[robynsnest]

I absolutely love Oliver + S patterns but several don’t come in the sizes I need for my duaghter (6). Can anyone recommend another pattern maker similar? I am somewhat new to sewing clothes. I have quilted for some time but clothes are new to me. I like these patterns because the ease of following them and the quality of the finished garment. Thanks to anyone who can help.

[April Henry]

Hi! What pattern are you looking for specifically? There are only a select few that only go to size 5T, all the rest go to size 8. I know Liesl has received lots of great feedback about increasing her sizes even beyond size 8. I, too, have a little girl age 6 and have made almost every pattern and am excited about the potential for a longer Oliver + S growing time. There is a great reference on the O+S blog about which patterns to start with for making clothing.

http://www.oliverands.com/blog/2009/10/learning-to-sew-with-oliver-s.html

[robynsnest]

Thanks. I really like the teaparty sundress and the swingset tunic. I am not experienced enough to know how to increase the size (to a size 6). Are there any tips on how to do that?

[April Henry]

Oh good grief…. I typed this really long nice post then accidentally hit the back button and it all got deleted. Ah well…….

Basically, splice the pattern in the middle – that’s what I did with my daughter’s Tea Party dress this last fall. http://stitcheryfriend.blogspot.com/2009/08/pipe-iddy-do-dah-pipe-iddy-ay.html

However, I’m sure Liesl with her exceptional teaching skills will have some great insight on this subject. She’s very helpful!

That said, have you tried the Popover Dress pattern yet?

http://www.oliverands.com/blog/2009/04/popover-sundress-in-sew-hip.html (pictures)

http://www.oliverands.com/blog/2009/08/popover-sundress-free-downloadable.html (pattern download)

It’s a free download and super easy. A great place to start and to familiarize yourself with the Oliver + S design and pattern elements before taking on alterations. I made several of these last spring/summer and my daughter is still wearing them now (winter!) with a turtleneck. You can see her in one here (summer): http://stitcheryfriend.blogspot.com/2009/05/come-on-over-for-popover.html

and now: http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2788/4259148501_1842d41b1f.jpg

[robynsnest]

Thank you! I have actually tried the lazy days skirt and the kimono pajamas so I am familiar with Liesl’s patterns. I’m just relatively new to sewing clothes in general. I have tried some of the big name pattern manufacturers (the ones that are readily available almost everywhere) and hated everything about them. After reading about Oliver + S I decided to try them and I love the ease of following her patterns. The methods and tips she uses are so clear and easy to follow. That is why I’d like to stick with her patterns. I just wasn’t sure about enlarging them. I will be reading over your blog, thanks so much for your insight. I’m so excited about making clothes for my little girl. She starts school next year and I want to make as much as I can for her.

[April Henry]

I found that the Tea Party dress runs a bit shorter for the larger sizes so if you want to make sure it will fit properly, you could add length (by splicing and adding in the middle of each panel piece) and make a muslin first.

(Just an FYI – it doesn’t usually work properly to add length at the hem.)

[jodier]

I also had to add an inch onto the back strap when I did the same thing to get it all to sit flat across the front. Although since I had no idea the proper way to do this sizing-up, this might not be a real problem.

Leisl will probably be horrified being a proper seamstress! But I managed to upscale to a size 8 using the following. And it wasn’t too hard since this was really the second proper garment that I ever sewed, the first being the teaparty dress in a size 5!

First I slashed the bodice top (both front and back) half an inch above the top of the curve and spread it appart half and inch. Then I got some extra paper and taped it into the space. Then I cut the adjusted piece in half vertically and added and inch to the middle using the same method. I just continued the edges of the new pieces following the curves of the original bits.

Then I slashed the front and back centre skirt vertically and added and inch here front and back. To make the skirt longer I folded the centre piece in half and then placed the side piece into position and temporarily taped them together although they don’t actually fit together properly due to the seam allaowances. ThenI eyeballed the narrowest part where the waist is and slahed both the centre and side horrizontally following the curve of the skirt bottom (not in a straight line). Then I spread the parts and added in 3 inches. Did the same to the other side and then the back pieces using the first one as a guide.

Surprisingly it all worked out OK. But definatly make a test one first and don’t ruin good fabric. I actually sewed my slashed pattern together along all the seams except the side ones using the longest stitch I have and turning the tension right down so that you see the top thread coming all the way through to the bottom (makes it easy to pull out the threads at the end). Then I tried the paper version on the girl (do-able since she was seven and understood about standing STILL!). I didn’t need to change any of the skirt pieces and the skirt fit to the bodice OK. But this was when I found the back straps were too short. I just added an inch just above the buttonhole. I just pulled out the stitching then and used the paper pattern as normal.

[April Henry]

Picture please, Jodier, picture!!! 😉 I want to see your finished result – it sounds like you did a wonderful job of it!