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All responses Most smiled responses
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It was really fun to interact this way and to hear what's on your mind.
We're no longer responding to questions here, but if you have things you want to know about sewing with Oliver + S patterns, please use our discussion forums at http://www.oliverands.com/forums.
Cheers,
Liesl -
Sure. It's posted here, on my personal blog:
http://disdressed.blogspot.com/2006/01/pattern-for-baby-scarf.html -
Well, thanks! Yes, she loves to dress herself on the website, too. She and Todd were dressing the S doll on the website one day and she said, "I have that dress. Size 3. Fits me now!" We thought that was very funny.
Her dear friend (and our downstairs neighbor) is the model for the Oliver doll. I don't think he's quite as intrigued with the whole thing, but we like getting our friends involved. It feels more personal and community-based that way. -
It would be really difficult to choose. I always love the pattern I just finished writing, and right now I'm so excited about one of our upcoming spring patterns that I want to make it for myself! (In fact, I think I just might, after I make a few for S...)
But I have some perennial favorites, too. I love the Tea Party Sundress because it's the very first pattern I wrote, and I adore the Sailboat Top/Pants/Skirt because I think it's so versatile and fun. I find myself making the 2+2 blouse and skirt over and over again for S, and I'm sure I'll come back to the Birthday Party dress and the Sunday Brunch jacket and skirt many times. Plus, of course, the Bedtime Story PJs.
See? How can I choose? -
I've loved doing this! Yes, I think we should do this frequently. But I also want to encourage everyone to join our forums--the more people who join, the more fun discussions we can have. And you can respond too, rather than me just blathering on...
If you're not registered yet, visit http://www.oliverands.com/forums to start participating. -
I love Japanese craft books! The photos are always very inspirational, especially for the styling.
As far as the patterns go, they often seem a bit shapeless to me--the books are generally appealing for how the clothing is styled and less for the patterns themselves. There are a few exceptions to this: notably, the Makie book, which seems to include some good patterns if you already know how to sew and/or can figure it out from the illustrations. I've only made one simple top for myself from one of the books, so I really can't comment beyond that. But I do love to look at them! -
Oh boy. You do want the details, don't you?
OK, who's first and last in the studio depends on our childcare agreement for the day. Usually one of us brings S in to school while the other goes out to the studio early. The person who started early usually leaves early to pick her up while the other stays until about 6PM.
It's usually tea, rather than coffee, at the studio, and whoever wants a cup makes it herself or himself.
We don't usually step out to get fresh air during the day, and these days everyone says "it's freezing in here." Our studio is situated just so in our building so that it's relatively cool during the hottest part of the summer but downright cold in the winter. Our landlord just put a larger heater in, but when it's below 20 degrees Fahrenheit outside, it's still darn cold in there.
Children and cats are always welcome. We've had plenty of children visit, but no cats to date. Ours isn't too interested in getting in the elevator at home--much less taking the subway out to Brooklyn. -
Translation into other languages is something that we have considered--although I have to say that German hasn't been on the list to date, so thanks for letting us know people are sewing Oliver + S in Germany too.
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There's a difference between ironing and pressing. Ironing generally implies moving the iron back and forth across the fabric, which can indeed have the tendency to warp a fabric off grain. Pressing is simply using the weight of the iron to literally press the fabric flat: no movement or pushing required (or suggested). If you press your fabrics on grain, they won't get distorted. So you can press quilt blocks with steam too, although some quilters prefer not to use steam.
The advantage of steam when you press is that it will give you much sharper creases, and the seam allowances will be pressed more flat. I'm a big believer in steam, and it drives me crazy when the iron runs dry--I don't feel like I get a good edge.
But certainly do what feels best for you. Every seamstress has her own preferences, and there isn't necessarily a right or wrong way to do anything, provided you're happy with the final results. -
In the industry, designers rarely do any actual sewing at all. So the only fabrics I used professionally (aside from my own home sewing, of course) were the swatches and headers I accumulated while sourcing and developing a line. These were all kept in large bins under our worktables, where they were categorized by type (twill, outerwear, shirtings, etc.) Nothing too exciting there, I guess.
