Black Overalls

Wow, what an inspiring post title! I wanted to go with “World’s Most Amazing Handmade Item Ever” but that sounded a little pretentious, although accurate. May I present to you, black overalls!

I really hope these photos don’t just look like black blobs, but we all know how hard it is to photograph black. I tried! If these look familiar but not exactly, you’re right. I used Burda 6599, which I made earlier this year in the shorts version. I love that one, but did want to tweak it a bit. I sewed the same size as before, a 10, with the following modifications:

• Shortened the front bib by removing 1" at the top, and 1 1/2" mid-bib (lengthened straps to accommodate this change)
• Lowered the underarm portion front and back, eliminating one side button
• Stitched the darts on the back before sewing on the back pockets
• Less topstitching, specifically on the waistband and straps
• Reinforced under the buttons on the top of the bib (used fabric scraps in addition to interfacing)
• Changed the shape of the front bib pocket (it's a 5"x6" rectangle)
• Drafted a new hip pocket to reduce bulk
• Used a lining fabric for the waistband facing to reduce bulk
• Shortened the legs by removing 1" at the first L/S line and 1" at the second L/S line
• Narrowed the legs for a tighter fit

As I said, I liked my first version, but there are two things that bug me about them. First, the bib is super long, and when sitting it sort of folds down onto itself. Second, it's HOT! The way it's drafted, the pattern calls for a waistband facing from denim, as well as hip pockets from all denim. The side buttons are multiple layers as well as the straps. It's just a LOT of denim. For my black pair, I used a lining fabric for the waistband facing. I also redrafted the hip pockets so that the pocket bag could be made from lining fabric instead of all denim. These changes helped a ton and this version is way less bulky and hot.

I also dropped the underarm and removed one side seam button from each side. I can now wiggle these off without even unbuttoning them. Score!

Tee is a triblend Union St. Tee

Now let's talk about materials. This. Fabric. It might be my most favorite fabric of any fabric I've ever worked with...except maybe this wool French terry. But a close second! It's a stretch denim from The Fabric Store. Anyone who has worked with denim knows that the quality is all over the place, especially stretch denim. Black stretch denim is even more impossible. It's not dark enough, fades quickly, shows white upon stretching...all kinds of things can go wrong. But none of them have with this one! I love it so much, I went back to order more, and was absolutely crushed when I couldn't find it. I emailed The Fabric Store and they got back to me right away, saying they are trying to get more of it. Apparently it was very popular. You can bet, if they restock, I will have a pair of skinny jeans out of this stuff!!

The hardware I used is silver jean tacks from Wawak, as well as silver overall buckles from Dritz. I swapped out the engraved buttons in the kit for solid ones that matched the side seams. I decided not to add any rivets to keep the overall effect more modern and clean.

The lining fabric I used is LIBERTY OF LONDON Tana Lawn, also from The Fabric Store. I ordered a teeny tiny half yard (that crap is expensive!) specifically to use with this project. This was my first time working with Liberty fabric and yeah, it was pretty nice! I don't usually gel with their prints, but I liked the colors in this one.

The back pocket design was stitched at random. 

I adore these overalls. They are so incredibly comfortable, stylish, and one of a kind. I had a vision of all the changes I wanted, and they came out perfectly. You can bet that once the weather cools down (it was only about 68 degrees when I took these photos!) I'll be wearing them nonstop. And it's okay if you don't like the Birkenstocks, I think my Chucks will work just fine too ;)

Burda 6599 Overalls

If we've been living in the year of the romper (for what, three years? ha!) then I think we're finally entering into its newest incarnation: the year of the overall. Pour a cup of coffee because this post is a long one!

Back in March, I became totally obsessed with finding the "right" overall pattern for me (Pinterest board here). I had some specific details I wanted: button-up side opening, pockets on the back, bib not too high, available in a printed pattern, and more than one view in the envelope. I read every review I could find and was just about to pull the trigger on the Ronja Dungarees from Named, but I was quite hung up on the price tag. At $25, it would have been the most expensive pattern I've ever bought, and it only had one view. I couldn't imagine making it more than once, putting my cost per use pretty high. Perhaps that's too analytical, but when your resources are limited, it's better to be selective. I ended up with Burda 6599, which I bought at Jo-Ann's for $2.50. Win! Even better, I had a small cut of denim in my stash (from Mood, a million years ago) that was just barely enough (okay, not quite enough). Win win!

The notions list was quite long, so I placed an order with Wawak. I planned this short version and also the long view in black, so it made sense to order everything at once. I also got a buttonhole/circular punch cutting set. It was tricky, because everything labeled as Antique Brass did not actually match. There were also various sizes of overall buckles, but no notes on the pattern about what size I needed. As drafted, the pattern has straps that are 1 1/2" wide. My buckles are for straps that are 1 1/4" wide. There was no way to know that until I got the package. And no way to know the strap width unless I got out the pattern piece and measured. Just be aware!

