Twice the Fun! Oliver and S Roller Skate Dress

One thing I gotta say about this pattern - insanely easy and quick - and only TWO pattern pieces, if you really want to save time.  (Well, okay, that's more thank one thing.)

Last time I made this, I went semi-fancy (just go with it) and used my Heather Ross Dream Bikes (find it on eBay) fabric and added the neck trim.

Late Spring/Early Summer 2013

This time, I knew I just wanted to sort of get 'er done, so to speak.  I wanted some new duds for Camden, I wanted to use stash fabric - and I just wanted to be quick about it, honestly.  As for the neck trim pieces, I couldn't decide on anything that looked great with the main fabrics, so, that was that.

She needed brown bunny, pink bunny and leperly....ummm....

So, hey - cute AND simple.  Not a deal-breaker, right?  And funnily enough, Camden wanted to wear each one all day when she found them hanging on her doorknob :)  Works for me.

I was super happy to use the pink deer fabric I'd bought a LONG time ago, it seems...I'd had only a yard and had never know what to do with it.  But SCORE upon remembering/realizing I could make an Oliver and S Roller Skate Dress with ONE yard of fabric!  I did have to buy some shot cotton to line it - which was nice, as it was on sale at Bolt in Portland when I visited recently.  I am also not really into the bow detail that can be added, so, it's a pretty plain Jane result, other than the fun fabric and the cute kid, aha!  (And P.S.  It was NOT warm out during any of these pictures.)

Camden then informed me she needed the tunic version of this pattern, so, we went through my stash - and found enough yardage of this print I'd used before:

Well, ALMOST enough.  I thought I had enough for a full dress, but sad times when I cut the front pattern piece and then realized that when I folded for the second pattern piece, I did NOT have enough to cut it - not enough by a mere half-inch of so.  I guess I could have brought in the sides of the dress, but whatever.  I'm glad I cut the main fabric first, as opposed to the lining.  And I like the result as a top...which works out, as she wanted a top, anyway ;)  Anyway, I had on hand some green shot cotton - one of my favorite fabrics to use as a lining.

Anyway, I totally recommend the pattern - satisfyingly quick, and one day, I shall do something a bit more interesting with it, as it's a nice canvas for hand embroidery, etc.  I do have another one lined up, as Camden wants a reversible version, so, be ready for that blog post in a week or three.

For now, I leave you with some Halloween shots from 2012 up through this year....all in the same costume.  I wish I had glorious photos from this year, but whatevs.  I forgot my camera.  We had a good time at a friend's house - Lisa from Irons in the Fire hosted a wee get-together, and Camden and her friend, Elora, ran around like crazy, while I sampled strawberry after banana after strawberry, dipped in chocolate :)

2012, when I first made the costume

2013.....LOL....rough life

2014, getting ready

2014....pirate with glow sticks and velcro shoes

Oliver and S Cargo Pants and a Modkid Tee!

It seems that, especially of late, I have a project almost finished...and still need that ONE detail.  In this case, it was a lack of a lovely knit to make the top for these pants - which is a pretty big detail ;)

I was so glad to find it during my crazy fabric-shopping weekend in Portland - at Mill End.  This is usually a store for me to find linings (I'm a fan of cotton-silk blends, if you must know!), but I did luck out this time with a knit, a lining and a fabric for a future coat for Camden. (Happily, I had a great time at the Bolt sale, also - and was helped in that because I had a couple of lovely gift certificates.)

As for the patterns themselves, I used the Oliver and S Field Trip Cargo Pants and the Not-So-Plain Tee from the Modkid book, Sewing Modkid Style.  For the pants, I used a chambray in eggplant (from Modern Domestic), and I girlied them up by topstitching with a Mettler variegated silk thread, which I thought was just perfect!  I also opted to use the decorative finish of two rows of top-stitching for each piece, as seen here:

The pattern itself was clearly written, and I did the size 4, which of course meant doing the regular hem and then blind-hemming again another almost three inches, which I can let out as she gets taller.

For this ensemble, I did not want to go the super-sporty look of the raglan tee, so, I opted to do the Modkid tee, and while I did do the cuff bands, I left the bottom hem raw - keepin' it real, people.  (Why am I too lazy/nervous to the use the cover stitch function on my serger????)  This is also another easy pattern, though I do put it together differently in that I don't like exposed seams at the neck, so, I sew together both shoulders before applying the neck piece in a circle.  I just serge the short ends of the neck band, then I fold and press in half and stretch it to fit the circle left by the head hole.  I do wish it was a bit snugger, as I feel it's a bit gappy, but it'll work ;)

Her "ghost" face, she says

Overall, a fun look, and it meant me finishing another pair of pants for her - whew!  I honestly have big plans to get a couple pairs of pants (another Olive and S pair...then maybe a Figgy's Banyan pair...?) more done in a size 4 - something to last while I don't have much time to sew after el bebe comes along.

Blowing her nose....

In her too-small-now Elena Nodel Silversage sweater

Also, today was a fun day in general for this little girl - she spent time at the park with her friends and had a fun Halloween night - used the same costume I'd made last year (surely, I can get a THIRD year outta this sucker, eh???), and she was an animal, racing from house to house, getting excited about the ghosts she might see ;)