Today we’re releasing our next two digital patterns: the Tea Party Sundress & Playsuit and the Sailboat Top, Skirt & Pants. These early Oliver + S styles were very popular while they were in print, and we’re happy to be able to make them available again in digital form.

Over coming  months, we will be releasing two additional styles each month until all our out-of-print patterns are available again as digital downloads.

This doesn’t mean that we’re giving up on paper. We plan to keep all the styles that use our current size ranges (6M-4 and 5-12) in print for the foreseeable future. And we’ll be releasing our new Spring-Summer 2012 styles as paper-only patterns in April as we always have. But we like giving you a way to access items from our deep back list that we have decided not to reprint.

We hope you enjoy sewing with these styles!

At Oliver + S, we make patterns for boys and for girls. Not all other pattern companies do, but we are committed to this. We don’t make as many patterns for boys as we do for girls because, frankly, there is a much greater demand for girls’ patterns. Whenever we release a new collection that includes patterns for boys and girls, the girls’ patterns always outsell the boys’ patterns. I would really love for that to change, however, and I would be thrilled if in the future we can justify producing more items for boys. If you will buy them, we will make them!

As you’re no doubt already aware, boys’ clothing tends to be a bit more restrictive in terms of creative options. Most boys don’t wear pleats or ruffles, and tradition dictates that boys stick with shirts and pants. That narrows the options considerably. But I think the beauty is in the details when it comes to boys’ clothing. Here are a few examples, courtesy of our customers’ photos.

The Sandbox Pants pattern was one of our early patterns, intended for boys and girls. It has an elastic-back waist and a drawstring at the front (more for decoration than for function) as well as front and back pockets. The larger size range of this pattern (sizes 4-8) is still in print, and if you search around you can probably still find the small size range somewhere too.

I love this version of the pants, with striped fabric at the inside waistband and a brown ribbon for a drawstring.

The Bedtime Story Pajamas have been a very popular patterns. This style recently went out of print, but never fear: we’ll be introducing new pajamas with some great details for fall! This style has been popular for boys and girls, and I suspect the boys like it because it’s somewhat reminiscent of a karate costume. The fun details here are in the neckband, ties and waistband. You can select from contrast or complimentary fabric as the trim for a little extra interest and fun.

The Sailboat Top and Pants is a versatile boys’ pattern. The Sailboat Top can be made in woven or knit fabrics, and you can have all sorts of fun with your fabric choices as well as with the buttons at the shoulders and with the facings. I like the red buttons and facings in this classic (and classy) striped version.

The Sailboat Pants (the pattern also includes a matching skirt for girls) have four buttons at the front and a cropped beachy style. This is a stylish twist on classic pants for boys.

Or make the pants in a fun print. Who can resist green and white elephants?

When we expanded our size range a while ago we released the classic Sketchbook Shirt and Shorts pattern, which is appropriate for boys of all ages. The shirt can be made with short or long sleeves as well as a convertible or a band collar. And the pull-on shorts include front pockets and a faux fly. I love the dressy combination of this classic white shirt with refined, striped shorts from Spool Sewing:

Or use the same pattern to make a more casual, sporty shirt and shorts like this one:

One of our most recent patterns, the Nature Walk Pullover and Knit Pants, is a very easy pattern. The kangaroo pocket at the front of the pullover, the piecing (great for color blocking!), and the collar and facing all offer lots of creative opportunities. Here is a classic striped option:

Here is a very fun version of the pullover, with rockets:

So you can see some of the details that make boys’ clothing interesting. You can also find more inspiration for boys’ clothing in our Flickr group. (Thanks to all our customers who contributed these great photos of their work!)

In our newly released book, Oliver + S Little Things to Sew, you’ll find all sorts of things for boys, too: messenger bag, backpack, quilt, bucket hat, mittens, scarf, bento box carrier, explorer vest, and plenty of other items that will appeal. At least three-quarters of the 20 projects in the book are appropriate for boys!

In honor of Celebrate the Boy week, we’re giving away a three-pack of Oliver + S patterns: the Sailboat Top and Pants, the Sketchbook Shirt and Shorts, and the Nature Walk Pullover and Knit Pants. You pick the sizes. To enter the drawing for all three patterns, leave a comment telling us about your favorite thing to sew for boys. We’ll pick a winner on the morning of Friday, February 18. Once the drawing is complete, comments will close down, and we’ll post the winner’s name. If you’re the lucky winner, we’ll contact you by email to get your preferred size ranges and shipping information. Good luck!

And here are the results. First, from Karmela G:

and from Jeanne Po (with further details here):

They both turned out so cute, and with so little explanation on my part! Anyone else care to try? Or to share an embellishment idea for one of the patterns?

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.

