Be sure to vote here!

Thank you to all so much for voting last week. I came in fourth overall and I’m still in the running. I’m so excited because I really wanted to share this weeks make with you. If you follow me here you already know I enjoy making things that can have multiple uses. Usually I achieve this by making item reversible like this wrap dress, this coat and this bomber jacket. This time I decided go for 4 looks instead of just two so I could make a year round ensemble.

I used McCall’s 7459 as my starting point. The twist that truly makes this ensemble season-less is the detachable bib. The ability to remove the bib allows the skirt and pants to be interchangeable and provides the option to wear each separately.  To do this I made the following changes

• lengthened the bib pieces by 1 inch to overlap the waistband
• finished the entire bib front and back by sewing the all but 2 inches of the perimeter of the front and back bib right sides facing and then turned the pieces like a pillow and top stitched

After considering several ways to make the bib removable (buttons, hooks, snaps, zippers and even Velcro!) I selected snap tape. I was sure to attach the female side to the waistband for comfort when wearing either bottom alone.

I made a few more changes at Miss Socialites request. The skirt was a bit long on her and I was simply going to shortened it. Instead she suggested making it hi-low and again she was right, I like this better as it adds a bit more interest.  She now claims this is her favorite skirt. Sadly she wasn’t as excited about the pants. She’s more into jeggings or joggers so these straight leg pants just weren’t her style. So in a effort to make them more appealing I added the ankle ties to create a jogger look.

 

One issue I had with the bottoms was the length. I cut 6″ of the front of the skirt to make it hi-low and I cut 2″ off the hem of the pants. The pants were also extremely long in the crotch, when she first tried them on they came up to her chest. I considered the possibility that I cut the wrong size, but if I had gone down a size they would be too tight in the thighs and bottom. I ended up cutting three inches off the rise to make the pants sit at her waist. So be sure to check the length against your child’s measurements

Be sure to vote for this year round look HERE!

Pattern: McCalls 7459

Pattern Description: Jumpers and overalls have buttoned shoulder straps with back variations, side lap zipper opening, and waistband with button closure. B, D, F: Patch pocket.

Sizing: 3-6, 7-14

Difficulty: 2/beginner

Fabric Used: Lightweight denim from Fabric Joint in Atlanta

Does it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope? Yes, despite the changes I made.

Were the instructions easy to follow? Yes, they were though I made several changes

Likes: 2 bib options, 3 bottoms options.

Dislikes: The length of the skirt and pants were too long.

Pattern alterations or any design changes made: Made bib detachable

Would I sew it again? Maybe

Would I recommend it to others? Yes.