I’ve been thinking a lot about piping this week. Not for any particular reason except that it somehow entered my mind that I’d like to add piping to the seam of the School Photo Dress. And when I did a quick search on the Oliver + S Flickr group I found this pretty one, already done. Isn’t it great? Since the print on this dress is large and rather busy, the piping is just a  subtle touch that breaks it up a bit so it isn’t completely overwhelming. Perfect.

(You can click on any of the images in this post to go through to the Flickr page for each photo where you’ll see whose lovely work each garment is.) If the fabric was a solid or a subtle print, you could also add piping to the vertical seams to emphasize the structure of the dress. It might be easier to eliminate the front pockets if you do this, however. I haven’t tried sewing them with piping.

Either way, I love the addition of  piping and thought I’d look around the Flickr group to see where you’ve been adding piping to your sewing. You’ve got lots of great ideas! Here are a few, just to show them off a bit. How about a Jump Rope Dress with piping at the collar and the pockets?

Or the Class Picnic Blouse with piping in the yoke seam?

This Class Picnic is great, too. I love the gingham and think the piping really shows off the yoke seam. (The monogram is a nice touch too, isn’t it?)

One of the great things about piping is that it’s great for boys and girls. Adding it to the edge of the Sailboat Pants emphasizes the nautical aspect of the pattern and shows off the construction of the pants as well.

And the Seashore Sundress is a perfect vehicle for piping, with all those seams that just beg for it. This version is subtle, and the rickrack is great addition as well. I like how you can see those little pockets a bit better with the piping, too.

This version is much brighter, with the piping at the edges instead of the seams. I love the combination of the two fabrics. They work really well for this dress!

And I’ll just sneak in one more example of piping here. This dress was inspired by Little Orphan Annie interpreted in a Puppet Show Dress. Love it. The piping at the cuffs is brilliant.

Beautiful work, all of you!

I was on my way to a presentation in Midtown yesterday morning and ended up chasing down a man ahead of me. I was curious about his raincoat, which it looked like he was wearing inside out, and I just had to get a better look. So if you can imagine it, I went dashing down the subway platform in heels, carrying a heavy tote bag on one shoulder and swinging a large portfolio in the other hand (very glamorous, me with all my bags), just hoping I could catch up to him before he got onto the subway and the doors closed without me.

But I caught him! And I’m still not certain, but it looked like his raincoat wasn’t inside out at all but was designed to look as though it was worn inside out. It was a stone-colored trench coat with a full lining. The edges of the facings and the seam allowances were all bound in bright orange, and the label sewn into the center back was also bright orange. I didn’t see who made the jacket, but it was really beautifully made, and if it had actually been inside out the lining would have pulled and distorted. (Linings are usually a bit smaller than the jacket itself.)

Anyway, this got me thinking again about bias binding as a design element. The Oliver + S patterns often use a little bias binding at sleeve hems for a neat, clean finish. For example, both the long sleeve and the three-quarter sleeve version of our new Apple Picking Dress use bias binding at the sleeves. But have you even considered using bias in other places on a garment as a design detail? What about using it as the hem on both skirt ruffles of the dress (View A) as well? Here are two illustrations that demonstrate what it might look like.

I think it’s a cute way to emphasize the double ruffles at the hem and to relate back to the sleeve detail. It’s also a great way to incorporate a contrast or complimentary color or print.

And you won’t need to wear anything inside out to get the look, either.

Bias is easy to make and to apply. I’ve given very though instructions for it in Little Things to Sew, if you’re interested in trying it. I’m curious to see how you use it in your own sewing projects!

Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about the little things that make a garment special. A running stitch is an easy hand-stitched detail that can be added to a collar, a placket, a side seam or hem or lots of other places.

These are a couple of shirts I found in S’s closet, both with a running stitch at the collar. I like the variegated thread colors in the blouse on the right.

A running stitch would be an easy addition to the Music Class blouse collar. It would be cute on the sleeve cuffs, too. You could also use it anywhere you would usually topstitch or edgestitch. In fact, when I was shopping yesterday I noticed a beautiful blouse that had contrast running stitch on pintucks in place of the usual tiny machine stitches. Easy detail, lots of impact on the finished piece. I’m still debating whether to add a running stitch to the linen Music Class blouse I finally finished making for S.

Thankfully, it fits, even though I cut it out last summer. If this hot weather continues, she might even wear it a few times before she outgrows it!