Oliver + S: Hide and Seek dress

I can't believe it has taken me this long to try an Oliver + S pattern. I've admired them for a long while, but I don't buy a lot of kids patterns. Mostly, this is because my girls have quite specific tastes (read tulle and ruffles...and arm tattoos).

 

I've had this pattern in my stash for several weeks now. I fell in love with it as soon as it was released, so it was just a matter of time until one of my bigger daughters actually needed something new in their wardrobe. Miss Four won out in the end. I promised her something pink and I thought she could do with a practical dress with shoulder coverage for preschool.

 

I cannot say enough good things about this little dress. It was definitely fun to sew. The little welt side pockets are a cute design feature, but they are also a big winner with little kids. Everybody needs somewhere to store their treasures!

I love the yoke and the sensibility of those little sleeves for summer. (Ignore my haphazard pattern matching!)

I can't wait to make a linen version of this dress, but that will have to be for Miss Six, who doesn't mind less girly fabrics. For this version, I used a remnant of pink Italian shirting and some Japanese cotton for the yoke. Both fabrics are from Tessuti. The shirting was probably a little too nice for kid's clothing, but it was too small a piece for anything else, and I know it will be beautifully light, comfortable, yet robust enough to soak out stains and withstand a few tumbles.

The design of this pattern is impressive. Those sleeves had the PERFECT ease for the armscye. The width of the bodice is great for ease of dressing, but doesn't swim on the child. It has a flattering curve down the side seam. I made this dress up in a size 5 (the smallest in the pattern) for my exceptionally tall, lean green bean of a 4.5 year old. The length is perfect for her and the rest of the fit is near enough to be comfortable now, but with a little room to grow, or what I would call perfect in child fitting. She thinks so too!