You can see the trunk show at the following locations:

• Waechter’s Silk Shop Asheville NC, June 2-June 15
• Seams Like Home Quilt Shoppe, Anchorage AK, June 19-July 3
• Colonial Quilts, Savannah GA, July 10-July 24
• Bay Window Quilt Shop, Perham MN, July 30-August 13
• The Stitchin’ Post, Sisters OR, August 18-September 7

Tiny rickrack also adds a feminine detail to this Sailboat Top where it was applied to the topstitching. April used a special tool for this step, but you could also apply the rickrack over topstitching or by using basting as a guide. I think the miniature rickrack enhances the sweet Little Red Riding Hood fabric and, again, adds some visual interest to a pattern that can be made for boys and girls.

The first four stops scheduled are:

• Cloth & Bobbin, Narberth PA, March 28-April 7
• Bobbin’s Nest Studio, Santa Clara CA, April 15-April 23
• Olive Juice Quilt Shop (formerly A Stitch in Time), Onalaska WI, April 27-May 7
• Hip Stitch, Albuquerque NM, May 12-25

We’ll be adding to this list over time, so stay tuned for more locations and dates.

If you are a retailer and would like to book a trunk show for your shop, please email us for details.

Purl is well-known for its outstanding selection of fabrics. The staff stocks beautiful Japanese prints, a wide selection of Liberty tana lawn, and a number of other exquisite offerings inside this jewel box of a shop.

For these samples Purl selected a sweet floral Liberty print for the Birthday Party Dress and paired it with a coordinating Kona cotton solid for the tab. Because Liberty prints are very light-weight and ever-so-slightly sheer, we used a white cotton lawn for the facings to be sure they didn’t show through. (The Liberty print sold out within two days of setting up the window display, so I’m sorry I can’t give you a link to it.)

The Sailboat Top and Pants are made from a fresh architecture-inspired Anna Griffin print and a Kona cotton.

We raided the fantastic button selection at Purl’s yarn shop just down the street for the finishing touch. Those buttons on the pants are wool felt!

And here are some views of the window from inside the store. How about those giant paper dolls?

The varying stripes of the Sailboat Top remind me of what is often called an “awning stripe” in the fashion industry.

The pants are a sort of variation on a gingham check, with circles in the center of the squares.

I like the combination of silk dupioni with printed cotton on the Tea Party Sundress. And the flat piping in the skirt is also silk, which dresses it up and adds a little texture and variety to the skirt.

You might notice that for the Birthday Party Dress, we widened the ties by an inch to give them a softer, dressier appearance. I think this dress looks ready for a summer wedding. Flower girl, perhaps? Junior bridesmaid? The pleats on the skirt are left unpressed for a softer appearance that suits the big bow and the hand of the silk, I think.

Printed cotton fabrics are as follows:

Sailboat Top: Benartex “City Girl” by Kitty Yoshida, Bar Code Stripe Blue/Green, Style 2318, Color 55
Tea Party Sundress: skirt is Bentartex “City Blooms” by Kitty Yoshida, Yellow/Graphite, Style 2319, Color 12
Sailboat Pants: Benartex “City Girl” by Kitty Yoshida, Squared Bolts, Steel Blue, Style 2317, Color 50

I was thinking about them when I designed the Sailboat pattern. I didn’t look at my pants for details, though, because I wanted this pattern to be entirely built from the memory of those pants–all the things I love about them, but mostly the feel of them.

Kids’ pants tend to be really detailed and tedious to sew. Boys’ clothing tends to be overly fussy (pockets and zipper flies and elaborate topstitching) or really boring and plain. (Fashion tip: never send your son to school in pants that look like pajama bottoms.)

These unisex pants are neither of the above. They’re easy to sew. Really easy to sew. And easy to wear. Even if your child can’t do a button by himself or herself, the elastic at the back waist will come to the rescue. They’re completely pull-up if need be. But the details are what make them fun.

And as long as we’re at it, why not add a skirt? Same details as the pants but in a sweet A-line, short skirt that’s as appropriate for the playground as it is for school. (I’m thinking about the skirt for girls, here. But, hey, Oliver + S was born in New York’s East Village where anything goes. So if you have a boy who likes to wear A-line skirts, you’ve got our permission to go for it.)

My favorite fabrics for both the pants and skirt are solid-colored cottons and linens. Linen is great for kids’ clothing because it’s really strong, looks better with wear, and gets softer every time you wash it. I adore the look of un-pressed linen–especially when it’s just out of the wash. But wouldn’t the pants and skirt be cute in a fun stripe or print? My first pants and skirt samples were made in mattress ticking and turned out awfully cute. And what about using silk dupioni for a dressy look?

And, although it’s still early, why not start thinking about fall here? Last autumn I made both the skirt and the pants from a cotton herringbone tweed, and S got tons of wear from them. And they looked great with nearly everything in her closet. So great, in fact, that I wanted them for myself.

By the way, you’ll notice that the cover of this pattern features our S doll with the top and skirt But guess what? The back of the envelope features the Oliver doll with the pants and top. We wanted to include both dolls and thought it would be fun if the pattern envelope had two sides. So don’t be misled: you’ll get all three patterns in the envelope.