It’s been hot hot hot around here. Time for some summer clothes.
Seeing Lucinda’s latest Swingset Tunic in all its summery, polka-dot glory got me thinking about Swingset pattern, and then in walks that awesome Abe Lincoln Swinget Tunic that only Tara could’ve come up with. And despite the fact that Lila has a closet full of Swingset Skirts (1,2,3,4,5), I had never really considered trying the top. Why?? I dunno, but there was no time to waste, because this pattern maxes out at size 5.
I’ve been having these moments of panic lately about Lila sizing out of almost every single pattern I own, especially my Oliver + S patterns, which I’ve spent years collecting in the smaller size range. If only I could magically trade them in for the bigger sizes. I feel the need to make everything one last time, (or for the first time, as the case may be) before all is lost. Dramatic, I know.
I chose this little floral print called Ladylike Black Tea from Pat Bravo’s Carnaby St. line (purchased here). I’m pretty much basing all of my summer fabric choices on these yellow Saltwater Sandals.
The bodice is lined with Michael Miller Cotton Couture, in Citrus I believe.
Speaking of the lining, the only thing I didn’t love about this pattern was how the bodice was finished inside – it wasn’t quite as neat and tidy as other Oliver + S patterns. I really like the top though – I can’t believe I waited so long and missed out on years of Swingset Tunics. Clearly Lila is in despair over it, too.
The good news is that the size 5 came out pretty roomy, so maybe it’s not the end of the road for this pattern after all. Kids mostly grow up and not out at this age anyway, right?
Okay, that’s it for now.
I leave you with two kids in a tub of rainbow rice.
And in other news…
Last week’s Make It Perfect pattern giveaway goes to #91, Patricia! Toni will be in contact soon to hook you up with your free pattern.
And if you’re fabric shopping this weekend, LiMa Sews has a 20% off sale going on through July 21st with the code “JULY2014” – good stuff over there, check it out!
Oooh I love it! That’s my kind of floral. The small scale on dark backdrop are my fave. The finishing of the bodice was weird to me too. All of it came together sort of unintuitively for me and it took a long time.
yeah me too – i had to think extra hard about the underarm seam instructions! there was definitely something weird going on there.
I’ve never made the swingset but a larger alternative might be the pinwheel dress. My littlest (who is too big for the swingset now!) loves it as a dress and a top.
The swingset top is my favorite! So incredibly sweet, and if you kid is long and skinny you’ll get two summers out of it. Make another! Next time, finish the inside bodice with a narrow strip of bias tape before you stitch it down under the armholes and topstitch the bodice. Gives it a very tidy finish. I love that you can make this tunic from half a yard– it’s perfect for double gauze and lawn and all the expensive fabrics!
This is so cute, Gail! I found with Indigo and Tia that I have to size a year down in width and then add length in O+S patterns. I’ll bet that will work forLila for at least a little while. I have to admit, I sure wish O+S made their patterns in one size, or offered a discount on the second pattern – maybe a pattern-only option or something. Because spending $34 for one pattern (two sizes) seems like so much, especially since I don’t like making the same pattern over and over again.
That is really cute! Looks very comfy and summery. đŸ™‚
aww super cute!!! I couldn’t help but comment too because I just bought C her first pair of Saltwaters the other day (in red! but I love the yellow!!), and they squeezed the front of her foot so badly I had to send them back. Later I saw that you are supposed to kinda push the front straps with your thumbs, and also you can shape them to the foot a bit more when they’re wet. Did you have any issues with this at all? Maybe C just has fat feet? I got her size 11 and 12 but had the same problem with both sizes. Luckily they sell the ones with the buckle in front too, so I ended up getting those finally, but they’re not as cool as the originals, IMHO. đŸ™‚
I can assure you that C does not have fat feet because I had the exact same problem! Ordered 10s and 11s and we couldn’t smoosh her feet into either pair. But then I read exactly what you read about pulling the straps away from each other with your thumbs, which helped, but it was getting them wet that really made the difference. They totally molded to her feet once they were wet, and the fit has been great ever since. I say try again next year!
Aww this is so so sweet ! Made me want to do one to go with a pair of shorts đŸ™‚ If you ever want to sell those patterns, send me an email ! I might be interested !!
First just want to mention this is my first time commenting on your blog, but I have been reading your blog since spring of 2012 when you made the cloud crayons for Lila and I’ve been tuning in ever since – partly to do with your great posts and partly because my daughter’s birthday is in April so I liked seeing how O+S fit a 5 year old. Now for my “real” comment – it’s so funny you mention sizing out of patterns because I just had that same experience with the O+S Puppet Show Shorts. My daughter is not very wide so I hope I can get a bit more life out of the 5 sizes before the end of the year. I also couldn’t help reading about the size of Lila and other daughters’ feet – my girl wears a solid 13 in sandals and I have been eyeing the saltwater sandals so I’ll keep the wet sandal stretching in mind. By the way – love the tunic and the fabric!
dude i’m planning on sewing a swingset tunic next week – largely because of Tara too! she also mentioned issues with the lining construction, so I’m curious to see how that goes for me. i’m sewing the 4 with length added. love the print you used here, it looks so fantastic on her! oh and re: saltwaters, Em has narrow feet so she’s always fit into saltwaters well, though even on the box they recommend the water trick, don’t they? i keep looking for them at freddy’s but never see them there anymore, so i should probably hit nordy’s/amazon.
It’s a great top. I know what you mean about the finishing on the facing – it bugged me that I couldn’t figure out a way to finish it better. My daughter had a pair of orange saltwater sandals a couple of summers ago so that year she had quite a few orange articles of clothing!
What a lovely top! And I love that you’re matching with her sandals. E had a pair of hand-me-down saltwater sandals last summer and I was so sad that she hated them and hardly wore them once. Maybe we just needed to try some water! I also feel this panic about getting my patterns sewn up before E outgrows the smaller sizes. And now that I see another lovely swing set tunic (and I love all your swing set skirts!) I am *so* tempted to get this pattern and just add to my problem!
Yay! So glad you made the Swingset top . . . it really is one of my favorite O & S patterns and I’m sad it’s not continued into the older sizes. But, as you already noticed, is a on the roomier side so I’m sure if you add length next year Lila will be able to fit into the pattern for another year (or two). As I made it I kept waiting for the “turn bodice under” stage to finish off the inside, but it never came! Definitely different finishing instructions than usual for O & S.
And perhaps Lila’s new top will also coordinate with those awesome yellow polka dot Keen’s she has! Multiple shoe options:)
I remember making a couple of swingset tops 2 years ago, and I remember it not being all that intuitive – a lot of just do what it says and it will be fine. I think may have done something different for the finishing. I liked that they used so little fabric so I was able to use scraps and it’s great for our hot Southern weather. I think it did run large and I made my skinny nieces smaller sizes then usual (and they are usually about 2 sizes smaller than their age).
Such a pretty top… love the floral!