“Little Things To Sew” by Oliver + S – A Sewing Book Review

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Oliver + S has a great reputation for classic, well written patterns and while I haven’t sewn any of their clothing, I swooped up their book after previewing it at my library. I already sewed up and blogged about these juggling balls, they still get regular play in our house! I thought I’d write up a “formal” review and try another project – this time I’m sewing ahead of season with a cozy winter bear hat for my baby.

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It has four sizes, XS-L, and I sewed up the Small since she has been growing quickly since birth (almost tripling her weight before 4 months old, eek!). The pattern does a lovely job with suggested fabrics – I opted for a sweatshirt fleece on the outside and cashmere from a thrifted sweater for the lining.

The pattern calls for ribbon, but I opted to just make tubes out of cashmere so they were softer against baby’s skin.

She has some room to grow before winter’s here! The patterns sewed up super easily, the notches made aligning everything a breeze. The pattern suggested hand-tacking the ears so they stick up more but I actually like them floppier, because they remind me  of a hippo. I’ll definitely be making one for my son too!

Judging by the two patterns I’ve sewn thus far, Oliver + S has earned their good reputation. I will definitely be hanging on to this book!

Book: Oliver + S Little Things to Sew: 20 Classic Accessories and Toys for Children* by Liesl Gibson

Publisher: Stewart, Tabori and Chang

Focus: As stated in the title, sewing projects to make accessories & toys for kids!

Project List Overview:
Mittens / Tutu / No-tie scarf / Messenger bag / Reversible bucket hat / Bias-trimmed apron / Bento box carrier / Play town / Penguin backpack / Art smock / Cozy winter hood / Messy kid bib / Juggling balls and drawstring bag / Tea party doll dress / Travel quilt / Red riding hood / Explorer vest / Bear carrier / Bear puppet bath mitt / Puppet theater

Highlights:

• The pattern pieces are full-size, no enlarging needed!
• There are two cardstock dolls to cut out at the back of the book, which is a cute idea!
• They include fabric layout & cutting diagrams, which I haven’t seen in many of the kids sewing books I’ve read/used

Negatives:

• The pattern pieces don’t have a pocket or storage option, they are glue dotted on but easy to lose once you’ve removed them.
• Some of the patterns are lackluster, in my opinion. For example, I think an oversized bib is boring to include, and iron-on vinyl isn’t the best suggestion because it can’t be machine washed. Wiping down only goes so far.
• The clothes for those cardstock dolls are supposed to be cut out of the dust jacket. It makes me cringe to think of cutting the jacket! Couldn’t do it.
• Some of the pattern overlap and are confusing to trace off – when tracing the hood there were dots also marked S/M etc. that were from another pattern. I wish there were different styles of lines or colors for the patterns that overlap.

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Here is a shot of the technical illustration & pattern page to give you an idea of what those look like!

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