Ok this is a day late, but I have a good reason! I was trying to get a nicer photo of this project, but of course today it’s been cloudy and rainy all day and it’s not much better… So anyway, this is a Year of Projects post. This year is almost over, and I’ve enjoyed getting to know the others from the Ravelry group and attempting to follow my plan of projects for the year.
I think I mentioned this last week, but yesterday my knitting club got together and sewed some overalls!
These are the Otis Overalls from Sew Liberated. If I’m being honest, I fully expected to fail at making these. While I did sew that shirt last week, and I had been trying to do some more sewing this year in general, and I have sewn some garments like 10 years ago, this just seemed very intense and above my skill level. Sew Liberated wrote a great patten with step by step instructions, and also a video sew along with visuals of everything. And this actually made it MORE intimidating, because there were just a lot of things I didn’t understand or things that looked fiddly and difficult. But, as you can see, I succeeded. Now, I needed a TON of help from my friend Leah who had made this pattern before, there’s no way I would have finished these on my own.
The fabric I used is kind of unknown – I got it from my local fabric store, Affordable Fabrics. This place is great and lives up to its name, it is very affordable, but the tradeoff of that is that nothing is labeled so I have no idea of the fiber content or anything. It’s definitely got a pretty high level of synthetic, as it did not take a press very well. The best way I can describe it is kind of like dress pant fabric, but a little stiffer? It was relatively easy to sew with, and there was only a few times that being able to iron it more aggressively would have been helpful. It’s a little hard to see in photos, but there’s subtle while streaks throughout this fabric.
I basically sewed these in one day, though I cut out all the pattern pieces prior to yesterday, and I had prepped the straps, waist ties, and pockets. There is a front pocket in the pattern, but I’m not sure if I’ll sew it on or not. I arrived at Leah’s house at around 9 and left at 6, so it was a full day of sewing and if you make these I would plan more than one day. There are definitely fiddly parts, but with the help of the instructions and videos it’s definitely doable, even for a relative beginner. One of the first things you make are the inseam pockets, which look great, but are definitely very intense!
Fitwise, I might have been able to go down a size? I made the size 24. I have to cinch them a lot in the back, though it’s a pretty forgiving pattern because of that cinching. I didn’t see the finished measurements until after I had cut out all the pattern pieces, and had I done I think I would have picked size 22. I may still bring in the straps a little bit so I’m more comfortable with where it sits on the back. The pattern was drafted for 5’5″, so I took an inch off the legs, but probably could have left it in there. I still struggle a little with figuring out what size to make things, as most measurements have waist measurements for my bust size that are significantly smaller than mine, so I usually go up bust sizes to accommodate, which means that it fits looser in the chest. Not so much a problem on these overalls since it’s just a bib, but you could definitely see that type of thing in the shirt I made last week. That’s one of the reasons I want to try and sew more, so that I can get better at fitting things to fit my shape.
I now kind of want to sew ALL THE THINGS! This project definitely had the benefit of helping me expand my skills, especially around different types of hems/ seams, and pockets, and gave me some more confidence in sewing things. It’s definitely a bit more physically exhausting than knitting, especially the cutting part. I actually bought knee pads because doing all that cutting was VERY uncomfortable. I can see myself working on a sewing project over the course of the weekend. I think I might put in an order to print off these patterns next, and we’ll go from there: Spinifex PJs, Strata Top, and Zadie Jumpsuit. Do you have any good sewing projects you’re working on?
They look so comfy, a terrific make.
That’s so cool how you’re part of a sewing club. None of my besties are into crafting.
The four of us actually met at a knitting group meetup we organized through Ravelry probably 5 years ago? So we’re really knitting friends but now we just do all the crafts lol
Your overalls look great. I’m still chuckling – a knitting group with a sewing project. Project bags are the extent of my sewing and I find them daunting.
Congratulations, this project is definitely a great big win! I often wish I’d put in the effort to work on sewing more when I was younger but now I feel I’ll have to leave sewing garments for another lifetime. I think about it, but I always end up with another knitting project instead.
Congratulations on the overalls they look great! If you want to have a look at fitting knitwear for you, you might want to try Amy Hezog’s Knit to Flatter which tackles exactly that! (I have to make changes to my sweaters, too –> square shoulders). I’m so happy that you had a great day!
Oh great point! I’ll have to take a look. Fun fact- Amy Herzog actually now works at the same company as me! I work for a big corporation so our paths don’t interact but she’s a leader, so when I saw the article on our internal homepage about her being hired I was like WOAH
NO WAY!!! OMG WHAT? That is just … wow. Okay, but if you can get the book and have any questions, you know where to go and ask. 😉 (AND to get the book signed!! 😉 )
Your overalls look great! Congratulations on a wonderful project 🙂
Oh my gosh! Those overalls are amazing and cool! They look so great on you. It looks like you had so much fun with your friends – a sewing party sounds perfect!!
And now you’ve been bitten by the sewing bug – I love it! I can’t wait to see what’s next 🙂
Your overalls look great! Yay, overalls! I really want to get to the Pietra pants, but of course I’m sewing more overalls! LOL
Making pant legs was a bit tedious but very satisfying
Those overalls look so comfortable and cute! Seeing the pictures, I’m imagining the fun you all had sharing the camaraderie of your fellow sewists. 🙂
Those are so freakin’ cute! I love a trusty set of bibs!
That looks great! I’ve not been sewing much lately, even though I had thought at the start of lockdown that it would be the perfect time to get back into sewing. (And card making. And cross-stitch. And… well, most of my neglected crafts, to be hones.) Fit is still the hardest part of garment sewing for me, too.
These look so great, so comfortable and so cool with made them yourself! Very cool. I love clothes without a waistband, so much more comfortable.
Those overalls are the bomb. You did such a great job on them. They look super comfy too. I find sewing patterns sizing is almost always off. I have learned to measure the pattern pieces (minus the seam allowance) and then decide what size to cut out. Being a pear shaped woman makes sewing a challenge for me. Your sewing group looks like a fun time.
The overalls are great – I’m on a bit of a sewing kick myself. I need to do some like these!