I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: you can NEVER have too many pairs of dungarees! I had wanted to make the Patsy Overalls by Ready To Sew for some time, so I was thrilled to pick-up a copy of the pattern in a recent issue of Simply Sewing magazine. And when the pattern has the same name as your best bitch, it would just be rude not to make a pair, wouldn’t it?
When Fabworks started stocking a range of ramie fabrics I knew they would be perfect for the pattern and Patsy herself didn’t need much encouragement to take a trip to their mill shop when I visited Yorkshire in June. I originally had my eye on the ‘Atlantic teal’ colour, but then I saw the ‘Poppy red’, remembered how much I love the sample photo of the Heyday Dungarees by Waves and Wild and bought 2.25m!
I spent a long time deliberating over which size to make and in the end I opted for the 36. I toyed with grading from a 34 at the bust (to fit my 33″ measurement) to a 37 at the hip (38″) but couldn’t really be bothered, so decided to just get on with it and make a straight size somewhere in between! I actually really like the fit – they’re very comfortable and there is enough ease, but they are more fitted than some of my other pairs of dungarees. I think this makes them look a bit smarter and hopefully they will stay that way because they’re a smidgen too tight for the gymnastic-style approach I take to cutting out on the floor! I struggled to find reviews of the pattern which mentioned much about sizing, so hopefully this will help someone.
I really enjoyed making the overalls – the fabric was lovely to work with and construction was a breeze thanks to the excellent drafting. The pockets are deep and were fun to sew and I love the shape created by the different panels at the front. It’s hard to see these details on my solid colour pair, but do check out the line drawing to see how clever the design is! The way the casing is created when sewing the facing is quick and neat and there’s been absolutely no flapping about in there thanks to the way everything is stitched down, which is nice!
This is my 7th pair of me-made dungarees and of course, won’t be my last. I would definitely make another pair of Patsy Overalls (I’m still thinking about that teal ramie) and would absolutely recommend the pattern to confident beginners!
