a really elegant but age-appropriate Sunday Brunch Jacket and Skirt.

This Tea Party Dress has more than two colors, but the color palette is tight: brown, gold and shades of blue. This qualifies as tonal in my book. I think this dress is fantastically successful and understated while remaining playful and interesting:

Here is a 2 + 2 Blouse in a really wonderful red and white print from Valori Wells's Del Hi collection. I love how simple and clean this print looks.

Here is another two-color print with red and white. This Tea Party Sundress looks great with the addition of a third color, since it's still clean and not overwhelming.

Yellow and white looks fresh and exuberant, especially for spring and summer. This trendy jacquard-inspired print (another traditional print that's been updated for today) on a Puppet Show Tunic looks clean and youthful while remaining subtle and not overwhelming.

I like the neutral, muted tones of the print on this Bubble Dress. These colors are great for winter or summer, I think.

And since the next (and last!) principle of fabric selection discusses juvenile prints, I thought it would be nice to include this tonal School Days Raincoat as a teaser. See the little pigs on the print? I love how subtle and whimsical they are.