[megamora16]

I’m Meagan from Phoenix, Arizona. I’m 23 years old and the mother of a 3 year old daughter named, Ava! I’m pretty new to sewing and Oliver + S patterns. Growing up my grandmother made a lot of special occasion dresses for me, once I had my daughter I wanted to be able to do the same. I got a sewing machine for my 22nd birthday, my mom showed me the basics and I’ve never really looked back! I came across Oliver + S patterns at my local quilt fabric shop and decided to give them a whirl. My skills are still very beginner but the Oliver + S patterns have really given me confidence! I’m very glad to have found the Flickr pool. Sharing my work has been very fun and the encouraging comments from all the other ladies has been amazing! I really love everything about this community!

[Sarvi]

How lovely to carry on a beloved tradition!

[mrskanuckles]

Hi, My name is Kelly and I have a sewing “issue”. I hoard, I collect patterns, I sew, I google sewing, I follow sewing blogs, I have a cutting area in my kitchen.

Anywho.. my Mom taught me the basics of sewing when I was a teen and I made and totally rocked a hideous wrap skirt. Years later I decided to make pillows, so my husband bought me a nice Kenmore sewing machine which sat for years after I made 1 pillow. A little over a year ago, I came across that sad machine and decided to actually learn to sew something. I followed some online tutorials and made a crappy shirt. It was so crappy, I was almost embarrassed that my poor daughter had it on (it may or may not have been made out of 2 bandanas).

I found dana-made-it’s simple skirt and I made my daughter’s whole class skirts. Man.. I was impressive. Somehow.. thankfully.. I came across Oliver + S patterns and decided that I needed to try out the icecream dress. I couldn’t believe I actually made something that looked so professional. I had to buy more of their patterns… Alot, lot more patterns.

Now I find myself not buying clothes that my kids need because “I could make that”. Luckily my husband doesnt mind my little hobby.. and my kids love the clothes that I make.I work fulltime as a computer programmer.. So for me.. sewing is my downtime at night vs sitting and watching TV after the kids are settled in. The only people I know that sew are my SIL and mom. So, it is nice to be able to have this forum and the flickr pool to connect with others that share the same obessions.

[Nicole]

None of my ‘real life’ friends sew,so this forum is my life line Kelly.

[katybellabug]

Ditto to that! I don’t have anybody in the ‘real world’ that shares an interest in sewing. I find so much inspiration in the forums and on flickr that it is like having friends around all the time to share advice.

I met up with an old school friend a couple of years ago who moved back into the area and she asked what I do. When I said I sewed, she took a step back and said ‘Woah! Really, I didn’t see that coming!’ So far I have made her 2 blinds, 1 pair of curtains, some bunting and a hoodie for her little boy. So I feel like she appreciates my hobby, which is nice!

[marzipanchen]

Hi, I am from Germany and I am new to sewing clothes. Oliver and S appealed to me because I really like their style and I have heard that the pattern instructions were really clear and thorough.

So I tried my hand at a Jump Rope dress for my daughter a while ago and thanks to many blog posts on the internet I managed to finish it. Now my daughter has outgrown her Jump Rope and she would like to have a couple (!) of Book Report dresses in various prints and colors.

I am a bit anxious about the new pattern as I have found only little info in blog posts or flickr, let alone a sew along or tutorials for some steps (like for the Jump Rope). So I hope I can ask here should there be any questions. It really is difficult to read sewing instructions in a foreign language, especially since pattern instructions seem to have their very own lingo. I have some basic understanding of sewing but mostly quilting related, so I hope I will be doing okay.

[Nicole]

You are very welcome.

This forum is a great resource and many girls have made gorgeous Book Report dresses.

I plan on making this for one of my twins,in knit,after I have finished two blouse for her little sister. I am more then happy to blog it as I go.

Either way,I am sure someone can help!

