I squeeeezed these overalls out

April 20, 2025

A few years ago, a friend gifted me a trunk full sewing supplies that used to belong to his sister. The fabrics and patterns seem to be from the 1970s. There are some real gems in there: #giftedfabricgems. As soon as I saw this creamy corduroy, I knew it was destined to be a pair of overalls.

With the pattern picked out and a few hours set aside to get started, I pulled out the fabric. I was shocked to see how small the piece was. I could tell just by looking at it that it was way too small. But I had a vision and a pattern and I was determined to find a way. I did find a way but WOW did I ever squeeeeeeze these out of that fabric. I’m not kidding when I say that this little pile of scraps is all that was left.

For years, I casually dreamed about what I wanted the overalls to look like. When you really start to do the research, there are so many different styles. I decided that what I really wanted was a pretty straight and plain pair with great pockets and a high level of comfort. These are the Colibri Overalls from I AM Patterns with a few tweaks. I made fixed straps with traditional overall buckles, deeper front pockets and narrower legs. After having worn them quite a bit, I can confidently say that they have great pockets and the comfort level is exactly what I was hoping for.

I chose the antique brass hardware from Core Fabrics and the colour is just perfect.

In order to get a full pair of overalls out of this incredibly small piece of fabric I had to get a little creative. I only had enough length to accommodate the backs in one piece. I had to cut the fronts out of a few pieces. There is a seam under the middle of the pockets on both sides and on the right side there are a couple of seams above the pocket.

That wasn’t the end of the pattern piecing. The facings were even trickier. The front facing is made out of six pieces and the back out of five. To keep these from getting too bulky, I fused the pieces to the interfacing by butting the cut edges together and then zig-zagging over top of the joint.

There was a time when I never would have considered piecing things together like this but now I don’t see the seams as a problem. I love knowing that I maximized the fabric and had almost no leftovers. In the end, most people probably won’t even notice.