autumn rituals: fall patterns are here!

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!

lazy days skirt free pattern

August is meant for relaxing and hanging out on the porch. At least, that's what we had in mind for this skirt. It's about as easy to sew as a skirt can be, since it's made from a single width of fabric. And when it's finished you'll still have plenty of time to contemplate the day from the porch swing.




We've been testing it on several little girls, and it's perfect for dog walks too.


With a simple elastic waistband, it's also comfortable, which is a crucial element for hanging out during the most relaxed month of the year.


But our favorite part is the ribbon at the hem. You can use almost any sort of ribbon in any width you like. It makes a clean finish to the hem, as you can see.

Download and print your free instructions for the Lazy Days Skirt here. We hope you'll make a skirt or two, and when you're finished be sure to post photos of your finished skirt (or skirts) to the Oliver + S Flickr group.


And then go enjoy the rest of your summer. Maybe you'll find a hammock to share with your favorite active little girl.

tutorial: hem facing

The hem facing has become a sort of signature feature of many Oliver + S patterns.

It all started with our very first pattern, the Tea Party sundress. I strongly prefer neat, simple solutions to design problems and was dreading the hem on the flared skirt of the sundress; in order to finish it using conventional sewing methods, the excess fabric from the flared skirt would need to be eased into the narrower part of the skirt when the hem was folded up to finish it. Generally, this results (for me, anyway) in much gritting of teeth and, very commonly, a crummy-looking hem, both on the outside and inside of the garment. It seemed much simpler and cleaner to create a separate pattern piece for the hem.



And it worked so well, now we use it on many of our other patterns, too!

Visit our hem facing tutorial for a little demonstration of the hem to show you how it is sewn.

Alabama Tea Party

A few months ago, I wrote a post about Natalie Chanin's Alabama Stitch Book on my personal blog. I adore Natalie's work, her book, and her sustainable approach to clothing and design.

Following my post, I received a very kind email from Natalie, which started a lengthy series of conversations via email and phone. It's been a pleasure to get to know her, and we've started to collaborate on a few ideas which I'll tell you about when the time is right.


In the meantime, I was thrilled to open this month's issue of Cookie magazine and discover a feature article about Natalie, her family, and her company. And there was an additional little surprise in the article: a Tea Party sundress, made using Natalie's own fabric and construction techniques.

You can see another photo of the dress (and her adorable daughter) and read more about it on Natalie's blog. Thanks, Natalie!

as seen in New York

Boutique sewers, here's your chance to use those labels! We've lined up two shops here in Manhattan, two sweet little boutiques that want to carry Oliver + S handmade clothing.


If you'd like to lay claim to selling your sewn garments in New York City, drop us a line at information@oliverands.com. We're assembling a list of interested craftspeople and will pass along that list to both shop owners. The shop owners can then contact you to negotiate terms for a small collection of Oliver + S clothing styles in their shops.


Please note that Oliver + S won't be part of these business arrangements; we're merely making introductions so you can start discussions and hopefully work together to assemble a collection that will be unique to each shop. The specifics are up to you and the shop owners to work out.

Good luck, and happy sewing!

P.S. Regarding the photos: I love that word, "purveyor". Makes me wish we had used it in our branding. I mean, "Oliver + S: purveyors of quality sewing patterns for children's clothing" is a bit long, but it has such a nice sound to it, doesn't it?

the boutique sewer program launches at last!

During the three years that I've written a blog, I've really come to love the crafting community. There are so many wonderfully creative people out there with so many ideas and skills, and they all seem to be the nicest, most friendly and warm people I've ever met. I've made friends all over the world through my blog and have had some terrific conversations with other sewers and crafters about all sorts of topics. I've even had the pleasure of meeting some of my on-line friends in person!


One of the topics that frequently surfaces in the blogging world (and in the general crafting world as well) is one of copyright and fair use. The creator of a design or a pattern invests a great deal of thought and energy (and sometimes money) into his or her work. Some designers attempt to control their work by imposing stringent "do not"s and "cannot"s around it. Others essentially let go of their work and any control over it.

It seemed to me that there must be a middle path here--a way to allow others to use a design as a starting point or an inspiration and to take it in their own direction while still maintaining ownership of the original idea and being able to financially support the continued production of new ideas.

Essentially, it boils down to this: as the holder of the copyright for my patterns, I need to maintain control over those patterns and how they are used to be able to continue to create more work. But I also want to permit individual sewers to make and sell garments based on my patterns, and I want to enable people who don't sew to purchase garments based on the patterns (because I certainly can't sew all those clothes myself!). So I wanted a way in which I could protect my copyright and the investment I've made in this company while allowing sewers to use my work to make garments that they can sell.

It look a long time, but we've come up with a solution that we're launching today, and we hope you'll like it! We're calling it the Boutique Sewer Program.

The idea is simple. Through the program individual sewers can purchase licenses to make and sell garments from Oliver + S patterns. Each license comes with a label that must be sewn into the finished garment before it is offered for sale. The presence of the label indicates that the garment has been created from an Oliver + S pattern and is being sold with the permission of the design's copyright holder.

By purchasing a license, the sewer agrees to abide the terms of the program, which you can read here (be sure to read the FAQ and Terms pages). Sewers may purchase more than one license at a time and can make more than one garment for sale, but each item must be unique and handmade (in other words, not made in a factory or in large quantities).

The cost for one license is $6.00, and the license can be purchased only via our website (so that we're able to keep track of all the licenses that are sold). You, in exchange, can market the garment as being made from an Oliver + S pattern. And as the program grows (which we hope it will), we plan to add additional features. We'll be highlighting some of our favorite licensed items on the blog and in our newsletters, and eventually we would like to add some additional functionality to Boutique Sewer Program section of the Oliver + S website.

So if you've been wanting to make and sell something based on one of our patterns, please try it out. The licenses are available for purchase starting today. Shipping is included in the cost of the license, and we can't wait to hear what you think of the program!

boutique sewing program

We know many of you have been waiting patiently for more information on the Oliver + S boutique sewing program (mentioned in our FAQ), which will be the first of its kind in the industry. Please hold on just a little longer! We are in the midst of finalizing all the details and requirements in order to give our customers the best experience possible. We are very excited about the program and are eager to share it with you, but we don’t want to give away too much information just yet. We couldn’t be more thrilled that so many of you are interested in it, and we hope to have all the information necessary for you to get started very soon. Keep checking here for updates, and we will be back with answers as soon as possible!