A quick note for our wholesale customers. We’ll have a five-item trunk show featuring our newest styles available this spring and summer. If you’re interested in hosting the show in your shop, please contact us at information@oliverands.com to arrange a date.

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.

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.

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!”

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.

With tongue placed firmly in cheek, here’s the flier (designed by Heather Ross) for next month’s Modern Women of Sewing event at the New York Public Library.

We hope to see you there. Bonus points will be awarded to anyone sporting feathered hair or a jump suit.

One Jump Rope Dress has been fully prepped and is ready for demonstration on Saturday at Spool in Philadelphia. Can’t wait to meet some new friends and talk sewing all day!

The fabric I’m using for my dress is from Denyse Schmidt’s upcoming fabric line, Hope Valley. Gorgeous, isn’t it? I can’t wait for the fabrics to be available in stores. And vintage purple mother-of-pearl buttons just seemed appropriate, if I can bring myself to remove them from their card.

Update: Here’s a recap of the day (complete with photos) from the nice folks at Spool.

I’m excited to have been asked to join Heather Ross as a special guest for one of her upcoming weekend sewing getaways.

Heather, as you know, in addition to being a talented fabric designer is also the author of the wildly popular Weekend Sewing. What you might not know is that occasionally Heather plays party planner too and puts together actual weekends away where women do nothing but sew. (Well, from what I’ve heard, there is plenty of eating and a few other fun outdoor-type activities thrown in just as well, just for good measure.)

So please consider joining us at Blueberry Hill Inn in Goshen, VT for a weekend of serious social sewing, gourmet eating, and a little hiking and swimming at one of the most lovely little secret forest lakes in Vermont.

All the details, and information on registering, are available on Heather’s blog.

I love to teach, but I haven’t had much time in my schedule for teaching during the last year. It’s time we fixed that, right? I’m going to be coming out of semi-retirement to teach a special one-day-only class at Purl Patchwork in New York next Saturday, May 30 from 9:00AM-noon.

Purl just told me that there are still a few slots left in the class, so if your home base is New York and you’ve always wanted to make a sailboat top or learn to sew from a pattern, please join us.

Here’s the course description from Purl:

Join Liesl at Purl Patchwork in New York for a special one-day only workshop session.

If you’ve never sewn from a pattern before or if want to pick up a few tips to improve your sewing, this workshop is appropriate for you.

The session will focus on teaching you the steps involved in making the Oliver + S Sailboat Top. Liesl will demonstrate how to prepare and cut out the pattern, and then she’ll assemble the top while providing tips to help you improve your sewing. She’ll cover shortening and lengthening a pattern, sewing buttons and buttonholes, setting in a sleeve, and proper pressing techniques.

By the end of the demonstration, you’ll be all ready to make a Sailboat Top or many of the other Oliver + S patterns on your own and will feel more confident in your knowledge of sewing. Basic machine sewing experience is required.

You can contact Purl Patchwork at 212-420-8798 to register.

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.