The dungarees (for adults) phenomenon has really taken off in the sewing community, and I for one never thought I'd succumb, until I had a go at making
. I had seen them popping up all over Instagram, and as I really enjoyed making and wearing the York Pinafore (also by Helen's Closet) I thought the drafting and style might just suit my shape. I bought 3m of black stretch denim from the lovely Jay Jay at
and decided to give the Yantas a whirl.
The original pattern is a cut off style, which really isn't me. So I added enough to the legs to make the dungarees full length on me. I have a 34" inside leg measurement, and the pattern states that the finished garment measurement for the inseam is 25". So, I duly added 9" to the legs, and huge credit to Helen's pattern drafting because they're the PERFECT length on me. I wear them with my charity shop bargain sequinned Ugg trainers and they sit in exactly the right place. Such a win.
I also took them in on the side seams, with a 2.5cm seam allowance rather than 1.5cm. I have found this pattern (and the York) has lots of ease, and even though I made up the 12 as it matched the garment I wanted to make (rather than what is recommended for my measurements) there was still too much room in there. I also omitted the zip. Next time I'll add an inch to the straps as well, as I found my dungaree buckle is right at the end of the strap with this set. Which is fine, of course, but I'd like the option of a bit more room next time.
All in all, as with the York, the pattern is brilliant and comes together really well. As most have commented, getting the straps stitched in with the facings at the back is a bit of a fiddle. This was made especially tricky with the thick denim I used and quilting cotton for the facings, but it came out looking fairly good.
I used pale grey topstitching thread (nearly three spools!) and sort of did my own thing with that, as I wanted two rows of stitching for balance, and I wanted the topstitching to really stand out. I also made the front pockets bigger, mostly so that I can put my phone and other mum related paraphernalia in there. I think for my next set (blue denim already cut out!) I will play around with those front pockets a bit more. Still undecided about those as yet.
These dungarees aren't out of the wash for very long before I'm wearing them again. In fact, now that I think about it they have never been folded up and put away! I LOVE them. They're perfect for chasing around after a crawling-nearly-walking 11 month old little boy, and the lack of waistband is an absolute revelation. I'm hooked :-) Thank you Helen, another pattern of yours that I now can't live without!
Taking photos of my makes is one of my LEAST FAVOURITE parts of the process. I have an uncanny ability to make myself look ridiculous in photos, when in my head I'm actually posing quite nicely! Believe it or not, these are the best of the bunch. Yep, there are worse ones! Thanks to my lovely friend Georgina
for taking these photos.
