A Stitching Odyssey: Olive in Mustard Denim

This print-loving magpie sewed her first solid colour make in 19 months and she likes it! It's the Olive pinafore from the Tilly and the Buttons Make It Simple book, which theoretically should have been very quick and easy to whip up. I'll explain why mine wasn't below, but first, can we marvel at how versatile she is in this mustard denim from Sew Me Sunshine?! I made this Instagram reel to show you.

So, Olive is generally a speedy and satisfying make, but tinkering with the fit for mine was a little time-consuming. If you look at the line drawings, you'll see that there's not much shaping around the waist, which is something I need in this style of clothing due to my proportions. I documented my pattern alterations as I went along and saved them in this Instagram highlight, but I'll outline them below too.

First up, I took 5.5cm out of the bodice to raise the waistline because I have quite a short torso, and I then trued the darts. Finally, starting with the narrowest part of the waistline, I added some shaping using a curved ruler. 

The waist shaping looked great, but because the darts were now much shorter than intended, I had a lot of excess fabric around the bum and tummy area. So I had to tweak the darts by adding some length back in, which took a few goes to get right. It was worth it though, as I managed to nail the fit for my shape back in March.

It should have been plain sailing after this, but it took me another five weeks to get Olive over the finishing line, all because of the bloody snaps. I had a few failed attempts on scrap bits of fabric which really put the fear into me, plus I was so angry about it that I needed to step away for a bit. I went through two different packs of snaps before conceding that I needed a smaller size, but installing them with the Prym pliers (I got mine from Like Sew Amazing) was a breeze in the end. 

It was worth all the drama though, as I'm really happy with the final result. I used some amazing leftover Spoonflower cotton for the facings and added my favourite finishing touch with a Kylie and the Machine label. 

You can't tell so much in these photos, but because I finished this ages ago, the fit is looser than I'd like (the perils of using exercise to get through a pandemic). It's nothing that can't be remedied with a belt though, so now I can create two looks with one pinafore.

Am I the only person to have underestimated how satisfying sewing solids can be? The outfit possibilities seem endless!