Saturday, June 27, 2015

Oliver+S Butterfly Blouse & Skirt

Click on the pictures to enlarge them.


 This lovely set is for my little friend Chloe who will be five at the end of the summer and starting kindergarten in the Fall.    I have been enjoying sewing little gifts for Chloe for a while now but it seems that I have stepped up my production since I have neglected this blog!  I have lots to catch up on and share!
Front of the O+S Butterfly Skirt

Elastic Casing back of O+S Butterfly Skirt.  This is a truer color of the fabric.
Chloe's mother is a dear friend of mine and appreciates everything I make for Chloe but she has fallen in love with the O+S brand of patterns so I have been branching out in my sewing.  I have fallen in love with the Oliver+S patterns.  It took me long enough, didn't it?!

I made only one change to the pattern.  I added buttonhole elastic so that it would fit longer.  The pink ribbon is to facilitate hanging the skirt on a regular hanger.
 It has alternated with rainy overcast weather or blazing hot weather so taking photos has been a challenge.  The outside photos were taken at 8:30 PM right after a storm.
O+S Butterfly Blouse Front
 I used a large rose floral that has been 'mellowing' in my stash for at least a decade or more for the skirt which was a dream to sew.  So quick and easy!  I used a pale yellow Imperial batiste, vintage ecru French lace, and an ecru Venice lace butterfly for my heirloom version of the blouse.  I made Chloe the size 4 but will have to size up for the next one.  She is growing like a flower in the Florida sun!
Oliver+S Butterfly back.
 I made the blouse more time/energy consuming due to the heirloom sewing techniques and completely lining the bodice up to the peplum.  I love the dainty effect the lace gives the delicate sheer fabric and would do it this way again.
Delicate button and loop closure.  This pale yellow is truer to real life. 
 The button loop gave me the most trouble!!!  I am out of practice!  I haven't made one in years and kept making it too loose.  This was my third try.  I don't know how long it will hold and I am thinking that I will be getting the blouse back to repair it when Chloe plays in it.
 I hand stitched the Venice lace butterfly on invisibly with very light weight ecru thread and made a flight trail with Anchor floss.
Vintage French lace on the sleeves.

Lined bodice of the O+S Butterfly Blouse.
 This last picture shows the outfit on Chloe when she tried it on earlier this week.  Chloe's mom, Kaye, says that she is saving this outfit for school.  The butterfly sleeves will make it cool and comfortable for our very HOT Autumn temperatures here in sunny Florida.
This ensemble was a pleasure to sew!  I have a pair of shorts made to go with the blouse that I will share soon but next up is an Oliver+S Ice Cream dress to celebrate Dr. Suess that I made Chloe earlier in the year.

13 comments:

  1. Oh it's so pretty Karen. I'm glad you sew for a little girl named Chloe too!

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    1. Thank you, Tamara. I just stopped by your blog and 'met' your precious little Chloe. What a doll!

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  2. So very lovely Karen.
    That blouse is exquisite but still beautiful suitable for play. As for the thread loop, I have never mastered them and use roulette or a bias strip.
    Lovely to see you on the forum.
    xx N

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    1. Thank you, Nicole! I loved making the blouse and hope to make more. Thank you for making me feel better about the loop, too! I'll try the bias loop next time.

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  3. That is beautiful! I love the lace butterfly on the blouse.

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    1. Thank you Charity. That butterfly is one of several in my stash but it was the only one that was ecru and it matched the vintage lace perfectly. I was so excited!

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  4. What a beautiful outfit, Karen! I think this is my favorite version of the pattern. I love the use of lace and heirloom sewing techniques you used on the blouse.

    I'm horrible at thread loops so I use a narrow, round elastic. I've even been known to use a pony tail holder (the smaller size) when I'm out of elastic.;)

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    1. Thank you, Cindy! I loved making this one. I wondered about using round elastic or a pony tail holder. Do they ever pop loose?

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  5. Thank you! I love how the color matched the vintage lace edging.

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  6. Lovely ensemble. It will be perfect for Florida's fall weather.

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    1. Thank you! I hope Chloe has lots of opportunities to wear it.

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  7. visiting from sew many ways. Gorgeous!!

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