Oliver & S Nature Walk Pullover Review

Confession time....I have a real hard time sticking to a pattern. Doing these reviews has been good for me, because it has forced me to 1.) Use a pattern more often (which sometimes saves in frustrations down the road, which usually equates to time as well) and 2.) Pay attention to following directions a little better. I'm a skimmer when it comes to all things read and that has led to more than one time me hitting my forehead because I overlooked something or I skipped a step.  That being said, sometimes a little deviation is a good thing. Can you see the difference between my creation and the original? 

First let me say that I am a BIG fan of every single Oliver & S pattern I've sewn! And I have sewn up the Nature Walk Pullover following the directions explicitly, as you can see here (I did add a little embellishment, but the sewing is all by the pattern). I blogged about it here, if you want to see some more pictures.

It came together beautifully and the end result is very comfortable and practical.  As always, Oliver & S delivered and the pattern was easy to follow with very specific directions. I would have felt bad giving a review for a pattern that I hadn't sewn up according to the instructions, so I'm glad I made one for my younger daughter. 

That being said, I wasn't seeing this as a tween piece of clothing, even though the pattern goes up to size 12.  It just didn't seem to be a style that my tween would want to wear, so we brainstormed a little on how to change it and came up with this.

And here's my review (just remember to keep in mind what I said about the pattern above):

Pattern: Oliver & S Nature Walk Pullover (comes with knit pants pattern as well, which I reviewed here)

Source: You can buy it online, digital or paper, here

Size: You can get size 6 months-4 in one pattern and size 5-12 in one. I sewed it up in a size 10 and it fits her perfectly, except I think I would have liked to make it longer.

Special Materials: The pullover takes 2 contrasting fabrics. For fabric A (solid gray) they recommend a light to medium weight woven or you can use interlock, fleece or microfleece. For fabric B (striped) they recommend lightweight wovens. You also need fusible interfacing.

Skill level: Oliver & S gives it a 2 out 4 scissor ratings and I would say an advanced beginner seamstress would have no problem with this pattern. They do a good job of explaining everything.

I originally picked this pattern because my daughter needed some long sleeve casual wear, but I wanted to make it a little more tween friendly and here are all of my changes.

 First up was that I used a medium weight knit (solid gray) for the first fabric and a light weight knit for the second fabric (the striped). By picking knit for both fabrics, it really only changed how I finished the garment and I didn't use the interfacing (I don't like using it on knit). 

I also changed the placket, by not having it extend down as far as the original (one thing I didn't like about it the first time around).  Because the knit stretches, I didn't need the opening as large.

Finally, I changed the collar to a hood...this is the one thing that I think made it more tween friendly. I just used another sweater of my daughters to trace the hood and I decided to line it as well. I also used the collar pattern piece to make sure I was getting the bottom edge that would attach to the neck the right size. Other than that, I think you can say that I stayed true to the original.

 The Good: A great, simple pattern with easy to follow instructions. The original would work for a tween...especially if you tried it in the fleece. It's also a nice comfortable, roomy fit for a pullover...perfect for some action as seen in the pictures that follow.

  The Bad: Not the most tween friendly of looks, but you could make it work. 

 The Ugly: The price, $15. 95 is kind of high. I was lucky and got mine for $2 at a quilting and textile trade fair. I don't think I would pay full price though.

 As for the pattern, with or without the changes, I give it .