The Music Class outfit from Oliver + S is my current favorite pattern, both for ease of construction and adorable design! This outfit is just darling!
I picked up the fabric for the blouse months ago, because I KNEW I would buy this pattern soon. It is City Weekend Corner Florist Pink, I think?
I also knew I wanted to make the skirt in denim, so Ava could wear it with many shirts. However, I am kind of a tightwad when it comes to fabric, so, even though I splurged on the blouse at $10/yd., I could not make myself pay that much for denim.
Why?
Well, I think it's because I couldn't find that City Weekend fabric anywhere on sale, but just HAD to have it. Denim, on the other hand, is readily available at your local thrift store in the form of an outdated dress.
For $3.45. :D
This is where the Upcycle began..........
This dress was in great condition, and had just enough fabric for this skirt. It was a women's size XL. I even used the existing hemline, but only because I needed to make the skirt a little longer. It also had lovely pearl snaps on it, which I was hoping could be salvaged for another project. I'm disappointed that I don't think that is going to be possible or a valuable use of my time. However, if you've ever done it, please share how! The scraps are about to go into File 13........
I made the blouse first, and was a bit disappointed with the sizing. Here, you can see how boxy it looks. And short. I made a size 12, even though I know very well that Ava is tall and slim. My thought process was that I wanted her to be able to wear it a long time. She could easily have worn an 8, lengthened, but I was concerned it would be too narrow in the shoulders. I will have to do a little research the next time I make this and see which would be the best size to make and modify.
I thought about adding a slight ruffle to the hem to lengthen it, but decided to take it in at the sides first. I serged off about 3" from each side. Funny, then it didn't look so short on her! I think the extra width was making it hang funny.
I decided to hem it and just see how it looked paired with the skirt.
The skirt was so fun to make! I was just giddy the whole time and kept saying, "Wow! This looks so professional!"
She likes the pockets. :)
The denim was a medium weight and was very easy to sew through. I worried how the pleats would turn out with a heavier fabric, but they look great!
Those of you who have made this skirt before may notice an extra panel at the top of the side panel. Uh.......yeah..........that was a flub on my part. I lengthened the skirt a couple inches, but my sewing math really stinks. I calculated how much length to add to both the front and side panels, but somehow the sides ended up too short. Doh!
Not having enough fabric leftover for a new cut, I had to create new little panels to add to the top to make it long enough. Goodness gracious. Well, I really don't think anyone would ever notice if they weren't familiar with the pattern already, so I just added more topstitching to make it look "on purpose".
That's how I roll. Well, first I freak out a little bit and panic that I'll have to start all over with new fabric, but then I calm down and figure it out. :)
This pattern was very easy to sew. I think my end product looks just like the picture on the pattern--so professional! I made both pieces in a size 12, took 3" off each side of the blouse and lengthened the skirt by 2". I will definitely sew it again (I'm thinking a white eyelet blouse....) and highly recommend this pattern. Even a beginner would have success with this pattern, though I might suggest starting with the skirt.
Oliver + S has the cutest patterns...........you really must check them out! They also have digital downloads available for many of the patterns for those of you who like instant gratification. But I wouldn't know anything about that.........
And...........in real life..............
I picked up the fabric for the blouse months ago, because I KNEW I would buy this pattern soon. It is City Weekend Corner Florist Pink, I think?
I also knew I wanted to make the skirt in denim, so Ava could wear it with many shirts. However, I am kind of a tightwad when it comes to fabric, so, even though I splurged on the blouse at $10/yd., I could not make myself pay that much for denim.
Why?
Well, I think it's because I couldn't find that City Weekend fabric anywhere on sale, but just HAD to have it. Denim, on the other hand, is readily available at your local thrift store in the form of an outdated dress.
For $3.45. :D
This is where the Upcycle began..........
I made the blouse first, and was a bit disappointed with the sizing. Here, you can see how boxy it looks. And short. I made a size 12, even though I know very well that Ava is tall and slim. My thought process was that I wanted her to be able to wear it a long time. She could easily have worn an 8, lengthened, but I was concerned it would be too narrow in the shoulders. I will have to do a little research the next time I make this and see which would be the best size to make and modify.
She is showing you how much excess fabric there is on the sides.
There was about 12" of ease. Too much for this blouse.
I thought about adding a slight ruffle to the hem to lengthen it, but decided to take it in at the sides first. I serged off about 3" from each side. Funny, then it didn't look so short on her! I think the extra width was making it hang funny.
I decided to hem it and just see how it looked paired with the skirt.
A close-up of the pintucks......
The skirt was so fun to make! I was just giddy the whole time and kept saying, "Wow! This looks so professional!"
She likes the pockets. :)
The denim was a medium weight and was very easy to sew through. I worried how the pleats would turn out with a heavier fabric, but they look great!
Those of you who have made this skirt before may notice an extra panel at the top of the side panel. Uh.......yeah..........that was a flub on my part. I lengthened the skirt a couple inches, but my sewing math really stinks. I calculated how much length to add to both the front and side panels, but somehow the sides ended up too short. Doh!
Not having enough fabric leftover for a new cut, I had to create new little panels to add to the top to make it long enough. Goodness gracious. Well, I really don't think anyone would ever notice if they weren't familiar with the pattern already, so I just added more topstitching to make it look "on purpose".
That's how I roll. Well, first I freak out a little bit and panic that I'll have to start all over with new fabric, but then I calm down and figure it out. :)
This pattern was very easy to sew. I think my end product looks just like the picture on the pattern--so professional! I made both pieces in a size 12, took 3" off each side of the blouse and lengthened the skirt by 2". I will definitely sew it again (I'm thinking a white eyelet blouse....) and highly recommend this pattern. Even a beginner would have success with this pattern, though I might suggest starting with the skirt.
Oliver + S has the cutest patterns...........you really must check them out! They also have digital downloads available for many of the patterns for those of you who like instant gratification. But I wouldn't know anything about that.........
1 comment:
Beautiful! I'm making this right now and I love you fabric combo! Absolutely perfect top stitching!!!
Post a Comment