today i’m posting over at the Oliver + S blog with what they call a “wardrobe edit,” where i list what i would make if i had all the time in the world, all the fabric budget in the world, and any oliver + s pattern to sew with. OH HOW I WISH!! i picked a few things for E, an outfit for O, and even something for baby C (who is such a fun little fella these days – sleeping through the night and giggling is the BEST). it was fun to pull together – check it out!
at a certain point while writing the wardrobe edit post, i got a bee in my bonnet to MAKE one of the things – i guess to show i’m serious or something. so here it is…look number 1 from the wardrobe edit post…the chartreuse + moonlit playtime dress!
somehow i had missed this butterfly print in the initial cotton + steel hullabaloo and only came across it recently on Miss Matatabi. it’s quiet but oh man is it beautiful. it’s from moonlit by Rashida Coleman-Hale – i got it at Modern Domestic, you can get it here.
the solid on top is also from cotton + steel (coordinates) and also purchased at Modern Domestic. it just had a number on the bolt in the store, not a name, but i believe it’s peridot, available here. i’m don’t normally reach for chartreuse and any other day would’ve grabbed a tonal blue color (like this dress), but that day was a “fabric shopping with a bunch of local sewing bloggers + Cherie” day, and when one is fabric shopping alongside Kat, one must step up to the BOLD color combos you guys.
blue and yellow are complementary colors – opposite on the color wheel – which makes them intrinsically high contrast and energetic. this dress feels super modern and i love how both colors go with her tan skin, too. she looks good in all the colors though. it’s kind of amazing.
the pattern is the Oliver + S playtime dress. i left off the sleeves and bound the armholes with bias strips, and cut the skirt with a hi-low hem. why? dunno. just wanted to. the playtime dress is one of those great basics that can go in so many different directions just with a little tweak here or there.
i cut about 2.5” off the front skirt and curved it down to meet the back skirt length, ending about 1/2” from the side seams. i’m not used to such a short skirt on her but i think her knees are pretty darn adorable. plus given the room in the bodice, it’ll fit as a tunic in a few months.
oh and i didn’t use the skirt pattern pieces – this is just a half yard cut, chopped in half so i could do side seam pockets. it would’ve been fun to do double-selvedge-to-selvedge for a super full skirt, but less-full is a different look for me, so it’s good.
i had fun playing with details too – the buttons are sewn on with bright magenta thread, and (cough*because i ran out of fabric*cough) i used two different colors inside the pocket. Sew Chibi harlequin influence strikes again? PERHAPS.
like i mention in my post, E has grown out of quite a few of her dresses and skirts and now at age 6 she has grown into a whopping size 4 bodice (!), so it’s really time for me to focus on sewing more for her again. girls are so fun to sew for though. ain’t complaining.
she spent a good portion of this photoshoot inspecting a dead earwig on the ground. as you do.
skirt as top 
So cute, Kristin! I love this color combination! I still need to make the playtime tunic. I’ve made the leggings several times, but never the tunic. You’ve motivated me! Beautiful work!
thank you! it is a great little pattern, for sure. can’t wait to see your version!
So cool- I love these kind of unexpected color combinations, especially on kids.
thanks girl! it’s fun to be more adventurous with the kid stuff, for sure.
I LOVE THIS DRESS! And the fact that my kids are in school, so I’m actually sitting down to READ your blog. Love ya!
yaaaaay! she’s back! now let’s do a film petit, sucka!
oh you just made me want to sew this pattern. So cute. And i love the bold colors. Awesome as usual. Now i need to buy that cotton & steel fabric sitting in the shopping cart!
aw thanks celina, you’re awesome.
The color combo is awesome. I love it. Especially with the solid in top. I’m a big chartreuse lover though
it’s electric!
it’s lovely! those butterflies are the greatest, and so are her knees! 🙂 i like the idea of a sleeveless playtime dress…or maybe even short sleeves…hmmm….
hehe i love her little knobby knees. yeeessss do it!
Love the fabric and the dress!
Very cute! Love the hi/lo hem and those gorgeous butterflies.
I love this dress so much, Kristin! The chartreuse is perfect paired with the blue and I love your button choice, too. Amazing! I also really, really love the sleeves. They’re perfect! I really couldn’t love this dress more! So inspired!
aw thank you so much, rachel! means the world to me.
Love the butterflies on the skirt. Beautiful dress.
What a cute dress! I love the fabric for the skirt…very pretty.
FABULOUS color combination. I wouldn’t have picked that print for some reason but seeing it here, paired with the chartreuse has me looking for things to make with it. Great pocket photo:)
i love it when that happens – you see a print you passed by used by another person and it’s suddenly a must have.
love these colors together!!! they’re divine and a perfect combo with the pattern. 🙂