you guys! this the first oliver + s dress i’ve sewn since march! how did that happen?
oh yeah, i got all selfish with my sewing and stuff. haha. anyway, man it felt good to sew this dress for E. she’s getting tall and lanky and i’ve had to start cleaning things out of her closet that she still tries to wear even though they’re waaaay too small – dresses that fit her like shirts, mostly.
the pattern is the oliver + s garden party dress. i sewed a 4T with 1.5” added, then i hemmed it with a baby hem for even more length. i sewed one back in march, adding the same length but hemming as instructed; and this dress now hits her at the same place that one did just 4 months ago even with the extra inch i gained.
i made the sleeveless version this time and decided i wanted to see the bias tape around the armholes so i didn’t wrap them all the way to the inside as instructed…it made the armholes just a tad wide, but i like how they frame the top band.
the main fabric is Leah Duncan’s summer grove by night from her Meadow line for Art Gallery, which i love (my first garden party and my recent wiksten tank are also Meadow – can’t get enough!). it’s from my sponsor LiMa Sews (she’s having a 20% off sale through 7/21 with the code “JULY2014” by the way – pretty sweet!). i wanted to use a print for the contrast bands and Lizzy House’s metallic copper pearl bracelets were my pick. i got a fat quarter at modern domestic; it’s online at drygoods.
the print really needed to be gathered to me – i considered the roller skate dress because she loves and wears hers often, but ultimately decided on the more romantic garden party – it feels almost Shakespearean with this print. i should’ve paid closer attention and matched the pattern on the sides though – it’s more noticeably “off” in photos than in person. annoying.
there is a story about one detail of this dress. i had a ladybug button that was THE PERFECT BUTTON. like, nothing else even came close. choirs of angels sung when i found it in my stash and set it on the dress for the first time. as i got ready to sew the button loop to finish the dress, i took a quick break and went upstairs for a few minutes. when i came back down, the dress had slid off my cutting table onto the floor, and the button was gone. totally gone. i proceeded to tear my sewing room apart (i typically sew in a total disaster area – it’s a small space and really hard to keep tidy), couldn’t find it. cleaned my sewing room for a few hours the next day, couldn’t find it. it had vanished into thin air.
i gave up and tried to locate a replacement. it took three stores, but i finally found it at fabric depot – two to a pack and 30% off at that! finally, i could finish the dress with the button that HAD to be.
meadow fabric + pearl bracelet accent + ladybug button with polka dots…you do the math. totally worth the hassle.
it’s nice to change up the types of things i sew/who i’m sewing for, and i especially love taking little after-dinner walks with this little gal in the summertime. i should do more kid sewing just for the excuse to take an evening stroll-and-shoot! the light is so pretty.
plus i always love this E’s poses – we could all take lessons from this little lady:
hehe.
skirt as top 
Cute dress (& model) and lovely photos! The ladybug button adds just the right touch :).
Great dress – I agree about the Shakespearean vibe and when combined with gold mary janes? The perfect tree-climbing outfit!
hehe right? this kid will climb trees in ANY outfit.
Beautiful! and thanks for the heads up on the sale! 🙂
How adorable is that last photo!?! Having a ladybug button AND it’s sitting on top of a flower is perfect, totally worth the hassle. Also good choice of fabric placement for the gathered part, works really well there.
thanks rachel! yep the dress just wouldn’t have been right without that darn ladybug.
She looks so pretty! You always pick out the most perfect fabrics…
thanks sis.
oh she looks so pretty and summery!! i loooove this print, and yes, it needed a ladybug button! L + E both have summer grove garden party dresses – they should wear them tomorrow! it is a big scale print, and i also paid no attention to placement 🙂
i didn’t even realize yours was summer grove too – the colors make it look so different! i tried to have Em wear hers today but it was dirty from wearing it yesterday. 😉
So Kristin, you never found the button? I wonder where/if it will turn up. At least you found a replacement. I can so relate to the sewing space being a disaster area – mine, too. I joke that I have to occasionally unbury. My sewing time is so limited that I feel like I don’t have time to sew and keep everything tidy. But lately I’ve been working at it more because it’s so frustrating to not be able to find things – and slows me waay down, too. And then I probably spent three hours organizing my sewing fabric/supplies this week. I was in nesting mode for sure.
