Oliver + S with Riley Blake Fabrics

I’ve been working on several projects while also trying to pack up my sewing space to do some room swapping with the girls.  For this post I’m sharing some makes from Oliver +S with fabrics from Riley Blake Fabrics, but I want you to know that these pieces are part of the capsule I’ve been working on.  You will see these pieces mixed and matched with other parts of my capsule down the road.

I won quite a few patterns from Oliver + S as part of my Project Run and Play prize winnings.  It’s so exciting because many of the patterns come with tops and bottoms which gives them an even greater value. I’m a total sucker for patterns that give you options and multiple pieces.  For this post, I used the Swingset Tunic and the Puppet Show Shorts.  Each of these patterns actually contains a top and a bottom as part of the pattern, but I mixed and matched a bit.

The Swingset Tunic definitely pushed my brain power.  This is not one of those tops that you can wing without the directions.  You really have to mark all the notches in the pattern pieces and follow the exact directions to make this top.  I struggled on this first one, but I really do love the finished product.  The sizing in the size chart was spot on and I didn’t need to make any adjustments.  I made a straight 4.  It is a perfect top for summer and I know it is going to be worn.  I made top with Penny Rose Lawn that was sent to me from Riley Blake fabrics.  The weight was a great match for this pattern and will be perfect for hot summers. My capsule was mainly based on the colors sent to my by Riley Blake, so you will see reds and blues have a heavy presence in my pieces.

The Puppet Show Shorts are a super quick sew.  They have no outer side seam.  Two less seams speeds up the construction process.  These shorts also feature a gathered pocket, but I left this off because I knew I was planning to pair these with tunics that would cover the feature and I was trying to be efficient with my time.  Now, I know I said I saved time leaving off the pockets, but I have to confess that I wish I would have left off the bias binding around the legs.  It worked perfectly, but I’m just not great at doing bias binding on things, especially if the binding is made by myself.  I just don’t like the stress of not catching the binding on both sides when I stitch everything together.  I’m OCD about that type of stuff I suppose.  I used navy linen for shorts which also came as part of my winnings from Riley Blake Fabrics.  I somethings have troubles with getting the girls to wear linen because sometimes it is itchy and not comfortable.  I haven’t had any complaints about these shorts yet, so I’m calling that a win for sure.

Overall, my favorite thing about these two pieces is that they look nice enough to wear them out to dinner, but are comfortable enough for everyday play.  It’s a perfect combination of what I would want for myself.  I really look forward to seeing how these two pieces play into our summer capsule wardrobe.  I’ve already paired this top with some yellow shorts I’ve made and it looks great!