{"id":61,"date":"2009-05-28T15:19:00","date_gmt":"2009-05-28T19:19:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/oliverands.com\/blog\/2009\/05\/principles-of-fabric-selection-see-the-child-before-the-outfit\/"},"modified":"2018-11-28T10:51:33","modified_gmt":"2018-11-28T15:51:33","slug":"principles-of-fabric-selection-see","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/blog\/2009\/05\/principles-of-fabric-selection-see.html","title":{"rendered":"principles of fabric selection: see the child before the outfit"},"content":{"rendered":"
I\u2019m a professional designer. But when my daughter walks into a room wearing one of my designs I would much prefer to hear someone say, \u201cWhat a beautiful child,\u201d than \u201cWhat a beautiful dress.\u201d That preference sets the whole tone for the Oliver + S design philosophy, and it informs the choices I make when I\u2019m selecting fabrics for our samples or trunk shows.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\"\"<\/a> This Sunday Brunch jacket, made by June Beetle<\/a> and found on our Flickr group<\/a>, demonstrates the “see the child first” principle nicely. The colors and print are flattering without being overpowering. And that muted yellow looks terrific on her!<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

You undoubtedly know by now that Oliver + S designs feature classic, simple styling with clean lines and not a lot of unnecessary ornamentation. By designing this way, I\u2019m trying to create beautiful clothing that doesn\u2019t call attention to itself but that highlights the charms of the child who is wearing it. When I select fabric, I go for the same effect.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s been a trend in the quilt industry over the last several years toward very bold, busy, colorful prints. Many prints today are actually printed in 10 or more vibrant colors. While I like some of these prints, I tend to shy away from the loudest, boldest, most colorful ones when I make Oliver + S garments. A lot of these prints, when turned into dresses or tops, scream \u201cLook at me! I\u2019m a print by Designer X!\u201d I don\u2019t necessarily want to dress my child\u2014or anyone\u2019s child\u2014as a walking billboard for a fabric collection or designer of the moment. When you dress a child in a garment made from a very busy fabric, you run the risk that the child will get lost behind the print. (And if you combine two or more of these prints in a single outfit…well, it’s all exponential, isn’t it?)<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a> I’d be willing to bet that you noticed these two adorable sisters before you saw their sweet matching Birthday Party dresses, yes? Dresses by A.J.Jacks<\/a>, one of our Boutique Sewer Program<\/a> participants.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

I also worry that many of these bright, bold prints won\u2019t age very well. We all have some cringe-worthy photos of ourselves as children, don\u2019t we? Take a closer look at one of those photos. Chances are the clothing hasn\u2019t aged well because the styling of the garment or the print of the fabric is overly complicated or very \u201cof the moment.\u201d In designing Oliver + S garments, I\u2019m consciously trying to achieve a timeless style. When viewed two decades from now, a 2009 photo of a child wearing an Oliver + S design shouldn\u2019t cause anyone to say, \u201cWhat is that you were wearing?\u201d or \u201cWhat was your mother thinking, dressing you like that?\u201d (I can say this from experience because I have plenty of photos of myself from the 1970s that elicit just those sorts of comments. What was it with those purple bell-bottom jeans with the silver rivets down the legs?) Rather, someone should say, \u201cHey, you were a really cute kid.”<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a> The beige ground and clear-but-muted plum, mustard, and other colors in this 2 + 2 Blouse look wonderful on a toddler. Sewn by Angela Maureen<\/a>.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

So when I\u2019m selecting fabrics for making my own Oliver + S garments, I tend toward the more subtle and sophisticated prints. Although it goes against the grain of a lot of what\u2019s being done today in the home sewing industry, I think subtle and sophisticated work exceptionally well for children\u2019s clothing. The fabrics don\u2019t have to be loud and bright to capture people\u2019s attention. I would rather let people notice the clothing after they see the child wearing the garments.<\/p>\n

I think you’ll also notice that high-end designers are using more subtle and sophisticated prints these days. And this isn’t to say that we need to be afraid of color. I love color, and I’ll talk more about it when I discuss some of my other fabric selection principles in future posts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I\u2019m a professional designer. But when my daughter walks into a room wearing one of my designs I would much prefer to hear someone say, \u201cWhat a beautiful child,\u201d than \u201cWhat a beautiful dress.\u201d That preference sets the whole tone …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":6290,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[20687],"tags":[11],"class_list":["post-61","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general","tag-principles-of-fabric-selection"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/child-first-714100.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p5jZS5-Z","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":5267,"url":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/blog\/2013\/01\/capes-capes-capes.html","url_meta":{"origin":61,"position":0},"title":"capes, capes, capes!","author":"Liesl Gibson","date":"January 8, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"When I'm designing a new style, I tend to get carried away. And over the last month, as I've been putting the finishing touches on two new patterns, I've maybe gone a bit overboard with capes. But is that so bad, really? We're releasing our new cape pattern in a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "general post"","block_context":{"text":"general post","link":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/list\/general"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oliverands.com\/community\/content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/TwoCapes.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1922,"url":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/blog\/2010\/11\/secret-favorites.html","url_meta":{"origin":61,"position":1},"title":"secret favorites","author":"Liesl Gibson","date":"November 19, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Is a fabric designer allowed to have a favorite print from a collection? Or is that too much like a mother who has a favorite child? If it's ok to admit it, this is my favorite print from City Weekend. I like the colors, and I think the print is\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "general post"","block_context":{"text":"general post","link":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/list\/general"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oliverands.com\/community\/content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/favorite.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":75477,"url":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/blog\/2020\/09\/kids-can-sew-violets-sunny-day-shorts.html","url_meta":{"origin":61,"position":2},"title":"sewn by kids: violet’s sunny day shorts","author":"Masha Richart","date":"September 16, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"The school year is going to look a little different for many kids and parents this year. If your child is going to be at home in the fall, why not take this opportunity to teach sewing? Crystal taught her daughter to sew using our free Sunny Day Shorts pattern,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "general post"","block_context":{"text":"general post","link":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/list\/general"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oliverands.com\/community\/content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/violet-hero.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":68044,"url":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/blog\/2018\/12\/weekend-links-happy-holidays.html","url_meta":{"origin":61,"position":3},"title":"weekend links: happy holidays!","author":"Liesl Gibson","date":"December 21, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Happy holidays! Liesl is here with her last Weekend Links post of the year. We wish you a very Merry Christmas and a happy New Year!","rel":"","context":"In "general post"","block_context":{"text":"general post","link":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/list\/general"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oliverands.com\/community\/content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/HappyHolidaysHero.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":74291,"url":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/blog\/2020\/05\/kids-can-sew-lazy-days-skirt.html","url_meta":{"origin":61,"position":4},"title":"sewn by kids: lazy days skirt","author":"Masha Richart","date":"May 13, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Laura's daughter made this beachy Lazy Days Skirt in one day for her very first sewing project. Read on to see how Laura taught her child to sew.","rel":"","context":"In "general post"","block_context":{"text":"general post","link":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/list\/general"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oliverands.com\/community\/content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/cottonreel-hero.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":49773,"url":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/blog\/2015\/09\/photography-102-working-with-kids.html","url_meta":{"origin":61,"position":5},"title":"photography 102: working with kids","author":"Rachel Le Grand","date":"September 23, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"The second and last in Sarvi\u2019s photography series involves working with kids.","rel":"","context":"In "general post"","block_context":{"text":"general post","link":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/list\/general"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oliverands.com\/community\/content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/photography102TITLE.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=61"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":174,"href":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61\/revisions\/174"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6290"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=61"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=61"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=61"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}