The size chart and cutting diagram are on the tissue, which I found to be rather annoying. My bust put me at a 10, my waist a 16, and my hips between 12 and 14. Kind of all over the place. My denim did have some stretch, and my waist is only a 16 because of my mama pooch. I settled on a straight size 10. Don't ask me why. I'm probably extremely lucky this fits so well. I did check the finished measurements for the hips (I wrote it down, 37 3/4" but I'm fairly positive I had to measure the pattern piece to arrive at that number, which was also annoying).

Besides changing the strap width, the only other alteration I made was to the front bib pocket. I looked at a ton of photos on Pinterest and decided I wanted something more traditional than the boring rectangle included in the pattern. I played around a bit with the shape and size as I was sewing.

I added rivets on the back pockets, and chose a topstitching design based off one I found on Pinterest. All topstitching was done with my vintage Singer 15-91. It's quite a lot to handle, three machines all set up at once (regular machine for seaming, serger for finishing, vintage machine for topstitching). I'm lucky I have the space (just barely!) to keep them all on my tabletop. I can't wait until we move to our new house, I should be able to have all my machines spread out in permanent arrangements.

I did have some trouble with the buttonholes. My vintage machine makes beautiful ones, typically, but they cannot be custom-sized. You have to use a buttonhole attachment which comes with interchangeable cams/templates. I didn't have any that were exact to the size of my jean tacks. Additionally, the waistband portion of the overalls is incredibly thick, and the seam allowances prevented easy movement. I ended up putting some buttonholes in with my regular machine and zig-zag stitches. They aren't super pretty and it was quite a fight. I recommend Fray Check and lots of patience! The buttonholer also seemed to mess up my thread tension so all the topstitching after that looks bad on the reverse side (most noticeable on the straps).

Another thing I would recommend is the buttonhole cutter I mentioned. How have I gone so long without one!? WAY better than the old hold-your-breath-and-use-the-seam-ripper method. I was surprised to find myself using the hole punch as well, it worked fifty times better than an awl when I was installing the jean tacks. As always, I used my anvil and rivet setter that I purchased when I made my Kelly Anorak (it's no longer available on Amazon, sorry!). If you're going to take on a project like this, the right tools really do make all the difference.

A few notes about the instructions:
1. You must interface the top of piece 1 and piece 2. Instructions omit piece 1.
2. Pockets are sewn on the back and THEN darts are sewn beneath. This method leads to gaping pockets. It looks dumb and seems to serve no purpose.
3. There is no under stitching on the hip pockets, but there should be.
4. On the diagram of the fly stitching there are lines denoting the fly, but it's easy to confuse them as stitching lines.
5. Directions to finish seam allowances are random and there is little direction on when seam allowance grading would be helpful.

In short, the instructions aren't great at hand-holding. They are sufficient for someone who knows what she's doing but I found them aggravating at times. These overalls took a LOT of work (two rows of topstitching and SO MUCH topstitching) and I was very nervous about making an irreparable mistake. As I mentioned, I didn't have enough fabric, and I cut the button facings from scrap denim. If I had made any errors, I wouldn't have had fabric to recut. Lucky for me, I didn't! So how about a giant photo dump?

Thread tension was off on the underside of straps

Here you can see the dart and pocket gape

And just a quick note about my tank top, it's a Love Notions Laundry Day Tee (tank). The fabric is leftover from my striped Union St. Tee, I didn't have enough so I color-blocked the back with solid black rayon. I also made a mistake and started to cut the back in two (instead of the fold). To cover it up, I sewed lace hem tape vertically up the back (you can't see it in these photos, sorry!). Design element for the win!

I've tried these overalls with lots of tops and I think they look best with a tank top, or a fitted tee (of which I have none lol). It does get pretty hot, this is a medium weight denim. I also like the look of cuffed short overalls, but the way the pattern is drafted they'd be way too short if I cuffed them. Oh, and bathroom breaks...I figured out I only have to undo three buttons to get them off, but that can take longer than you'd think.

Like I said before, I have another version planned, in full length, in black. I've made some alterations to my flat pattern already (I did that as soon as I was done with this version, because I knew I'd forget!). Primarily I want to shorten the height of the bib, and probably do something different with the bib pocket. The long pant version does have a slightly different cut to the leg that I think will keep it narrow and flattering (the shorts could be narrowed at the hem for a more youthful look, I think). I just got the fabric in that I'm using (dreamy stretch denim from The Fabric Store) but now that we're in the midst of summer (and moving in a month) it will probably be stuck on the back burner as a fall project.

Are you into the overall trend? There are lots of patterns out there to choose from right now! I keep waiting for Style Arc to launch one, because I have a feeling it would be awesome. Which one would you choose?

