Happy Friday friends!

You know how sometimes, you put on something and you just know! you know that this is an outfit that you love and that you feel great in, even before you’ve had a chance to look in the mirror?! This is that outfit for me! I put it on and I knew it was going to be a favorite! Who knows if its the fit, the length, the pattern, the style, the fabric, the comfort or maybe just a combination of all these things but I LOVE IT!

The first York Pinafore I made was from a linen that was originally my husband’s ethnic shirt (otherwise called sherwani) that I’d been hoarding for over three years. It had a front placket  and the only way around it, was to have a seam in the back. To avoid the bulk of that center seam and make it look a bit seamless 🙂 i folded under the seam allowances on either side of the center seam and topstitched them. And fell in love with that look!

Obviously I love this dress, but the number of times I found myself reaching for it all summer, really surprised me. After washing, and then not ironing, I love how the linen fibers become more tightly/closely woven. So the whole dress is now delightfully soft, a teensy bit shorter and completely opaque (it was slightly see-through before). And i adore it and wear it so much.

Thus the idea to make a shorter pinafore with all topstitched seams was born! Fresh from my jean making experience, I also distressed the seams with sandpaper before topstitching.

Here’s a breakdown of all the alterations I made:

• In addition to shortening the pinafore by 2.5″ (in my linen york), I shortened the denim one by an additional 1/2″ at the chest and another 2″ at the hem. For the hem, I folded under twice by 1/2″ and topstitching two rows 1/4″ apart.
• To change from the cocoon shape to the A-line shape, I eliminated the side curve. Starting from the widest point on the pattern (around the hip), I drew an angled line to the hemline. This increased the width by 1.25″ on that side (so a total 5″ increase in the overall width of the pinafore)
• Instead of cutting on the fold, cut two of each for both front and back pieces while adding a 5/8″ center seam allowance. I serged those seams and pressed them to the left and topstitched at 1/4″ away from the seam.
• Drafted and added angled pockets in the front and back. Topstitched all pocket seams and added rivets.

And now for a super professional way of drafting those front pockets! 🙂 I put on the pinafore, stood in front of the mirror and with a piece of chalk, drew on the pinafore. Once I was happy with the size and placement of the pockets, I marked, measured and transferred those markings to paper and added 1/2″ seam allowances.

As you can probably tell from all the wrinkles, this pinafore’s been worn and washed a few times. I love it’s casual vibe, while being practical and comfortable. And the huge pockets are pretty awesome too! I used a medium weight non-stretch denim from Joann fabrics that I got a while ago, it’s perfect and something i’d absolutely recommend for this pattern. And for the top, I used my tried, tested and loved Aurora tee pattern from Hey June Handmade patterns in a rayon spandex knit from LA Finch fabrics.

I really enjoyed planning and sewing for this vacation. Now to start planning for some fall sewing! although I don’t quite feel ready for summer to be over!

Happy weekend and Happy Sewing!!!