meet the new advisors circle

Thank you so much to everyone who applied to our Advisors Circle! We got a lot of great applications, and it was a pleasure to read each and every submission. Thank you so much, and I wish we could have chosen more of you!

I love this vibrant community that we’ve built. We love featuring our members through our various blog series and will continue to do so. If you’ve got an idea to contribute, please do get in touch!

To reach me, you can join one of our private Facebook groups (Liesl + Co. Friends or Oliver + S Friends) where you can post your photos or ideas. Email me at askme@oliverands.com if you want to be in touch privately with a suggestion or an idea for a blog post, and especially if you’d like to contribute a post! Follow us on Instagram (@oliverands and @lieslandco). Tag us on Instagram (#oliverands, #lieslandco or #sewlisette). And don’t forget our discussion forums. They are an especially useful resource if you have questions about a pattern, since there is an archive of questions and answers. There’s also Pinterest and Flickr (Oliver + S, Liesl + Co., and SewLisette, etc.) And don’t forget to sign up for our newsletter (where you can also choose to have blog posts emailed directly to you). We would love to hear from you and want to include anyone who wants to be more involved here. Like they say, it takes a village!

Now it’s time to introduce our nine new panelists. Please join me in welcoming them. I’m very excited to be working with them. We asked each member to write a short introduction, and here they are.

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Hi there! My name is Aimee and I hail from the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains in East Tennessee. I come from a long line of women makers. I sleep under quilts that my grandmother made, my head rests on pillowcases that my aunt embroidered, and my memories are full of time spent watching my mom and grandmother sew. The majority of my sewing and embroidery skills are self-taught and I like to think there is a little bit of genetic love seeping through.

I’ve been sewing for as long as I can remember, although when I’m not weaving threads, I’m weaving words. I don’t remember a time when words weren’t constantly roaming around in my head, be it through writing or voraciously reading. These days I spend my time chasing words and thoughts while I mother and homeschool my teenagers and learn to love my family and friends well. I savor quiet moments with a cup of tea; when I’m able to catch those creative thoughts and find the courage to bring them to life. I’m thrilled and honored to be part of the Advisors Circle! Find me on Instagram here.

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Hi, my name is Asmita and I live in Delhi with my two kids and husband. In my earlier life I taught Japanese, but this last decade has been more about sewing. I first came to sewing around the time when my daughter was born. I feel it had something to do with being a new mother. It was a form of therapy, to keep the mental chaos at bay.

While I still sew for both my kids, these days, I find myself increasingly making clothes for myself. And while I know something about the steps involved in sewing a garment now, I have to learn a new skill: patience! Sewing for myself takes much longer than for my kids. It entails focusing on the unique aspects of my body. I am beginning to appreciate both fitted garments made for a specific shape as well as those which take on the shape of the wearer (such as a saree or a kimono). Sewing has also brought me back to historical texts I was reading a decade ago: to questions of women’s clothing around the turn of 19^th century, to rethink how women straddle the two spheres of modern (western) and traditional wear. Sewing still calms me today and I look forward to learning more about sewing clothes for me. You can find me on my blog and on Instagram.

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Hi everyone! I’m Debbie, and I’m so excited to be a part of the Advisors Circle.  I love sewing for myself, family, and friends. I am on Instagram, and I blog at StonesRiverQuilts.

I’ve been sewing for years, but I’ve become more serious about it in the last few years. I began making clothes for my grandchildren about eight years ago, and really got interested in learning all I could about sewing clothing. I discovered Oliver + S when looking for children’s patterns. I think my first Oliver + S pattern was the Swingset Skirt, which I love!

I also learned to sew knits with the School Bus T-Shirt pattern. I love reading blogs and learning how to modify and adjust patterns for a custom fit. I’ve got several projects in mind, and hopefully, I’ll put some new skills to work this year. I’m looking forward to sewing with everyone!

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I’m Elizabeth, originally from South Wales, but currently in lovely North Carolina, USA. I have been sewing and quilting since I was 14. But it was only when I had my two little girls that I started sewing clothing, apart from the odd piece, like my husband’s waistcoat for our wedding. I became slightly obsessed with Oliver + S patterns.

