My Turia Dungarees by Pauline Alice

Ah sweet overalls (or dungarees). I forgot how much I loved to wear you. Last time I wore a pair of these was in my uni days back in the 90s. I had a black cheesecloth pair that were on super high rotation until one saaaaaad day when they ripped exactly where you might expect a pair of overalls to rip. Cheesecloth on high rotation will do that to a bum seam.

This clever pattern is the lovely Turia Dungarees by Pauline Alice. I first spied these on Kirsty's blog and then another couple of impressive makes popped up on Karen and Bella's blogs too. And three's a charm I say. There's also a lot to be said for waiting for a few pattern reviews to pop up so you can seek some pearls of sewing wisdom from those who venture before you. Karen has also done a really helpful blog post on adding your metal buttons. Not so tricky, as it turns out!  All three bloggers gave some great tips which I applied to my version, including:

- inserting just one zip, not the recommended two.
- staystitching the edges of the bib piece
- adding in some reinforcement top-stitching detail at Step 21, where straps meet back.

I also shortened mine a little further because I didn't want to cuff them (the design is intended to be worn cropped).

You know how some patterns are great for teaching or reinforcing a particular skill? For the Turia's, it's all about the flat felled seam. And top stitching. I tell you, there were some extreme levels of sewing satisfaction in these tidy seams. It's all in the finishes and the Turia does finishes extremely well.

The fabric I chose was our 100% linen Wainscot Denim. This is one of my favourite shades ever - sort of a dark chambray that gives me a denim look with all the lovely softness of linen.

I am very much enjoying wearing these. Being a slimmer fit, they're way more comfortable then I thought they'd be and after some initial bending/sitting trepidation I'm pleased to report they passed with flying colours. And, most importantly, they give me licence to assume this ridiculous pose...