my favorite oliver + s pattern: emily and ashley from frances suzanne

Here is the next installment of the “My Favorite Oliver + S Pattern” series. It’s where we ask Oliver + S fans to share a bit about their favorite Oliver + S pattern, telling us why they like it, what they learned from it, and to show off the multiple times they’ve made it. Today we have Emily and Ashley from Frances Suzanne. Here they are.

Déjà vu anyone?

Yes, we’ve already blogged about our favorite Oliver + S pattern. But, since there are two of us, we were graciously granted “two favorites”! As indecisive as we are, it was still difficult to narrow the prospects down to two!

 

 

So, we opted to choose the patterns that were featured as our Project Run and Play signature style. Needless to say, we love both the Puppet Show and Music Class patterns and felt that they showcased our style.

 

 

While we had sewn the Puppet Show Tunic, Dress + Shorts multiple times, we had a slight problem with the Music Class Blouse + Skirt. How could it possibly be considered our favorite when we hadn’t even sewn the skirt? {*although it has been known to happen :-)}

 

 

Let’s begin with the Music Class Blouse: a classic, similar to what we wore when we were little, with a slightly more modern look. The blouse is truly a classic that every little girl’s wardrobe should have. In each of the four times we have sewn the blouse, we have opted to incorporate piping to accent the yoke and classic collar. This time rather than make the piping ‘pop’, we chose to use the same fabric on the piping as was being used for the blouse. While it gives a more finished look, it was a little painful to go to the trouble without having that much to show for our efforts.

 

 

The blouse pattern offers two views. One view showcases short sleeves combined with a classic blouse collar, while the other view is more fall and winter friendly with long sleeves and a band collar. As usual, we love all the details that make the pattern what it is! One of our favorite features is the small tucks incorporated on the front and back of the blouse. The long sleeve version comes complete with cuffs and a placket for a professionally finished look.

 

 

If you’re like us, do you ever look for things that you feel like you could possibly do better on the next time? “Needs improvement” would be the grade we would give ourselves on our first attempt with a sleeve band placket. While not horrid by any stretch, it is an area where we know improvement could definitely be made! Thankfully, the ladies on the forum were loads of help in pointing us to this tutorial by Nicole.

 

 

So, back to the skirt….

 

 

We immediately had a mission to at least sew the skirt once before this post went live. And why, may you ask, had we not sewn the skirt before? Ummmm. . .well, we had this “thing” against skirts. Seriously.

 

 

About three years ago, our dear sweet sewing friend {aka: Our Jedi Master} pulled out her copy of the Oliver + S Music Class pattern, and asked if it might be an option for a project we were working on. I feel certain Emily was more stealth, but I actually wrinkled my nose in slight disgust. Why, you ask? Well, because dresses are for little girls and skirts are for ladies. Period.

 

 

Fast forward about a year and half. We broke down and purchased the Music Class pattern, but for the love of the blouse {and its collar}.

We think it is fair to say our sewing has matured to the point that we think skirts are adorable on little girls, and we’ve actually sewn quite a few! Not to mention, skirts are very practical when encouraging independence in potty training. And, skirts are typically quick sews which is also a major plus!

 

 

We love how the skirt turned out, but the construction of it is even more interesting that the final garment itself. While this pattern is rated two scissors on the Oliver + S scale, it is most likely because of the blouse. We believe a beginner could sew the skirt and end up feeling like a professional with the end results. It showcases cute pleats and pockets that any little girl would love! The only modification to the pattern we made was the addition of piping on either side of the center front and center back panel.

 

 

Our first Music Class skirt broke no rules, and we loved it!

 

 

The winterized version showcased here, however, did break some rules. The fabric was much heavier than what was recommended and was some type of boucle or tweed possibly? While the results were sufficient, we didn’t feel like it accented the true nature of the pattern.

 

 

Due to the thickness of the fabric, gathers were a must and pleats were out. This saddened us because the combination of pleats and pockets are to-die-for cute! Oh well. Our niece loved the entire ensemble and that is what matters most, right?

 

 

Now, we are trying to determine what to sew with a blue colorway of the skirt fabric that was intended for our winterized version of the Puppet Show Shorts. Our guts say that there are just too many details in the Puppet Show Shorts and too many seams for this option to work. Phooey. Any suggestions?

Want a trip down memory lane? Here’s Liesl’s original introduction of the Music Class Skirt from 2010! And how about some Music Class Skirt inspiration?