love Liberty

Liberty fabrics are all the rage these days, not just among crafters, but also in the fashion industry. All the top magazines seem to be featuring Liberty prints, as you can see from these tearsheets I've collected over the past few months.





Of course, sewers have long appreciated these amazing fabrics. The cotton has a lightweight, silky hand, and the prints are beautifully executed and amazingly detailed. I first encountered Liberty lawn in my early 20's when I came across rolls of the luxurious lawn in a dusty corner bin at B&J Fabrics one day after work. Back then I couldn't afford to purchase suitable work clothing for myself, so saved up birthday money and spent my evenings stitching wool suits and skirts. But when I found those amazing prints I knew I aspired to them. I still carry around swatches and splurge whenever I have the opportunity.


One of the great things about making kids' clothing is that they don't take much fabric, so although the Liberty prints are more expensive than most cottons, they're still affordable in the small quantities needed for little dresses and tops. The Bubble Dress lends itself especially well to Liberty fabric; the weight of the fabric is perfect for the lined dress. This one was sewn by Keri of A Bookish Life for her little daughter, C (be sure to click that link--you've got to see her adorable face).

I love how simultaneously timeless and modern the dress looks. Again, one of the great things about Liberty; it never goes out of style.

(Keri's photo is used with her permission. Thanks, Keri!)

fall preview

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!

fresh orange

This awesome twosome was sewn by Aimee (of Betsy Ross Patterns fame) for the new Spool shop in Philadelphia, and I love everything about them.

Aimee clearly understands the Oliver + S "look." Her choice of colors (neutrals with a shot of brilliant orange), prints (sophisticated and bold but not overpowering), and buttons (cute but not "cutesy") are perfect. And I love her use of the Michael Miller Organics line.


The end result is a clean, fresh simplicity that's perfect for spring and summer.

You can read more about Aimee's choices on the Spool blog. Personally, I'm looking at orange with a fresh eye again.

esprit de tete?

When I worked as a designer at Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hilfiger we spent loads of time putting together "rigs," or inspiration boards, every season. These were never simple tear sheets pinned to a wall; they were elaborate combinations of artwork, mannequins dressed in vintage and new garments, carefully selected props and furniture, and swatches of fabrics we had developed or selected specially for the group we were designing. The idea was, essentially, to express the mood or theme for the season in an unmistakable way. It wasn't conceptual; it was nearly literal.


Now that I work for me, my inspiration boards tend to be located more in my mind than on a wall someplace. (That's the great thing about being your own boss; I still work with a theme or inspiration every season, but I don't really need to explain it to myself. The down side of the be-your-own-boss arrangement, however, is that the boss never leaves and lets you slack off a bit during the day.)

Lots of different things inspire me in my design: my daughter, things I see on the streets or in photos, various books and ideas, or a particular print or fabric. It's always changing.


But one inspiration that's stuck with me for years now is the old ads and mood of Esprit back in the 1980s. There was something so fresh and fun about that company and their clothing, and I still return to that mood when I'm designing. In a large part, the Esprit spirit (ok, that's repetitive; Esprit is French for "spirit," I know) has inspired the fall collection we're preparing to show at Quilt Market in May.


I had the good fortune of doing some work for Esprit a few years ago, and part of my work involved travelling to the company headquarters in San Francisco. The building is still standing (actually it was re-built after a fire a number of years ago), but the company itself was merely a shadow of its former self when I visited; large portions of the building sat completely empty, and the beautiful Amish quilts that Suzy and Doug Tompkins collected were long gone, leaving bare walls behind.


In a way, I suppose it was better for me that the building sat nearly empty. I was able to project my own memories onto the empty structure and to imagine it in its glory days. And I suppose that keeping my inspiration boards in my head is especially appropriate when it comes to Esprit; although still a clothing company today, the old Esprit exists only in my mind now. If I tried to pin it to a wall it probably would not live up to my memories.

So I'll just keep it conceptual. After all, the boss knows exactly what I'm talking about when I try to explain it to her.