Okay so FIRST: In case you are wondering, I am NOT staying up at all hours sewing. Most of the things I’ve been blogging in recent days have been in regular rotation for weeks or even months. I just haven’t gotten around to photographing and blogging them. Plus, Harper has only recently decided that she enjoys tolerates photo shoots. If she decides she doesn’t want to do it anymore, or if I start feeling weird about it, who knows…maybe we’ll stop. But for now, how cute is this top?!
This is the Swingset Tunic by Oliver + S, and I’m embarrassed to say this is the first of their patterns I ever sewed. It’s kind of hard to believe since Oliver + S is so well regarded (and has been around so long)…but for whatever reason, I have only recently purchased some of their patterns.
They seem great in terms of fit, style and construction, but I am a little sad that Harper is already at the top end of the size range for the patterns I purchased (most of them go up to 4 or 5 and then have to be re-purchased for the higher sizes). Plus, they are quite pricey, and the PDF versions aren’t laid out the best for at-home printing. I know others have complained about this, however, so hopefully they are listening and fixing this in future releases.
BUT, this top did end up extremely cute, and I love the fit on Harper. I made a size 3 since I’d heard these patterns run a tad large, and it is perfect right now. She’ll definitely be in a 4 by next summer (or even higher). I found the way the bodice was constructed at the buttons in the back to be a bit fiddly, but it turned out okay. I might try to do it a different way the next time around.
The fabric is Cotton + Steel cotton lawn in Shibuya Violet. If you look closely, you’ll see that I cut the front skirt portion in the wrong direction as the little kitty cats are upside-down. But hey…I won’t tell if you don’t. 😉
This fabric is quite lovely and is a perfect alternative to quilting cotton when sewing garments. It has a much better drape and is more lightweight. I lined the bodice with Robert Kaufman Cambridge Lawn in Thistle. This fabric is very similar to the C + S lawn and also works great when lining Liberty of London fabrics.
As for the shorts which you can see in the first photos, they are the Clover Shorts by Willow & Co. I previously blogged about these here, and they still fit since I made a size 3 for growing room. Vanessa made this exact same outfit combination (Swingset Tunic + Clover Shorts) and blogged about it here. I think they go perfectly together!
What do you think? Have you sewn with Oliver + S patterns? Do you love them? Have you noticed the same things I mentioned above?
