I’ve continued to add to Layla’s wardrobe in the past couple of weeks. Her latest dress is the Oliver + S Library Dress made with Anna Maria Horner’s Loominous and a Dowry print. 

Layla was so excited about this one. Its a new dress to us- not just a bigger size of an old favorite- and I think it makes her feel quite sophisticated. She tells everyone “this is my Library dress.” And when they give her a confused look, she just says, “that’s what it’s called” like they should just know that. 

This print is a little more rigid, yet just as airy as the last Loominous print we used to make a garment. I’m finding the weight and weave differences in the Loominous collection just fascinating. 

The dress pattern was wonderful as is to be expected coming from Oliver + S. I’ve never made an Oliver + S pattern I didn’t like, nor one that wasn’t thoroughly and clearly written.

This pattern includes facings. Now I’m normally totally against the use of facings because in so many patterns they’re just a shortcut and don’t leave a clean, polished interior to a garment. I explained that I made an exception with my Bruyere’s cleverly finished facing, and the Library dress was much the same. 

Liesl has you finish the facings by stabilizing and then hemming them rather than leaving them raw as so many other patterns do. This makes them clean and neat, and keeps the seams enclosed and protected from fraying. So I embraced them! I wish I had taken time to get pictures of them! One of these days I will do a post on garment guts and clean finishings and will show you the insides to all my makes. I bring it up every time but never remember to get pictures! Shame on me. 

Anyway, I’m just thrilled with this very lady like little dress. Its structured, yet simple, and comes with a host of possibilities for fabric choices and arrangements. No doubt her next one will look entirely different! I’m thinking we will have to pull out our favorite combination- chambray and Liberty! And the next one needs some pockets….

Layla and I are ready for some more Oliver + S! I can’t wait to see what Liesl has been cooking up for Fall.

A huge thank you to my sponsor Free Spirit Fabrics from sending along this Loominous for us to use. Its just fabulous fabric and different from anything else on the market.

Come on back tomorrow to see what trouble I’ve gotten into with project planning and fabric acquisitions. I have no willpower when it comes to gorgeous fabric.

-Meredith