my favorite oliver + s pattern: elisabeth aka sew_scrummy

We love seeing what you create with Oliver + S patterns. The “My Favorite Oliver + S Pattern” series features Oliver + S fans who share what they’ve made, and as an added bonus we get to know them better too. Today we have Elisabeth who is stopping by to talk about her favorite pattern and share the many wonderful versions she has sewn. Thanks for being here, Elisabeth!

Hi everyone! My name is Elisabeth Larsen. I’m a mom of three and a huge Oliver + S fan. You can find me as sew_scrummy on Instagram and on Flickr as Elisabeth Larsen.

I started sewing when I was a teenager, but didn’t really pick things up as an adult until my mom got me a sewing machine for my birthday a few years ago. Not long after, I saw a picture of an Oliver + S pattern on a sewing blog and immediately knew that I wanted to make one!

The first pattern I ever made was an Ice Cream top, and now I own fifteen different Oliver + S patterns. I love the sewing tips, the clear instructions, and the beautiful, well-finished projects that I get every time!

One of my goals with sewing for my kids is to create items that they will love and wear regularly. When it came time to pick my favorite Oliver + S pattern, I turned to the pattern that I come back to over and over again because all three of my children wear theirs constantly: the School Bus T-shirt.

I was really, really nervous about sewing with knits before I made my first School Bus T-shirt. I was afraid that I wouldn’t be able to sew knits with just my regular sewing machine. Luckily, Liesl gives lots of helpful tips about sewing with knits that make the whole process fun and much simpler than I thought it would be! I’ve been hooked ever since the first one and I’ve made thirteen in the last two years.

One of my favorite things about this pattern is that it works equally well for boys and girls. There are different neckband and sleeve options that make it work perfectly! As a mom of two boys and one girl, I love having a pattern that I can use for all three of my kids.

The School Bus T-shirt is a great blank canvas for appliqué work. I love the Mini Boden appliquéd shirt look, so the first two shirts that I made I added designs that I knew my kids would love.

The Oliver + S blog is also full of amazing ideas and tutorials for variations. I used this color blocking tutorial to make matching shirts for my boys.

I used that tutorial again to make this ninja shirt for my youngest (The whole back is ninja fabric as well).

I used this tutorial to make an A-line, high-low version for my little girl.

I also loved this tutorial for adding faux layered long sleeves on this volcano shirt.

You can even add a peplum! This shirt was for my daughter’s third birthday and it is her all-time favorite shirt.

Following all of these tutorials has given me the confidence to my own adaptations, like this one with a Peter Pan collar.

Another great thing about this pattern is that it is a really quick sew! I can make one of these shirts from beginning to end in an afternoon, so it’s great for any time when you need a quick project. It also makes it great for a gift, like this one that I made my nephew for his birthday so that he could have a matching “cousin shirt” with my youngest.

The last thing that makes this pattern so great is that it extends into adult sizes as the Metro T-shirt. I own the family pack, which gives you both children’s sizes as well as a men’s pattern and a women’s pattern. So far, I’ve used these patterns to make shirts for myself and my husband, but I’m also glad to know that it will work when my kids grow out of the smaller sizes. I’ve used the men’s pattern to make one with contrast trim for my husband.

I’ve also made two for myself and they are some of my favorite shirts. The first I made while I was pregnant with my third. I sized up and used stretchy fabric for this shirt and it worked great!

I made this three quarter-sleeve version just a few months ago.

I have several more versions planned! I’ve seen a few different versions using this for pajamas along with the Playtime Leggings that I’m excited to try, and I also want to try a few more color-blocking variations.

Thank you Elisabeth!

Would you like to take a little stroll down sewing-memory-lane? If so, head this way to see Liesl’s introduction to the family pack of T-shirt patterns from April 2014!