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.

It’s a fascinating fabric, and it really is made of two layers of gauze. They’re woven together on the loom, which is what that white dot on the fabric is–the inside layer of gauze is white, and when the threads trade places on the loom, a little “stitch” of white shows on the purple side while a “stitch” of purple shows on the white side. You could use either side of the fabric as the right side, since the two sides are identical but opposite.

She looks ready for summer, doesn’t she?

Double gauze can be quite drapey, so it’s better suited to some styles than others. I was pleasantly surprised to see it used very effectively in this adorable Birthday Party dress on the Oliver + S Flickr group. This particular version uses a Heather Ross print. Printing gives the double gauze a stiffer hand, which certainly helps to keep this dress looking crisp and summery.

If you haven’t tried this fabric yet, I strongly recommend it. It’s perfect for those really warm days of summer, which I hear are on their way.

Here’s a little trick that will prevent an elastic waistband from turning and getting twisted.

Leave a little extra space in the width of the casing, and edgestitch the top edge of the waistband before you feed the elastic through. For some reason, that top row of stitching will prevent the elastic from folding over on itself when the elastic is added.

You can use this little trick in any elastic waistband, but it seems to be more of an issue in waistbands that have elastic all the way around; back-only elastic waistbands have less of a tendancy to twist and turn.

Try this little tip in the Lazy Days Skirt, the Bedtime Story Pajamas, and the Puppet Show Shorts and I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised at the results!

This post from the Superbuzzy blog gives some great tips on pre-shrinking flannel before sewing it.

I’m about to try it for Dr. S’s winter Bedtime Story pjs, which will look exactly like these from our fall trunk show. She can’t wait!

This sample kimono top recently returned from the pattern grader, and I was surprised at how much I like that little bit of contrast fabric that got added to the neckband now that I see it again. I had cut the band too short (it was an early test pattern and I think I eyeballed the neckband rather than create a pattern piece for it), so I grabbed the nearest available fabric to fix the problem.

At first it looked wrong to me, but now I sort of like that fun little pop. I may use this idea again the next time I sew the pajamas.

The Bedtime Story pajamas are designed to be a beginning-level pattern for someone who may have sewn one or two projects before but hasn’t necessarily followed a pattern yet. They would be a good project for for a sewing class, too.

One bedtime last spring, Tsia (the “S” of Oliver + S) was out of clean pajamas, and I happened to have a size 3 pajama pattern cut out. She stayed up a little later than usual, and I was able to sew and finish the pajamas in approximately an hour. They’re that easy. (Well, and I’m a pretty fast sewer, too.)

She needs a new pair for winter. Flannel this time. With that little contrast at the neckband and tie, I think.

The fall trunk show has left the building. First stop: Quilt Essential Fabrics in Abbotsford, British Columbia.

We showed you the fabrics we selected for the show. Would you like to see how the samples turned out?

I think the fabrics in the 2 + 2 blouse and skirt are so fun together, with all those polka dots in different scales. We used a light-weight quilting cotton for the blouse, since the heavier home dec quality would have been too stiff. But the pleats look terrific in the heavier fabric. I want to wear this one myself!

The playdate dress has the same print as the 2 + 2 skirt, but in a different colorway. And I like how the weight of the fabric helps to maintain a crisp inverted pleat at the front. The patterned piping gives the dress a fun little shot of color and texture, too.

The Sandbox pants look great in corduroy, and the use of a printed fabric at the waistband adds a little interest without overwhelming it.

Flannel Bedtime Story pajamas are cozy for fall, and we used the home dec fabric for the neckband, waistband, and leg trim. Again, I like how just a bit of the busy print doesn’t overwhelm the outfit but gives it a little pop.

And the Sunday Brunch turned out beautifully. I really need to take a photo of the inside of the jacket because our sample maker did such an amazing job with the binding at the seams. It’s as beautiful inside as it is outside, which is really saying something for an un-lined jacket. That little kick pleat at the back skirt looks really nice and crisp in the heavier fabric, too.

I neglected to ask our sample makers whether I can identify them here. Is it ok, everyone? I’m thrilled at what beautiful work they did, and I’m sure they’re pround of it as well.

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!

Meet Oliver.

We needed a boy around here, didn’t we? This fall when the evenings start to cool down, Oliver and his friend, S, will both be sporting easy-to-sew, kimono-inspired pajamas.

During the day, Oliver and S can both wear their favorite Sandbox Pants to the playground, along with freezer-paper-template starfish painted on their t-shirts.

Meanwhile, S …

… has a few daytime options of her own. For playing paper dolls with friends, she might wear her Playdate dress.

If she’s headed off to school, perhaps it’s the 2 Plus 2 pleated skirt with gathered-front tunic blouse.

On weekends, her Sunday Brunch jacket and skirt look great at the neighborhood creperie, where she goes with her parents (with Nutella crepes for dessert!).

No matter what the occasion, we think they’ll both be suitably dressed.

All patterns will be available in August, with an expanded size range from 6 months through 8 years. And for the next two weeks, all website orders for Spring collection patterns will include a fall preview paper doll set, featuring both Oliver + S and their new fall outfits. Enjoy!