[Brittney]

Yay! I shot you an e-mail, Rachel. Time for me to get sewing;)

[meleliza]

We’re definitely in size 5 territory now. Actually, she seems to have somehow suddenly skipped size 5 and needs a 6? But that’s in store sizes. I think O+S 5 will still fit. I recently bought an old copy of swing set – thanks @Nicole! – and plan to make her one for the summer. I just can’t seem to decide which fabric. I think the occasion calls for Liberty.

I’m sure I will also be making puppet show shorts. I make them every year, they’re the cutest things ever. I’m not sure how many more I’ll get around too, but I’m open to suggestions. She needs a whole wardrobe for our trip to Ireland/England!!

[meleliza]

I was so taken with the puppet show outfit on the blog last week I decided to copy it. Today I cut a size 5 puppet show blouse out of two old Brooks Brothers dress shirts of my dads.

The shirts are cream colored and very grand dad looking and dated. Plus, they had tears that made them unusable. But, the fabric is gorgeous and they have lots of high quality buttons too.

This whole dress shirt up cycling thing is actually tricky to pull off without looking like an epic Pinterest fail. Even my dads very tall shirts didn’t yield a lot of usable fabric. I had no choice but to incorporate the button placket, for instance. Also, I had to work around the pocket, which is silly out of scale for 5. Finally, years of starched dry cleaning left very permanent creases, which was especially a problem in the back and sleeves where I expected to get the most fabric. With two shirts, I managed it. But there is a lot of planning involved.

I’m going to make the shorts out of some lightweight denim scraps. With two no cost pieces, I think I can justify a crewcuts cardi and tights to wear with it. 😉

[Sarvi]

Great plan, @meleliza ! I know what you mean about upcycling adult clothes. You’d think there was ample yardage but the seams hit in funny places, and often unpicking the seams is so much trouble for so little usable fabric that it makes more sense to just trim them off. I do have a nice little pile of pretty buttons robbed from old Banana Republic blouses and cardis, though.

[vothgirl]

Well thanks to @georgeandizzy ‘s blog post and a Facebook promotional coupon, last night I found myself buying the Puppet Show pattern ;-). My girls fall in separate size ranges but since Olivia has all of Ellie’s old things to grow into, I only got the larger size. Once I finish my Easter sewing (Library Dresses for the girls and a Bistro dress for me), I’m going to cut out a couple pairs of Puppet Show shorts. It’s already quite lovely here in California so I’m sure shorts weather is just around the corner!

[meleliza]

Oh, I don’t unpick any of those seams at all. I don’t think it would work even if the time was worth it. I might start raiding my dad’s closet instead of hubbys, though. Dad retired and doesn’t need any more dress clothes. Plus, he’s like 6’3″, so his clothes give me more to work with than my short husband.

[meleliza]

Anyone else sewing size 5?? It’s still freezing here, but today I’m working on a Liberty swingset blouse. I have some yellow linen cut for the skirt, but I need to order lining for it. The Puppet Show blouse and shorts are done, but it’s still too cold to wear. I’ll have to layer it like the recent blog post, which I totally copied.

[Anonymous]

I am still sewing size 5 for my nearly 9 yr old. She is so thin and long I have to add gobs of length. I recently made two roller skate dresses in size 5 and they fit perfectly. I’m hoping to make a swing set in the size 5 as well. I may have to grade up, but I hope not.

[Jess M.]

Uhm I am about to embark on this. Though some patterns will be size 4 because we can still fit a few.

I think I may be a bit ambitious for this spring/summer.

• This reply was modified 9 years ago by Jess M.. Reason: fix pic

Attachments:

1. 

   2015-03-30-12.35.56.jpg
   

[Masha Richart]

@sahmcolorado I think I will be doing this for my oldest girl too! She still takes a 2 or 3 width in the dress patterns but she needs 6 for length.

lol @Jess M. that is quite an impressive stack you have going!

• This reply was modified 9 years ago by Masha Richart.

[meleliza]

Yes, that is an ambitious stack. Timing is everything in this, because these original pattern are summery ones. And they go through several sizes a year at this age, so we’re lucky to hit sizes 5 in the summer. Realistically, I’m sewing/buying 6 for everything else so they last longer, but size 5 fits so I’m doing a couple of these for sentimental reasons.

Still, girls clothes have so much more longevity. She still fits size 4 puppet show shorts, even though they’ll be tiny by the end of the summer. My boys went through 3 and 4 sizes every year!

[Audrey]

If you missed it, we’re sewing ALL the skirt patterns. This includes the Swing Set, which is part of this size 5 project. So to give you incentive to sew along with us, you might want to read this post on our blog! Spoiler alert: you could win some new Oliver + S patterns…you know to sew in bigger sizes!

[Audrey]

Okay size 5 project people! This week I will be embarking on the Swingset Pattern. Who want to join me?

[juliamom2009]

@skirtfixation – the Swingset pattern is next up on my agenda as well!

[dubhels2003]

I now understand the pain of the size 5 project. Lady E, aged 3 1/2 is measuring age 5. I think I HAVE to make a bubble dress and puppet show shorts next week. Sob.