If you have read my blog before, you know that I LOVE the Oliver + S patterns. This week I sewed the Oliver + S Fairy Tale Dress for my 2 year old in a pretty floral cotton sateen fabric. I’m really pleased with how it turned out, and I was able to try out a few new techniques as well. I adore the sleeves on this pattern. It was my first time trying a petal sleeve and it turned out great. I even added a little flat piped detail on the sleeve quite easily with some red bias tape.
This was also the first time I had ever (properly) sewn in an invisible zipper. Liesl’s instructions were very easy to follow, and she doesn’t skip any steps – so if you want to learn how to put an invisible zip in properly you can do so with this pattern. This wasn’t really a dress that you just ‘whip up’ though. There is some hand basting involved in sewing in the zipper, and the hem is also hand-stitched, and to do it right it takes some time. Alternatively, you could save some time by doing a simple hem by machine.
Instead of the gathered skirt that is on the pattern I decided to do some pleats. I did the same for the outside of the skirt as on the lining, and I omitted the tulle underskirt. I will definitely make this dress again. I can imagine many ways to do variations on this pattern. In fact, it would make a great dress-up too – you could easily turn it into any of the Disney princess dresses by just changing the fabric and a few of the details. Have you made this dress? I’d love to see photos of your finished creations. In fact, send me a photo that I can post on our Facebook page and I’ll give you 20% off your next purchase. Oh, and I almost forgot to mention that I’ve lowered the price on all my Oliver + S patterns, including this one! You can snag this high-quality pattern for just $15.00 for a limited time!
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