Annnnyway. 🙂 I love this dress. It looks so pretty on her and your photos are fab!
I NEVER FOUND IT! though before i did the major cleaning, B vacuumed the basement and it might’ve gotten sucked up. i’m with you though – in the 3 hours it took me to clean, i could’ve had another dress pretty much made. i do love a clean cutting table though.
thanks. 🙂
You’re right – the ladybug button is the perfect addition! Such a beautiful dress! And I’d like to see you posing like that next time 🙂
ha! i should.
How sweet! I love rouching! Perfect button choice!!
So adorable! I love the fabric and the lady bug button too!
Also question: what do you do with all your kids handmade clothes as they out grow them? I find it so hard to get rid of handmade things.
I would love if everyone started using her poses!! The dress is charming. The PB with the meadow is nice. The side seam prints look just fine. It’s a busy enough print that it totally doesn’t matter.
This fabric (and ladybug button) were meant for this pattern!
Love love the way this dress looks with bolder prints – truly Shakespearean-style 🙂
PS. She does have the best poses (I’ll be showing this to my girl – she’s so not into modeling)
so pretty! and the lighting in your photos is beautiful. That fabric is very striking and looks good sewn into this pattern. Funny button story – I think we’ve all had one of those “where in the world did it go?” moments. You recovered better than I usually do:)
The button is just perfect! What little girl wouldn’t want that little friend to carry around with her?
I thought you were going to say someone swallowed the button, ha. You’ll find it someday…glad you got a replacement because it is perfect!! And such a pretty dress on her, the colors are so rich. Beauty. I am definitely taking notes on her sweet posing, gotta liven things up a bit 😉
It’s so pretty! That print all gathered up looks like a bunch of flowers, but like the stems. It’s really cool!
So beautiful, Kristin. And that button! Perfect! My daughters need to take posing lessons from E 🙂
Great dress, Kristin. Your photos are awesome, totally, totally great to browse whether or not you care about sewing.
Oh I’m still obsessed with the Meadow line! It just has such a pull for me. Love that print with the pearl bracelets! Pretty dress for a pretty little lady.
Gah, I wish I had girls. But only so I could sew dresses for them. 🙂 Beautiful job!
SO pretty on Em!! Such a great print. And your button story is HILAR. I always do stuff like that. One time I completely lost a geranium dress bodice- like vanished into thin air. I think I spent an entire evening just staring at my sewing desk scratching my head! 😉
Such a pretty dress, such pretty photos! And you’re right, HAD to have the button!
Kristin, do you think the garden party dress could be sew in something lightweight/knit with a woven lining if they are sewn as one fabric? I’m hoping to replicate a more drapy dress from nordstoms that looks like something Clara would dance in for the nutcracker ballet.
http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/ilovegorgeous-nutcracker-dress-toddler-girls-little-girls/3853395?origin=related-3853395-null-1-1-FTR-DL&BaseUrl=Girls&PageCategoryId=BR
Hoping to get another opinion before buying the pattern and you are the resident Oliver and S guru 🙂 Thanks!
Kristin, do you think the garden party dress could be sew in something lightweight/knit with a woven lining if they are sewn as one fabric? I’m hoping to replicate a more drapy dress from nordstoms that looks like something Clara would dance in for the nutcracker ballet.
http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/ilovegorgeous-nutcracker-dress-toddler-girls-little-girls/3853395?origin=related-3853395-null-1-1-FTR-DL&BaseUrl=Girls&PageCategoryId=BR
Hoping to get another opinion before buying the pattern and you are the resident Oliver and S guru 🙂 Thanks!
and I’m a big fan of the blog, keep up the great work!