my favorite oliver + s pattern: allie from crozette

I’m delighted to introduce you to Allie who blogs at Crozette. She is stopping by today to talk about her favorite pattern and show us what she has made from it. So nice to have you here, Allie!

Hi Oliver + S friends! I’m so happy to be here today to share my favorite Oliver + S pattern—the Sunday Brunch Jacket!

This jacket was the very first Oliver + S pattern I tried, back in 2010, but that is not the only reason it is my pick for “favorite.” I remember seeing it first on the Purl Bee blog. I wanted to make that exact one!

But beyond nostalgia for one of my earliest, successful projects, the pattern is my fave because it is such a timeless style, and it comes out looking so professional, even by beginners. I think the bias-finished seams inside are so nice. I remember wishing it was lined when I first started making it, but now I love how comfortable it is for kids to wear as it is, and how Liesl thought through every detail so it comes out tidy and well-fitting. Bonus: even though it is no harder to sew than a dress or a top, people are always extra impressed when you tell them your kid’s outerwear is handmade.

I recently counted, and so far I own 18 Oliver + S patterns (15 paper, 3 digital—I’m a paper girl), plus Little Things to Sew. This is one of just a few patterns I own in both size ranges. My other favorites include the Sketchbook Shirt, Family Reunion Dress, Library Dress and definitely the Lullaby Layette.

My first Sunday Brunch Jacket was in an upholstery weight fabric—a damask print that has always reminded me of the “play clothes” Maria makes the Von Trapp children out of her old drapes. I made no modifications and my daughter Louisa wore it a ton, even on one unseasonably mild New Year’s Eve when she was two and a half.

I later made one out of corduroy as a gift to a friend.

Corduroy is a great fabric for this pattern, and easy to find in sophisticated “kid” prints.

Choosing (or making) a bright, contrasting bias tape for the binding makes the whole jacket seam a little more fun.

When Louisa was a little older, I made her one in Anna Maria Horner velveteen, which has the same appeal as corduroy but takes it up a notch in dressiness.

I even made a tiny matching one for her American Girl doll.

More recently, I used the jacket pattern as a starting off point for drafting a winter coat for my younger daughter, Lottie. I used the sleeve pieces and the yoke pieces to draft a straighter coat, and changed the collar into a hood. I quilted it following Cherie’s tutorial. If you try something like this, size up because quilting all those layers makes it snug.

And what better use for this pattern than an actual Sunday brunch? I just finished up the jacket I started this post with for Lottie to wear on Easter. We always go out for a fancy brunch with my family after church, pre-egg hunt. Easter is March 27 this year, so a light jacket will likely be a perfect necessity. We are ready for spring!

Thanks for letting me share my oldest and favorite Oliver + S pattern! Take a peak at more of my many Oliver + S projects on my blog, crozette or my instagram, @crozette.

Happy spring sewing!

-Allie