I don't really keep any fabrics at home anymore--everything is at our Brooklyn studio for simplicity's sake.
Out there we have lots of industrial metal shelving we use to store fabrics. Everything is folded and sorted by color so it's easy to locate what we need and looks neat.
Fat-quarter-sized pieces are kept in some metal baskets (I think they were originally from an industrial dishwasher--I find all sorts of useful things on the streets of our neighborhood).
And scraps are tossed into antique locker baskets to be donated to S's school when we accumulate a bunch. I save anything larger than a couple of inches because I know the school will use everything we give them.
Every once in a while I go through the larger fabric cuttings and donate pieces we don't need to S's school or to people who can use it. I like to keep our inventory manageable. No point in collecting it if it won't get used, right? -
Here is a list of common mistakes, in no particular order:
1. Not pressing at each step or when appropriate.
2. Pressing incorrectly (moving the iron back and forth, using the wrong temperature, not using enough steam).
3. Forgetting to lower the presser foot before stitching. This can cause all sorts of problems and frustrations and just takes practice to remember.
4. Being afraid to cut the fabric. (It's just fabric--relax, take your time, and don't worry!)
5. Not reading the directions ahead of time.
6. Not reading the directions at all.
7. Trying to align the seam allowances at the needle, when it's too late, instead of ahead of the needle. I use the analogy of driving: when you're on the highway, you should be looking down the road a bit instead of immediately in front of the car. This gives you time to respond and correct your direction to stay on course. In the same way, if you align your seam allowances before they get to the needle you'll be in good shape.
8. Trouble stitching? If your thread gets stuck, try re-threading the machine and re-loading the bobbin. 95% of the time this fixes the problem.
9. Slow down and take your time. Don't be afraid to hand-crank the machine when you get to a tricky spot--you'll have more control over your stitching and will be pleased with the result.
10. Hand stitching is not evil! Not everything can be finished by machine, and if you take the time to stitch those last details by hand you'll have professional-looking results. Plus, it's a nice diversion in front of the TV one night. -
I've just signed up to do two more weekends with Heather in Vermont this August, so yes! And we occasionally talk about doing something in New York, so maybe we could arrange a shopping and stitching weekend for next fall...
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Yes, we'll be leaving the questions and answers up indefinitely, but we'll stop responding to new questions at the end of the month.
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Did we forget to tell you to finish that edge in the instructions? If so, my apologies. In general, the rule is to finish any raw edge that will be exposed when the garment is finished. So the shoulder seams, side seams, and armhole should all have finished seam allowances. The more you sew, the more this will become intuitive. But we do try to tell you which seam allowances to finish in the instructions so it's not confusing. You could probably go back and finish this seam allowance after the fact--it's a little bit trickier, but it can usually be done even if you don't get the entire seam allowance. On a small shoulder, it may not even make much of a difference, really.
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In general, I almost always use steam when pressing. The only exceptions arise when sewing with fabrics that require lower temperatures (for example, silk, rayon, or acetate). Steam gives a much better crease, so it's great for cotton, wool, linen, etc.
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Tailors chalk works well, but it does rub off over time. On occasion we take the time in the studio to do tailor's tacks, which are little stitches with short tails left in the fabric to be removed later. And I've never had a problem with the Clover water-soluble pens becoming permanent. They seem to wash out afterward without any problems, but it probably would be a good idea to test on your fabric beforehand...
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Only that I wish there was an affordable Montessori school near us!
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If you look at previous questions I've answered you'll find details about tracing patterns.
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Zippers are never much fun to attach and have a higher swear factor. I think buttonholes are much easier to sew and are more comfortable for kids to wear.
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contemporary sewing patterns for children's clothing
