Pattern Testing - Oliver + S

One of the lovely things that I get to do at Amitie is to test patterns that are new to the shop. I have now road tested two new patterns from the Oliver + S range of patterns..

The first one I made was the puppet show tunic and bloomers. I chose a gorgeous new Liberty of London print and co-ordinated it with a gorgeous mini spot fabric. The colours are sensational, and look really fantastic together.

I must say, that these patterns are beautifully presented. The eyecatching covers really caught my eye and begged me to make it! The illustrations on the front of the pattern are just so cute.

One of the first things you should note about these patterns is that they are coded according to difficulty. This first tunic/dress/bloomers that I made was a '3 scissor' difficulty rating out of a possible 4. I would agree with this rating. I have not sewn much for this age group (0 - 2 years) so didn't have much experience. The patterns are very easy to follow - instructions are clear and get the point across, but they are definitely fiddly.

This particular dress has a collar which is quite fiddly when you are making it in a small size. I have also never a lined a bodice before which is quite time consuming as well, but I am so glad I learnt how to do it.

The pattern's instructions are very 'old fashioned'. The bodice lining is handsewn into the sleeve seam. I think that if I made this dress again I would incorporate sewing the lining in when the sleeve goes in. But that is just personal choice. I did appreciate the fact that you are shown the 'proper' way of inserting a lining in. The hem is also another thing I found quite 'old fashioned' - you have to allow extra fabric to cut a bias strip for the hem. Next time I would just overlock the hem and then turn up by hand. I have now done it both ways and see no difference in the finished result.

Overall, it is a lovely pattern to use and would definitely recommend it, but certainly not for a beginner sewer. I have made another dress in the range and that is definitely a lot easier for a beginner, and I would recommend that (I will do a review of that pattern next week).

Patterns are available at Amitie Textiles (not sure if they have been put on the website yet - but you can email them)