Once we realized this, we had to know more. And we thought you might like to know more too.

Marie-Michelle Melotte, the person making all these beautiful pieces, agreed to answer some questions about her sewing projects and her approach to finding and selecting such wonderful fabrics.

Why don’t you start by telling us a little about yourself.

I was born and raised in the Canadian prairies at the foot of the Rockies in Calgary. My parents were francophone Mauritian immigrants (thus the French name) and I spent the better part of my childhood, when not sliding down snowy slopes or indulging in a pony obsession, amongst the pots and pans of the family restaurant.

With adulthood came the thirst for new geography, and I’ve spent the last couple of years gallivanting through Europe, a young boy cub of five years named Félix, in tow. Our little family has relocated back to Canada for the next few years, although the heart quietly yearns for a swift return to French life. When I’m not sewing, I can usually be found writing scathing short stories in French, baking pies, making seasonal jellies, and slaughtering magazines for collage work.

You’ve made some astonishingly beautiful garments from Oliver + S patterns. We were smitten by the Bubble Dress you made recently. Tell us about it.

That Bubble Dress is constructed from a beautiful piece of Oscar de la Renta silk matelassé. The fabric was substantial which allowed for first-rate draping and proportions at the bubble hem and reminded me of a pair of cotton brocade curtains I had in my room as a child but without the dreadful weight–which got me thinking about The Sound of Music and the scene where the Julie Andrews character transforms bedroom curtains into the Von Trapp children’s play clothes. (Yes, inspiration is strange, wonderful and musical!)

The subtle, raised, butter-colored paisley pattern on an ecru background provided good visual and tactile interest and it got lined in a plain cream cotton poplin so as not to detract from the main theme of the dress. The only modification brought to the pattern were snap button closures covered with Belgian flat cotton mouliné buttons.

What about your Sunday Brunch jacket?

This is made from chunky Italian wool covered with a fake cable knit crisscross. Since the fabric is quite bulky, although malleable enough to be a pleasure to work with, I chose to do the inside pieces with plain cream cotton poplin to keep the Michelin Man effect out of the picture. The rough-hewn buttons are from the good folks at Wildwood Buttons in British Columbia who use salvaged tree cuts to great effect.

I’ve long been infatuated with one of my mother’s wool coats from the sixties she had bought in England before crossing the Atlantic thinking that her tailored European woolies would be tough enough for a Canadian winter! The ample cut of the Sunday Brunch Jacket combined with its Mao collar were dead ringers for the vintage coat, and I added the yew wood buttons to shake up the classical look and add a touch of pure Canadiana. I also enjoy how the faux cable knit acts as a throwback reminder to the strong checkered pattern of the über-Canadian lumberjack jacket.

You’re not timid about using high-end fabrics and taking on a serious sewing project. When and how did you start sewing?

I used to be deathly scared of sewing machines. In junior high I avoided the Home Ec room like the plague. I would’ve preferred being strapped down to a chair making toothpicks all day in the Industrial Arts lab with big, brawny boys! A combination of temporary psychosomatic aichmophobia and past frustration at being unable to thread a machine made me tell myself that I just couldn’t sew worth a damn and never would. The years went by careless and needle-free.

In university, as a lit major minoring in drama, a compulsory design course and too much time spent in wardrobe storage rekindled an old love for drawing and moreover, drawing costume. So much so, that I was soon spending more time doing character sketches (like these Madwoman of Chaillot costumes) than Saussurean semiotics.

Pursuing costume design would have meant relocating to the other side of the country or across seas and unfortunately, I’ve always been a bit of a lackadaisical stay-at-home. As luck would have it, I got married to a Frenchman, moved to France then to Cyprus and back to France, had a baby, usual story.

It’s funny how children make you confront things you thought were once done and over with. My former sewing terror got turned into a passion. With the help of my mother-in-law’s patience and her forty-year-old cast iron dependable clunker of a Singer I was making cushion covers and bunting flags for my little boy’s room and soon enough real pants with real pockets, real coats with piping, and real shirts with buttonholes! I soon realized that not having to shell out ten euros every time something needed hemming was pretty cool too!

All of my sewing is that of a dilettante. I’ve learned as I’ve gone along, bungling things, seam ripping, screaming, groaning, hair pulling and generally lacking poise. But the finished result has always led to dominant equilibrium. And a little cherub face saying, “My mommy made it” is the best sort of heart tugging gratification I can get!

In the next post: a Bubble Dress inspired by Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream and where else Marie-Michelle finds her inspiration. Until then, you can see more of her projects in her Flickr photostream and visit her blog, Rastaquouère.

How may outfits do you think you could you put together from this collection of garments:

• 4 skirts
• 1 jacket
• 2 blouses
• 1 dress
• 2 cardigans
• 1 pants

Here’s what we did.

We could have kept going, but you get the picture(s)….

S. and I have found that this concept works really well. She’s gotten loads of wear from her tweed pants and skirt and jacket, the cardigans, and her 2+2 blouses and skirts. Some of the items above are from her own closet, and we added a few samples from the studio to demonstrate that with a sophisticated color palette and a few key fabrics, you can have a lot of fun with a little girl’s wardrobe.

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.

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!

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!

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!