My Dungarees Pattern

I got the McCalls M7547 pattern with a Love Sewing Magazine - I really love their patterns. I had a set of short dungarees years ago and I really loved them - I have been wanting a floral pair for a long time, so when I saw that this pattern was included with Love Sewing, I HAD to have it.

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I am looking to sew a Denim Shirt Dress soon, but I didn't feel confident enough to try, so I decided to try this pattern, first. I made it from a lovely Chambray I bought from A&M Textiles in High Wycombe. Chambray is definitely easier to sew, although it feels like a lighter version of denim. Chambray makes lovely blouses, shirts, and dresses. You can visit their Facebook Page.

This pattern did provide a reasonable challenge - I had not done the double stitching around pockets before. By the way, the way these pockets are designed is really clever, once the two rows of topstitching are done, the edges of the fabric cannot be felt inside the pockets. The tops of the pockets' hems are finished before the pockets are applied, resulting in a really neat - easy-to achieve finish.

This pattern took me three weekends to make, including tracing the pattern and cutting the fabric - for me that is 6 half days. I think a more advanced sewer could reasonably do it in two days. When I do something new, I try to read and reread the instructions to try to avoid making any mistakes. Besides, I sew for enjoyment, so I try not to rush acquiring new skills.

I also made sure to finish each seam before I pressed it, with my overlocker. I think it helps prevent any fraying - I would hate for my trousers to split while I am wearing them, so I was also careful to stitch the inner leg seams twice - as directed in the instructions.

The instructions are good, although one or two more detailed explanations would have made the process easier to follow and understand. The instructions rely heavily on the assumption that you will cut out the pattern perfectly... Thankfully I did not need to grade the pattern, this may have made inserting the zip and waistband a bit harder to follow. I followed the pattern tracing to the letter and it worked out well. When you are sewing the topstitch over the crutch area, try to trace the stitch line onto the fabric - I did this and it helped immensely to get the stitching in exactly the right place - as the fake fly backing needs to be captured when sewing the topstitch.

The back bib was really quite challenging, I didn't fully understand the whole assembly, but I ploughed through, following each point in the instructions exactly and I think it worked out rather well. I thought the triangular piece was going to be an external feature, but it turns out to be how the seam edges for the straps are encapsulated - no hem edge, except for the leg inseams and outer seams and the bib seam is actually visible. It results in a very neat finish.

The straps were a little difficult in the way they were assembled - I think it would have been easier to sew them with an enclosed seam, but they were folded twice to the inside, then stitched near the middle. My straps actually turned out slightly different widths, but I don't think that will stop me from enjoying them.

I really enjoyed working with the denim buttons - something I want to include when I finally have the confidence to sew denim jeans or a short denim jacket - or even a denim bomber jacket....

I can definitely recommend trying this pattern. It is designed for stretch denim or stretch wovens, but I still got a good fit in Chambray. These are going to be perfect for those early spring days.

At some point, I think I would like to make the shorts version, or I might use the shorts part to create another jumpsuit. I got good wear out of my jumpsuit, it is long enough to wear to work. I want to make another jumpsuit but with a button-down front instead of a zip and possibly with a collar. I just need to find a shirt design I like and create a new jumpsuit for summer next year. I am leaning towards my Sew Many Dresses, Sew Little Time book.

I have started creating a series of tutorials for adapting standard pattern blocks on YouTube, so you can make them your own. I think video tutorials just work so well for this. I will link these into my blog, but you can find them on my YouTube Channel. 

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Please let me know what you think, all feedback is appreciated.

You can also watch the YouTube video related to this post.