What I'm Reading: BurdaStyle Wardrobe Essentials

Ah, the great and mysterious world of BurdaStyle. A while back I treated myself to a 3 month subscription to the magazine, and enjoyed it immensely. Of course, I haven't made a single garment from any of those issues, despite the fact that I pin BurdaStyle patterns all. the. time. Perhaps I should have joined the Burda Challenge? Anyway, I wondered if I would be more inclined to try a pattern from the recent BurdaStyle book, Wardrobe Essentials.

I was surprised to find that my local library had a copy, considering it just came out late last year. However, there was a long line of people waiting for it and it was a few months before it became my turn to check it out. I think it was worth the wait, and probably the fact that I had to return the book pushed me into actually tracing out a pattern.

This is the only BurdaStyle book I've read, but I can highly recommend it as an introduction to someone who knows nothing about Burda. You know how you can flip through the magazine and be totally confused about how the patterns work? How you'll find yourself wishing that there was more detail? This book gives all that detail that seems to be missing from the magazine. It's also spiral bound and lays flat for easy reading.

There are pages on measuring and size charts, how the pattern sheets work, and thorough instructions for each pattern. It's kind of what you wish the magazine would be. I hesitate to say that the claim on the front cover is accurate (21 looks) because some looks just have a second variation. Most (all?) of the patterns seem to be from previous magazines and not anything new for this book. For example, I KNOW I've had this blouse pinned for a while:

But pinning it and sewing it up are two different things! Just keep in mind, if you decide to pick up this book, that there is nothing particularly new about it. It's not necessarily a bad thing, especially if you've had your eye on one of the patterns. Ultimately, I ended up only tracing off one, this draped-front wrap top:

It's also one I saved a long time ago. I think it will work perfectly for nursing and can be an all-season top if I shorten the sleeves. Plus, it was only three pattern pieces! One benefit I can see to obtaining the book over using the magazine or online versions is that the book includes seam allowances. I don't know about you, but saving me one big annoying step is a huge plus. At 33 weeks pregnant I can barely put my shoes on, let alone stand over a table and add seam allowance to a pattern.

Have you tried one of the BurdaStyle books? Do you prefer a book or a magazine?

Burda 7678: The Sparkly Fail

I've started to read a few more UK sewing blogs lately, and I've discovered the use of the word "wadder" for a project gone wrong. I have a real wadder for you today, one that had so much potential and is now a complete waste.

It would be nice to start the new year off right, but I gots to keep it realz around here yo. I don't have Christmas parties or fancy dinners to attend, but that didn't stop me from wanting a sparkly holiday garment like everyone else. A few months ago I ordered this rayon/spandex jersey from Girl Charlee, thinking it was a polka dot print.

Wrong. The dots are actually raised off the surface of the fabric, sort of like puffy paint. Originally I wanted to make some leggings for me (hello again McCall's 6173) but I was sort of uncertain about having textured leggings. I decided instead on Burda 7678 when I saw Jo-Ann's had Burda on sale a few weeks ago.

I have a RTW top similar to view B, and you know I love a good kimono sleeve. This was my first time buying a Burda pattern so I wanted to go with something easy, since they have a reputation for poor instructions (these were actually very good). This is possibly the least-complicated top you could ever construct, although I was confused about the sizing (spoiler alert: the measurements are inside on the tissue paper, along with the cutting layout...)

I'll cut to the chase: this was the worst fabric I've ever cut and/or sewn. My scissors screamed at me every time I went through a dot, and my feed dogs could NOT move the fabric without bunching it. I was afraid to use my serger for fear of damaging the knives, but eventually I was so frustrated I tried it anyway. No damage, but it still bunched.

Zig-zag stitch on the sewing machine.

4-thread overlock on the serger.

So. awful. I hand-basted some seams and it helped a bit, but there was nothing I could to help the neck band.

Eaten alive by the serger. Ugh. Turns out the neckline was too wide for my tastes, anyway, which means I can't think of a way to fix this even if I wanted to do so. Maybe add a cowl??

It's just bad bad bad. I don't even dare hem the sleeves because it will be a puckery mess, and I'm afraid to use Steam-A-Seam for fear of melting the dots.

So this is a fail due to the fabric, not the pattern. I agree with other reviews on PR that it's long, more like a tunic or dress than a top. The pattern directions state that it's drafted for a woman who is 5'6" and I'm 5'4", but if I truly wanted it to be a shirt I would have to shorten it 4" at least. The band at the bottom is probably too long for my proportions as well. I DO like the cut of the sleeve, it's such a hard balance with a kimono-style to avoid looking like a potato sack, but I felt like this pattern did a better job than some others.

I'm sorry there are no photos of me wearing this, but I knew if I put it back on for this review that I would inevitably try fixing it. Which would get me nowhere except the bathroom with soap in my mouth.