I love classic styles, but I also have a lot of requests from my girls for fancy dresses, so I adore adapting a pattern to turn it into something different. My fabric stash is filled with pieces from historic wool mills in S Wales, fabric stalls from Singapore, and now from around North Carolina – I enjoy learning about the history of textiles and sewing wherever I may be. When not sewing, I’m outdoors exploring with my family, doing lots of wild swimming, paddling and hiking which I share on Instagram. My background is in science and wildlife documentaries. I volunteer at the NC Aquarium, where I dive with the sharks and talk to schoolchildren about marine conservation. I am beyond excited to be part of the Advisor’s Circle and get to learn from and work with a great group of sewers!

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Hi, my name is Jen, and I am extremely excited to be part of the Advisors Circle. I live just outside of Seattle in Kirkland, Washington with my husband, almost 13-year-old daughter, 11-year-old son, and our adorable dog, Kiki. My grandmother taught me to sew when I was a child, which is when I became a sewing enthusiast. My passion grew after my children were born and I had someone for whom to sew. This is also when I was introduced to the joy of sewing Oliver + S patterns.

These days I continue to sew clothes for my daughter, clothes for friends’ children as well as 18″ doll clothes.  One of my favorite projects each year is to design and create a Halloween costume with my daughter. Lately, I have also been exploring sewing more for myself, which has led me to taking classes to improve my skills.  I have had fun taking classes on the basics of pattern drafting, draping and sewing techniques all while sharing the experience with others who have the same passion. My projects can be found on Instagram. I can’t wait to share my future creations!

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Hello!  My name is Lyndsey, and I am very excited to join the Advisors Circle. I live in Louisville, KY, and you can find me on Instagram.  I am a working mom and sewing is how I manage my stress and maintain my well-being. I grew up in Quilt City, USA, so my earliest sewing memories are hand sewing my mother’s leftover quilt scraps to make dresses for my Barbies.

I didn’t sew in high school or college, but in grad school I got serious about learning how to sew. I am passionate about sewing clothing for myself, my boys and my friends’ little ones. I really love the technical side of garment sewing and learning new construction techniques. I have been sewing Oliver + S patterns for more than seven years, and I have learned so much. In 2015, I started curating a small, coordinated capsule wardrobe, and this year I have been focused on increasing the number of my handmade pieces. I can’t wait to share my new makes with you!

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My name is Mire and I live in Espoo, Finland. I love sewing for myself and for my two daughters. Sometimes I sew also for my niece and nephews. I make almost all of my and my daughters’ clothing. I have been sewing as long as I can remember. Sewing helps me relax and brings me joy. You can find me on Instagram here.

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Hi all! I’m Talitha. I live in Encinitas, California, which is a small coastal city in San Diego County. I started quilting about five years ago as a way to process the grief of losing our first daughter. I like to think of sewing as her gift to me, because I’m not sure I ever would have taken it up otherwise. It really provided me with an outlet when I needed it most. These days, I sew the odd garment for myself, but most of my time at the machine is spent quilting, making home goods and bags, and sewing clothes for our 3-year-old daughter (although she would tell you that she is 3 3/4!). I recently sewed her the Fairy Tale dress, which was such a fun challenge.

When I’m not sewing, I spend my time with my partner, daughter, and our two Boston terriers, Nutmeg and Tucker. I’ve recently started taking (virtual) ukulele lessons! I am a STEM librarian at a university, and am finishing up a Master’s Degree in learning, design and technology (basically, instructional design). You can follow my creative pursuits on Instagram.

 

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Hello, I am Sharon. I started sewing when I was young, and re-found my love for sewing after my daughter was born. My new love for sewing led me on a search for quality patterns, but I also wanted ones that would teach me how to sew garments. This search lead me right to Oliver + S. Since then I have been sewing garments for my five children and myself. My children have been raised in Oliver + S patterns. The sewing that I adore the most is anything that pushes my skills and challenges me. I always love a good challenge! When I am not garment sewing, I am either quilting, gardening, crafting or out hiking. Find me on Instagram here.