oliver + s patterns sewn by frances suzanne

Ashley and Emily from Frances Suzanne are back visiting today. You might remember their previous visits where they talked about sewing for a trip to Disney and an heirloom technique called tucks. Today they are stopping by to share their Oliver + S makes that they’ve made over the past year or so. Here they are!

Hi Oliver + S readers! We are excited to be here with you today, sharing some of our “latest” creations. “Latest” seems to be relative as of late, since we completely fell off the blogging track for an entire year – not due to lack of sewing . . . just life in general.

For those of you that may not “know” us, we are two sisters who sew for our other sister’s three children – all girls. We enjoy creating and giving one-of-a-kind garments to each of them, although the oldest niece has the benefit of not inheriting outgrown clothes from an older sibling. Meaning: she receives most of our sewn items. We love to sew Oliver + S Patterns, and have an inspiration page on our blog – devoted to many past creations.

During our blogging drought, we stockpiled (and landed in “pattern ruts” from time to time).

The cycle: 1) Sew. 2) Take photos. 3) Place in blog drafts. 4) Wait. 5) Sew some more. You get the picture.

As we prepared to share with you, we realized we had blogged about attire for each and every season.

Perfect…right?!?! Especially since Oliver + S sewing enthusiasts are worldwide, and are experiencing a variety of seasons!

We have just completed our spring/summer sewing plans. Ugh. Goodness, that is painful to type! You see, we love warm weather . . . and sewing for warm weather. Our oldest niece had expressed an interest in sewing a dress, so we decided this was the summer to give it a try. Enter: the Popover Sundress.

And then, we did something we said we would never do!! The youngest niece wanted a popover sundress of her own… with a matching garment for her doll. We couldn’t resist.

The free, Ruffled Halter was another perfect pattern to kick off the season. We always enjoy modifying this pattern slightly by using the jump rope sash as the tie.

Speaking of the Jump Rope Dress (a tried and true pattern for all of our nieces) the latest floral version did not disappoint this opinionated niece.

Another one of our go-to dress patterns, the Family Reunion Dress, was sewn for the oldest and middle nieces. The sweet tucks and top-stitching get us – Every. Single. Time!! Liesl has such attention to details, and her patterns prove that over and over and over again. We love this pattern so much; it was the middle nieces’ “First Day of Kindergarten” dress.

We attempted to add some heirloom detailing on the sleeves and front yoke of a Badminton Dress. In the end, we went a little too “conservative” – not giving it the “wow factor” we had envisioned. Sweet . . . just not “wow!”

The Girl on the Go had been on our “sewing radar” since its release, however we tend to avoid knits and the oldest niece wasn’t quite in the 8 – 18 size range. The intrigue was too great, so we had to sew it this season! The verdict? We will sew it again – a niece will see to that!

Our “pattern rut” for Spring / Summer sewing was none other than the Pinwheel Slip Dress. We sewed one as a dress, and then read on the Oliver + S Facebook group how another sewist modified it to a top once her child had outgrown the Swingset Tunic. We might have gotten a little carried away!

Stop. The. Presses!! Why didn’t we think of this ingenious idea?? There are so many things to love about it. 1) It is a quick sew. 2) It doesn’t take much fabric. 3) The nieces love them!!

We paired the five Pinwheel Tops sewn with Class Picnic Shorts, in a variety of colors.

As the weather turns cool, our thoughts have shifted to Fall / Winter sewing plans. The Hide-and-Seek Tunic and Playtime Leggings were actually requested as a “repeat sewing” after the youngest niece outgrew the first set.

One of our favorite patterns, the Music Class Blouse + Skirt, had to make an appearance in our sewing. Again, it is all about the fine details with this pattern that makes it hard to resist for us.

Finally, our “pattern rut” for the Fall / Winter season was (hands down) the Class Picnic Blouse. It, too, is a quick sew, one that does not take much fabric, and the nieces LOVE it!

There is always so much to share . . . but so little time! We have more. Lots more . . . including 18 Oliver + S garments (comprising 11 outfits) sewn for a second installment of Sewing for Disney that we have yet to blog. That said, we would love for you to follow our sewing adventures on Instagram or Facebook, and would be honored to call you a sewing friend.