Pretty Things Thursday: Lisette Pattern Envelopes

Last month, Liesl Gibson, owner of the adorable and classy Oliver + S children’s clothing patterns, made many women’s dreams come true when she launched Lisette, a collection of patterns for us ladies.  I have always loved Oliver + S designs, but without a little person in my life I had absolutely no use for them other than to look at them and smile.  With the creation of Lisette, women now have access to the same clean and modern design that the Oliver + S patterns provide for children.

For some reason when I find something that I absolutely love I feel compelled to snatch it up right away.  I’m convinced that if I wait on it and see if it goes on sale in a few weeks that when I’m ready to finally purchase said item it will be unavailable.  Looking back, I know that it would have been insane for all of the Lisette patterns to be sold out immediately after launching, but all I could think of was the thousands of mothers of stylish children, regularly decked out in Oliver + S outfits of course, swarming stores, and leaving no patterns for the rest of us.  Completely illogical and insane?  Yes.  Still, that scenario was running through my mind, and I felt compelled to order one copy each of Passport, Market, and Traveler without hesitation.  I would have ordered all four, but I don’t think any of the options in Portfolio would look even remotely good on me—I can’t wear capris because of my sturdy ankles and I need more structure in a dress/shirt than a tunic can provide.

A couple of days later, this adorable package arrived in my mailbox.  The envelope art is so fresh and I love how they included styling suggestions for you as well.  I’m ready to whip up every one of these things!

I decided that I will make the Traveler dress in View C first.  Since I have a few projects in the works, I will only be starting on this once I finish my Crepe dress.  If I end up finishing my Roundabout Jacket before the end of my sewing class, I’m going to get started on the Passport jacket.  I have a couple of meetings that I should wear jackets to in the beginning of June (can you believe that I own exactly one suit jacket and it’s fall/winter weight?), so here’s hoping that all goes well and I can make two before then!  It would be even better if I can whip up two dresses or skirt/blouse combos to wear underneath!

What is better than a new line of awesome patterns?  When the designer also releases a collection of fabric to go with it!  Enter the Lisette fabric collection at Joann.  I allowed myself to purchase the fabric for my Traveler dress ahead of time because I had a 50% off coupon.  Since I’m still new at garment sewing, I have trouble deciding which fabric weight is appropriate for which dress.  Being able to pick from a line of fabrics that were selected with the accompanying patterns in mind eased my worries that I’d end up with another heap of fabric that I don’t know what to do with.  Or worse, go through the hassle of making a garment only to find out that it doesn’t hang properly, rendering it useless.  Unfortunately, I have had both happen to me.

For my Traveler dress, I went with the bright and lovely Blue Lisette Lawn.  I got a similar dress from Target a few years ago in cream with brown polka dots.  I’m hoping that the Traveler dress ends up fitting as perfectly as the Target dress.  I’ve been trying to find something similar for years, and now I have access to make as many as I want!  Hurrah!

Image from Joann.com

Tri-State Area friends: Still solidifying your weekend plans?  Check back tomorrow for details on a fun exhibit going on just across the Trenton Makes bridge!