Oliver and S time! After School Pants and Top.

In a non-normal world, I would get a chance to sew most days of the week, but it seems that lately, I get the chance to have a spurt of sewing and finish a sewing project once every week and a half or so.  I HAVE discovered that Camden is able to entertain herself for an hour or two these days while I get the chance to sew during daytime hours, which is what we call AWESOME.  Sewing always used to be a nighttime thing, but with el bebe coming, I find I better be one of those responsible folk and make sure to get enough sleep, so, I stick with knitting at night.  Sewing is one of those tricky hobbies that will keep me up until 2 in the morning...no bueno.

Happily, I was able to finish my second-ever Oliver and S After School pants and top, this time in a size 4.  I'm not sure what my reasons were for skipping from a size 2 to a size 4, but my child surely could have used size 3 pants.  She has a round little belly (which, according to her, is carrying a baby girl) that demands I size up or lengthen shirts, but her leg inseam is just over 13 inches, so, lengthening pants is just NOT necessary, for the most part.  Camden is, I think, slowly moving from average-sized to small, as she gets older.  She would just call herself a big girl and have done with it, naturally.  Anyway, my bad in choosing to do a size 4, but hey - they'll last a LONG time, aha!

I have worked with Oliver and S patterns many times, and for the most part, I find the directions great, though I like to throw myself off here and there.  There is definitely errata one would want to check out on their site, for each pattern, before beginning - or if you are way stuck and pretty sure something isn't right. I have found some of the patterns needed more careful editing, but that's my critical editing eye coming out in me.  Also, one thing I find myself doing with Oliver and S pattern sheets:  Chippity-chopping them UP, son!  I know that may be pure blasphemy to some, but those suckers are sooooo big that I can't stand wielding them while trying to trace, so, I rotary cut them down to size to make tracing easier, and hey - they still fold up all nice and pretty.

Speaking, too, of paper patterns, I am crazy and prefer to use a pencil when tracing, though some are definitely more comfortable with a pen.  I find I would just have to fix too many things to WANT to use a pen, so, that doesn't work for me.  But check out which SUPER COOL pencils I DO use:  stacking point pencils (and WHO knew that was the proper name?! I will never call them that, neva'.  I will stick with my fancy "changeable lead pencil.")  And I know they're a waste.  Don't hate.  It's a childhood memory or some such.

Lastly, I have to give a shout-out to the tracing paper I love to use, as it's so great and sturdy and see-through (duh) and iron-able.  I don't know what I pay for it locally (I buy it at Modern Domestic - best place ever - great ladies, classes and sewing machines!!), but this Swedish tracing paper is available on Amazon, too.  You can sew with it and even make a quick muslin, if you need to.

As for the After School pattern, I loved it the first time I did it - it's pretty stinkin' easy.  Just keep track of those front and back yokes, as there are four separate pieces.  As I said above, because of my little girl's belly, I usually like to lengthen shirts, especially with Oliver and S.  I don't know if that means the shirts run shorter, or if it's really just her belly.  I forgot this time, so, I'm glad I did the size 4, as it fits nicely right now.  If I'd done the size 3, which would have fit her a bit better, I definitely would have needed to lengthen it.  When I first came across this issue with the patten, I just added a band to the bottom, no biggie.

Gosh, that was so long ago!!!

As for her the size 4 pants I just made, I hemmed them on the longer side, but then I blind hemmed them up another 2.5 inches, as they were so long.  They are at the perfect length.  As you can see below, I used the same fabric, but in a different colorway.  Hey - keeps my life easy, and I planned it that way, LOL!  I got fancy and top-stitched in a contrast to match the reddish-orange leaves, but I didn't get any crazier than that.  With the ruffles it already has, I didn't want to go overboard.

Let me know if you have any questions on construction.  The size 4 pants would easily fit your child in length if she has a 15-15.5 inch inseam.  Sometimes, you have to play with hemming things shorter or longer, so, always remember that.  With my blind hem, I can take that out later, easy cheese cream pie!

My Employer

Once upon a time, about 4 years ago, I began working for a wee little fetus named Camden...who then grew into this now 3.5 year old girl who thinks one can run away from polio (the things she says...).  This is THAT little girl:

I am pretty sure she is the best employer I could have, albeit frustrating at times (and what employer ISN'T, honestly???) and wacky at others.  I sometimes get to slack off (I truly appreciate those moments - you know, when the boss is busy dinking around, not paying attention, so, you get to do your own version of dinking around) - and I sometimes I have to put in overtime, though rarely.  We are such lucky parents, in that our little girl sleeps well at night (is that JINX #1????) and is a pretty funny, easy-going, happy-go-lucky child.  I can only WISH/HOPE/DREAM that child numero dos is the same in that way.  Pipe dreams, though...

All that to say THIS:  I knew when she was in utero that she was someone for whom I needed to create.  I am weak in so many areas in life, and an area in which I can give is, in fact, a bit of a material thing, so to speak.  I can sew and knit - not super fancy stuff, but clothing, nonetheless.  My goal was/is to provide for my child in this way.  I do not love to buy her clothing from stores.  I prefer for us to create for her at home a wardrobe that speaks to our tastes, as those could never truly be defined by another designer, so to speak.  She is able to help me here and there - sometimes playing so that I can sew, sometimes sleeping so I can knit, sometimes assisting me in picking out fabric for an ensemble...and sometimes standing right there, on the chair while I press the foot pedal at the sewing machine.  

I do always have that wish that I had more time to create for her - but to have that time would mean I didn't have her in my life, and as she is known for saying, "That would be nutso in the buttso."  Clearly.  She is a demanding boss, but definitely a highly rewarding boss at that  :)

This is my little girl in the first-ever dress I made for her, and her expression could be depicting her sadness at knowing I had a big eff-up with cutting into the FACING of the dress, rather than the SEAM for turning.  My bad.  It's a play outfit now.  Still fits her, these MANY moons later.

This is the latest sewn creation for my little girl - her Oliver and S Book Report Dress (her second one of these) - buttons by Tessa Ann.