Monday, November 4, 2013

Oliver & S Nature Walk Pullover Review

Pin It
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 .



2 comments:

  1. Adding the hood totally make it tween! Well done!

    ReplyDelete
  2. The mods you did the pattern are perfect! The hood and smaller placket look exactly like something my kids would wear. I'll have to give this a try.;)

    ReplyDelete

We love comments! How else would we know if we are being helpful or giving you the content you need and want? Also, if you have an idea on how to make custom pre-teen clothes, please tell us about it!