Oliver and S

This is a cute little top made with an Oliver and S pattern called 2+2 in a gorgeous Kaffe Fassett print cotton from Hyggeligt Fabrics , which is a fabric store here in town. There was a sample in the store and Maisie insisted on buying the ingredients so I could make her one EXACTLY THE SAME! She rarely asks me to make her anything so I obliged. I like the top, but the construction was a bit odd. I didn't love the rectangular patch that covers up some funky cutting/gathering going on. Maybe it was just because it was my first attempt.

I made my own pattern from my blocks in a similar style. I made a fully faced yoke across the front and could not resist adding a cuffed sleeve with gathering at the sleeve band. I had this fairy print cotton and a co-ordinating polka dot so I made it up as a dress. I also piped in with a mini-pom pom piping I had. She wanted the pink ribbon bow at the centre front yoke seam (but I don't like it, shhh).

The cuffed sleeves use a method in a book I have had forever. I will find it and post the name. I think it is "The Busy Mother's Guide to Sewing Children's Clothes". There are a lot of tips in it, but I still think I am too busy for many of them.

This is the start of the second top version. This one is my pattern and is in a toile with gingham trim. I think I used the Oliver and S capped sleeve though.

Little clothes give such immediate gratification that I cannot reisist doing some once in a while.
They finish so much faster than the embroidered beasts I usually work on!

Back

Thanks Irene. I need a bit more time to decide, but am leaning that way too.

The jacket back. This went a LOT quicker than the other pieces. It gets a lot speedier with some practice.

I tried to photograph the sketch but it wouldn't come out right.

The Right Front

Tearaway stabilizer on back with stitching done.On the positive applique I stitched just inside the lines, on the negative applique I stitched just outside. This way the finished lines are close to the original design lines once the fabrics are cut away.

Closer up picture of the fronts.

This is the original front on the left (on the right when viewing here) with a new right (on left).

To salvage the silk I satin stitched around the edges, which added a nice bright pinky-purple like to the design. It still didn't save the silk from fraying so I also embroidered around the flowers in a blanket sitch. On the newer side I only hand stitched the silk so there is no satin stitching there. It is a bit duller. I haven't finished the hand embroidery yet.

Fronts on the dummy. I am not sure if the design is done here. I originally had more leaves and another flower on the lower left (shown right) side.Original sketch of design

I don't know- am I done or should I add more applique?

Making Another Jacket

This is the jacket front with the work changed up a bit.

Another photo. I have added the darker green to one leaf and the purple wool to both leaves. I satin stitched around the silk petals, but had to do a button hole stitch also. I did a chain and lazy daisy in green in the centre of the flower.

While I was on the phone I began the other side. It went a lot quicker and I was pleased with the results. That is, until I tried to lay them side by side. I have done two right fronts! So I guess I will be making two jackets.

When I tell my students that they cannot make a mistake I haven't already made, I am not kidding!

Positive and Negative Applique and Why You Should Do a Sample First

Everything is a learning experience. I have been using a lot of boiled wool fabric lately and wanted to do something like this for a while. Indecision has postponed it for months. I decided to jump in without sampling. If worse came to worst I can recut one front panel, right? Boiled wool is cheap, right? Oh, yeah: it isn't. Lots of oops in this post.

Here is the design drawn onto a lightweight embroidery stabilizer. I placed it on the wrong side of the fabric with most the fabrics layered on top, then finally the boiled wool jacket piece. I should have layered in stages. The velvet frays a lot and not prettily, so I wanted in under the wool. The silk frays in an attractive manner, so I was fine with it on top. However, I needed to make sure that no velvet edges were seen at all, even under the leaf edges so I had to trim out the velvet after the outer edge of the flower was cut. Oops.

(This placing of the stabilizer on the wrong side was a tip from Claudine at Adventures in Couture, who has been doing a lot of reverse applique lately.)

The silk dupionni was laid on top of the work. I did not want any boiled wool on the flower. The stitching was done in a straight stich and free motion foot on my Mega Quilter.

Leaves were stitched in sections. The outer was stitched forst, then the wool trimmed away then the inner lines were stitched and trimmed.

Three types of leaves. Another oops. I don't really like the lower leaves without the wool on them. Why didn't I do a sample again?

Also, there should be two rows of stitching around the slik. It is trimmed too closely for the silk not to fray away.

I think this piece is salavage-able. I will try to add some wool to the lower leaves and do something extra around the silk. I had planned to add some hand work anyway. We shall see.