[sfunk226]

Hello I was hoping someone could give me some feedback on this pattern. I am a little scared off by the Oliver + S patterns as I tried to make the birthday party dress about 2 years ago and it ended up being a hot mess…I have made some simple pinafores for my daughter but want to make her a dress for her birthday…I would consider any of the easy patterns so if there is one available that is easier than this one I would love to know which one you think would be a good fit for my abilities.

Thanks-

Sabrina

[Tamara]

Hi Sabrina

I think the Music Box jumper would be just right for you to reacquaint yourself with the Oliver and s patterns. It is a one scissor which is designed for beginning sewists such as yourself. It will teach you a few things along the way which will be helpful when gaining your confidence.

It looks fabulous in a plain or patterned fabric and allows you to add trims etc if you want to be a little adventurous. I think you could safely attempt both styles of this pattern with no trouble as the instructions are super clear and if you get stuck there is always the forum to jump onto to either get some more info or to ask for help.

Hope this helps and good luck. Can’t wait for you to show us.

Tamara

[Nicole]

The Music Box is a lovely pinafore and a great beginner project.

As long as you take care to sew the seams accurately it will go together well.

Depending on what size you are making the errata is as below

http://oliverands.com/oliver-and-s-patterns/OLV-OS021MB.html

I found I did jiggle with the front pleat a little to get things to fit but that is not unusual. I notched the centre front of my bodice and skirt and went from there.

There have been some stunning versions made such as this one here http://www.flickr.com/photos/52151674@N08/6417719357/

Good luck!

[Jennifer1568]

I think the Family Reunion dress is easier and there is a sew along that illustrates each step. Here is the link to the sew along. http://www.aboveallfabric.com/blog/?p=4964 I got hooked on O& S because I tried the sew along and the dress turned out really cute.

[Todd Gibson]

Sabrina, you’ll do well with the Music Box Jumper. It is the very easiest pattern to sew of all the non-free Oliver + S patterns. It’s rated only one of four scissors in difficulty. The Birthday Party Dress, on the other hand, is one of the more difficult patterns we have in print and it’s intended for more experienced sewers. It’s rated three of four scissors in difficulty.

The difficulty ratings are a good guide if you’re looking to build your skills and confidence. Sew through a few one and two scissors projects, and then return to the Birthday Party Dress. If you do that, you’ll find that you’ve improved your skills and confidence enough to tackle that project with no problems.

[Jennifer1568]

The Music Box pattern is also very cute. I have made it 4 times. It was the third pattern I tried. At first I had such a hard time constructing and attaching the facing. I turned it inside out and backwards and I couldn’t make it look good on the outside front because I can’t stitch in the ditch well and even when I tried to blind stitch the facing to secure it; it puckered on the outside. Only when I added cording between the front and back and the yokes could I make it look good. I think the sew along is what made the difference in the Family Reunion Dress for me. The additional photos and instructions were very helpful. I think there is a sew along for the Jump Rope Dress, too.

[janimal]

The musicbox dress is a lovely idea to sew. It goes together relatively easily. If you aren’t into buttonholes, then the ice cream dress is a nice idea also.

And of course, the free pattern popover dress is SO easy to put together, and has become a staple outfit for my little girl in the Summer. I can make one of those SO fast.

[Mkj1222]

You may want to consider downloading the apparel basics video in the shop section of the website. I’m not new to sewing but my apparel attempts weren’t turning out great. This video was more helpful than anything I have seen or read so far and the tea party dress I’m working on is turning out beautifully!

[Justine J]

Hi Sabrina

The Music Box dress is very very easy to make, but despite having been sewing now for nearly 2 years, I did end up having some trouble attaching the skirt to the bodice – my skirt was too wide for the bodice – I actually now can’t remember what I did wrong (!) but if you have any trouble with it, post a question and I’ll see if I can remember…..

(and thanks Nicole for the link to my dress!)

Justine

[meleliza]

The music box jumper is really a great beginner project, particularly the single pleat version. I think it looks nice a s a jumper or on its own and is versitlile in terms of the fabric you can use. Even though it’s an easy project, the results are very nice. I think you’ll be pleased with it. You can search in the Flickr pool for examples. Don’t forget to show us how you get on!

[Amy]

Hello. The music box jumper was my first oliver amd s dress and I blogged about it to help me remember the steps and my goof ups. You can look at my pictures along the way if it would help you at all. I’m brand new to sewing and managed to find my way through most of the dress. http://acrazycraftlady.blogspot.com/2011/10/new-beginning.html

[sfunk226]

I just wanted to thank everyone for their feedback! I just received my pattern for the music box jumper along with this fabric

http://www.fabric.com/quilting-fabric-novelty-conversational-quilt-fabrics-insects-bugs-hello-pilgrim-butterfly-dark-coral.aspx

which I think will look really cute if I have good luck with the pattern which I think I will!

Thanks so much!

P.S. I also downloaded the free lazy day skirt and I love the pattern. I am in the process of finishing up a couple skirts—super fun and easy.

[sfunk226]

Hello! I am back and I am making great progress on my music box jumper! But now I am stuck! I am so close to being done! I am hoping to get some help.

My trouble is with attaching the bodice to the yoke. I think I have it attached correctly…I have done step 1 and 2 of the attach the skirt to the yoke section. It is 3 that is giving me the trouble.

Basically I have the bodice attached all the way around along the bottom but I can still lift the top of the bodice up ( the part that I am supposed to pin down over the seam allowances and the stitching) And I have pinned it but I cannot for the life of me figure out how I am supposed to attach the “outside yoke” I know it says to hand stitch it but is that using a blind stitch. I tried to stitch-in the-ditch in the back but that of course goes through to the front of the dress making it look topstitched a the bodice…

So I am wondering did I just completely attach the bodice incorrectly to begin with?

Any help is much appreciated. I will try to post a photo if it will help.

[sfunk226]

Here is a link to a photo…hope it helps!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/9022382@N02/7065599043/in/photostream

[sfunk226]

Okay I figured it out but now I have manhandled the bodice so much I may have to re-do it! Ugh! Wish me luck!