~Nicole~

[Jane]

Kelly,

I do the same thing. I see things in stores or online and make mental notes for things to make myself later. I have an entire Pinterest board dedicated to Ready to Wear inspiration. 🙂

Jane

[pippi]

Hi- I haven been lurking around here for a year or so since I bought my first tea party sundress pattern. I like to keep a sort of anonymous online profile (hence all the weird headless photos of my kids!). My story is almost exactly the same as mrskanuckles, it’s kind of eerie actually, except instead of a teenage wrap skirt it was an a-line dress. I didn’t sew for years until I started making pillows and curtains for our newlywed home, then started sewing for my second daughter after I cut way back on hours at work. I was even inspired by danamadeit.com too! I think it was the warhol dress, but I totally botched it the first time around. Eventually I realized that patterns were nice because sizing was reliable and tried and true. And of course Oliver +S have such beautiful finishes I feel like the finished garments are really professional looking.

I have lived all over the U.S., currently in the South, but moving soon to the Midwest. I’ve been lucky to have a few friends here and there that also sew and like to shop for fabric, which makes it so much fun, but I have also been incredibly inspired by the flickr group and this forum is an amazing resource.

I also think “I could make that” and forgo buying clothes for my kids a little too often, because I don’t have to time to sew them everything they need.

I pretty much find time to sew almost every day, and I think it is mostly because I watch very little TV. 🙂

Someday I would also like to get a nicer camera and learn a bit more about photography so I can take nicer photos.

[mrskanuckles]

marzipanchen — my sister in law is from Germany and has been living in the USA for over a year. I am teaching her to sew and she can read patterns very well. Maybe if you are interested, you two can connect through email or FB and she could help you translate if you run into issues.

pippi — we are like sewsisters 😉

jesims – We should start a thread where we all post our pinterest accounts so we can follow each other. Then I can snag your ideas before you get to them. ;P

[Andrea]

Hello!

I’m Andrea, a beginner sewer. I have just made my almost 3-year-old a Seashore Sundress which she loves! I’ve learnt ALOT with this project, it’s given me a bit more confidence and I’m looking forward to making more. This forum has been really useful.

Andrea

[coming-up-roses]

Hi there,

My name is Laney and I’m a half Dutch, half American girl living in Germany. After wishing I could sew for years, I finally bought myself a sewing machine when I was pregnant with my daughter 1 1/2 years ago. My family and friends laughed at me and scoffed that I would stay at it for a mere few weeks and then give up not justifying the price of the machine. I’m not sure if that was what spurred me on, but I haven’t looked back since. I absolutely love sewing and had a whole wardrobe of dresses, pants, bibs and diaper covers as well as a quilt ready and waiting for my daughter when she was born.

After starting off with free tutorials that I found by googling on the Internet I began following links and suggestions on my favourite sewing blogs and that is how I found Oliver+s. These patterns are by far my favourite. I have the LTTS book as well as several PDF patterns and I am totally enamoured by the excellent instructions and especially by the finishing of the garments. I love it when the clothes look beautiful on the inside as well (is that OCD??). I also love the Flickr Pool and the great friendly supportive Oliver+s community. The sew-a-longs and tutorials have been a great help. Thank you!!

Laney

(P.S.: I would be happy to help you too Marzipanchen, if you need it- your English is excellent by the way!)

[Sarvi]

Welcome everyone! Laney, do you read/speak Dutch as well by any chance? I have a favorite blog that I manage to navigate pretty well with photos and google translate but I am curious to know what a few words really mean.

[coming-up-roses]

Thank you!

Sarvi- I do speak/read Dutch so feel free to message me any translation requests. There are some pretty cool Dutch blogs out there. Have you been following the Belgian/Flemish blogs too?

[Susie Jane]

Hi I’m Susie, mother of a 3.5 year old from Fremantle Western Australia.

I have made my clothes since I was a kid, after high school the amount of sewing I did dropped off until my Mum got me into quilting. I had started collecting Oliver & S patterns when my little girl started walking and its taken me a couple of years to get back into sewing. While being a stay at home Mum I found a part time job at a fabric store to feed my love of sewing children’s clothes. I think remnants box is slowly moving into our spare room!

I’m now trying madly to use the O&S patterns as much as possible before she grows out the smaller sizes, I am really looking forward to purchasing more Oliver & S patterns when she grows into the size 5’s. I have just bought a couple of digital patterns and I’m amazed at how easy it was! I have also had heaps of fun making from the The Little Things to sew book.