I can’t remember a time when I haven’t been obsessed with owning the perfect pair of dungarees. And looking back it appears I once did:
‘Those were the days my friend … we thought they’d never end’. But like everything in life, unfortunately they did. The high street has little to offer me when it comes to the dungarees of my dreams. Whilst I managed to rock this aesthetic as a child, I have grown into a very bottom heavy adult and it’s an area of my body I have no wish to draw attention to. So once I’d reached a certain level of sewing competency, my mission was to track down a dungaree skirt pattern of this ilk:
It’s been a long and fruitless search and I was starting to feel disheartened until I had a lightbulb moment – the building blocks were available if I only had the confidence to dabble in a pattern mash up.
I could have saved myself a LOT of trouble by knocking up a Kwik Sew dungaree dress but the gathered skirt would do nothing for my frame – I’m A-line to the core. Contemplating melding the two patterns put me in a state of temporary meltdown. So far I’ve channelled my creativity into fabric choice and stayed true to instructions within the pattern envelope. My brain slows to a halt when faced with problem solving of a mathematical and spatial nature. Until I have a procedure nailed, I follow the guidelines with painstaking accuracy – after which they are pretty much hard wired and I can repeat with comparative ease.
Once I figured out that I could split Madeleine’s waistband into two – adding 3 cm seam allowance to the width – and sandwich the bib between as per the Kwik Sew instructions, progress was swift. I was no stranger to the skirt pattern having cut my sewing teeth on Madeleine a year ago. The Kwik Sew bib is simple to construct and the only deviation I made was to substitute bib and brace clips for buttons, which significantly eased the pressure off getting those strap measurements on point.
My fabric of choice first came on my radar when it was featured in Issue 22 of Love Sewing Magazine. Being at the top end of my budget, I entered the giveaway and kept my fingers crossed. My ship didn’t come in on that occasion and 6 months later, I decided a project so dear to my heart was deserving of high quality threads. I bit the bullet and invested in 3 metres of textured denim from Art Gallery Fabrics in Scarlet Brick. Having shelled out more than the usual, I’ve taken my time and I’m so pleased that a bit of patience and perseverance have rewarded me with my dream dungaree dress.
Absolutely killer Aimee! You must be really pleased, well worth shelling out on the denim for. Contender for favourite make? xox
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Most definitely favourite make Angela and thank you SEW much for encouraging and inspiring me xxx
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It’s so great! Well done on a perfect mash up. The fabric is so great and the dungaree top works brilliantly. I can see something similar in my future…. Thanks for the inspiration
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What lovely feedback – thank you for your generosity in words and encouragement. I am really pleased with it and I’d love to see your take on a dunga dress Kate. It’s definitely something I will be revisiting – I could wear a version of this everyday! x
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Did you ever see the Marilla Walker Roberts Collection dungaree dress. It’s a loose number. You might like it!
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I have seen it Kate. And whilst it looks lovely on others I think it might not suit me. I tend to wear things nipped in at waist and flared at the hips as that shape seems to work best but thank you for mentioning 🙂
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Love this post! So glad you persevered with the pattern mash up as it looks fantastic! And although you could have gone for a straight Kwik Sew version, I’m sure it’s so much more satisfying knowing that you managed to successfully tackle the two patterns together – same way I felt about that culotte jumpsuit! And as ever, you have a real eye for fab pattern/fabric combos xx
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Ahhh thank you Shauni! It really is worth persevering to get the outcome you dream of – that’s the whole point of sewing your own isn’t it – to create something bespoke that eludes you on the high-street. Your fantastic pattern mash up really inspired me to have a go. To be honest it probably wouldn’t have been that challenging for most sewers as it’s quite a simple deviation – but to tip toe outside the instructions was a big step up for me and well worth the headache. Your feedback is very much appreciated 🙂 xx
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that is so perfect. the weight of the fabric is fantastic and really shows off the dress, I love it (still so jealous of your neat finishes) – great job on combining the patterns, its looks so perfect on you, but I am now of the opinion that I am ‘happier’ and more comfortable wearing my me-mades and I think it shows in how I wear them – Was this done on the new machine? (the original plaid dungarees are so cute too…..)
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I’m sooo pleased with it Eimear!! It’s far from a eco conscious pecuniary make but it’s a treat to myself that I’ll treasure. Thank you for the lovely compliment. I too am so much happier in my me-mades – a fully handmade wardrobe is very much in my sights and the process has altered my whole approach to consumption and what I invest in which has been extremely satisfying. Sewing has changed me on so many levels! Yes – this was made on the new machine which made such easy work of the top stitching – I’d encountered some difficulties on vintage steeds in the past. Might have a wee rest now as holidays approaching and then come back with enthusiasm anew 🙂
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Oh what a lovely colour, and so beautifully made as usual. I find top stitching a dream after parting with my very basic old model which served me well for many years. Excellent progress and enjoy a well deserved rest after progressing from novice to fastidious fashionista in such a short time. x
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It’s such a lovely colour isn’t it! A bit of an extravagance but so well worth it. Thank you for the lovely feedback as always 🙂 I must admit top stitching and buttonholing was a dream on this new machine. I actually found out that the 4 step buttonholer on my my Singer was broken and I’ve since had it fixed. So it will be interesting to see how I get on with that when I get around to testing it again. Holidays approaching for us both (big smiley happy face!) xxx
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I made the overalls from the old vintage pattern that you show a picture of many years ago when I was in high school and I lost the pattern and have been searching for it ever since. Do you have the actual pattern? If so, can you tell me what the make and number is so I can try to find it on ebay?
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Hello and thank you for stopping by. Unfortunately I don’t have this pattern – it was just a picture on the Internet which caught my eye. I hope you find it! 🙂
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