FO: Pippi Pinafore

It seems I am just not great about planning when I sign up to do reviews, lol. The lovely Jen of Jennifer Lauren Handmade asked for reviewers for her Pippi Pinafore pattern back in May, and thinking that surely 2 months was enough time to make anything even considering that I needed to move in that time, I signed up and was chosen for my size bracket. Then I had to break down my sewing room completely and move, plus I had to fix and paint and all kinds of fun things at my house in my spare time as well as the added interest of taking care of a pair of lovely twin 3 month olds once a week in that time as well. It was a perfect disaster as far as getting to sew anything in that 2 month period. The same thing happened when I reviewed the Mayberry Dress pattern - I signed up to make it over Christmas which is my busiest time of year at work PLUS I was making all of my Christmas gifts and I have a large family, lol. So sorry, Jen! Maybe one day I will sign up to review for her and I will actually plan accordingly. So here I am on the last day of the review period posting this cute finished Pinafore :)

This is my version of the Pippi Pinafore by Jennifer Lauren Handmade. I've been skeptical of the overalls/pinafore trend for quite a while now, but out of all the patterns of this type available this is definitely my favorite (and I felt that way before I was given the pattern). What makes it different is that there are darts at the bust, a fitted waistband, and tucks on the skirt - all these elements help to nip the look in at the waist to avoid it looking like children's overalls in my opinion. I figured if I was going to try this trend, this pattern would be my best bet (and I was right). I'm still on the fence about whether I am a pinafore person, but if comfort is the deciding factor I will be since this is super comfy, lol.

I don't think I've ever said this about any garment before, but I think this is most flattering when viewed from the side. The shaping really stands out from this angle. Also here you can see the cute button waist detail. Check out the pockets too! They are nice and large, which is super practical but also adds a cute detail. The pockets are lined with my lining fabric too, so they always sit flat and don't catch on the main skirt fabric. I love a good pocket and I especially love when they don't add bulk - a total win.

And here is the back view - sorry my straps are a little skewed.  I did hit a bit of a self created snag which makes my straps slightly off what they should be. Originally I signed up as a size 18 bust and 20 waist because that's what I was for the Mayberry dress. I measured myself just before cutting this out though and I have gained a little weight in my waist :/ Since this is fitted in the waist area I didn't want to be uncomfortable, so I went up to the 20 bib and the 22 waist and skirt. This worked fine in that everything fit, but I forgot to alter the notches on the waistband piece to work with the 20 on top and the 22 below. I did not realize this issue until after I had already sewed and serged my straps in place, so there was no going back. Now if my bib is centered, my straps are slightly off center. It's not a big deal, and I don't think anyone will think it's anything other than the straps shifting around when I wear it. Also this is totally black and slubby so I don't think you can even see most of the details anyway, lol.

I had to go from my stash for this project, and I had surprisingly little to choose from that I felt was a weight I could wear now in the blazing heat of Florida summer - I have several options for cooler weather, so I may revisit that idea later in the fall. I also wasn't making a muslin (meaning I didn't want to use anything too precious), so I went with this black linen I grabbed at a thrift store for $1 a while back. It was actually a tablecloth, and the linen is a bit sheer (particularly when backlit) as it's a looser weave, so to keep things in stash I used a cheap black acetate lining (also thrifted) and I continued the lining in the skirt as well for opacity - the pattern has you line the waist and bodice only. I will say that if I make another I would not go with such a slick lining fabric since the bib likes to shift around against my shirt and I was constantly adjusting as I moved when taking these pictures. So probably a grabby fabric like cotton would be best for the lining in this. Since I don't know if I can really ~do~ the overall thing, I went with buttonholes to connect the straps to the bib. I love that the pattern has this option not only because I don't love the overall trend, but also because you don't need any special hardware to make it up :)

Here are some close ups of the details. One piece of advice I would give when making the bib - the pattern shows that you make small squares of interfacing and put them at certain spots on the inside to beef it up for the straps. This works fine if you are using overall clips since the button would be on the bib, but if you are making the button holes, you need to interface a much larger area. My buttonholes are almost not interfaced and there was nothing I could do because everything was enclosed by the time I figured it out. Just something to keep in mind. I used some black buttons I grabbed in Hancock's closing sale for super cheap. I love how you create the button facing at the waist. It's like a button fly extension but at your hip - very clever. You get the look of buttons at the waist, but it doesn't add any bulk in that area and lays smooth along your hip curve. I top stitched everywhere even though you can't see it well in this black slubby fabric, but it helps keep things laying nice and flat.

Here is the full lining. This got a little tricky to add due to the button side opening, plus I made it when I was pretty tired and I managed to serge the wrong side closed before I realized what was happening. I had no choice but to trim off the serged edge and sew it again, making it tighter than it should be. This turned out to be a good thing though because this meant I could keep the lining open and away from the buttonhole area at the waist - I secured the skirt lining when I enclosed the waistband lining and it all worked out great. I needed all the length I could get (I thought it was long enough when I tissue fit, but I didn't have the bib in the right place it would seem), so I just serged the edge of my linen, turned up a 1/2", and top stitched the hem. Obviously next time I would make it a bit longer - I'm long waisted (which wasn't an issue on this pattern) and I'm 5'7" tall just for reference. For the lining I just came up about 1.5" above the outer hem and serged the edge. Incidentally - this was my first project with my serger and I am absolutely in love. I serged every piece of this project and it looks so nice and finished inside! I just love it.

So that's my Pippi Pinafore :) I'm not sure it's the most flattering look on me, and I still don't know if I'm a "pinafore person", but this was a lovely pattern to sew. I love all the extra details Jen adds to her designs. The instructions are always well written and I tend to learn something new on each of her projects. Maybe this will make a pinafore believer out of me! That will be the real test, lol. I need to make more shirts to wear with this, so then maybe I will fall in love. We shall see!

Summary:
Fabric: 1.5 yards black linen - $0.50 (thrifted), 1.75 yards black acetate lining - $0.53 (thrifted)
Pattern: Pippi Pinafore from Jennifer Lauren Handmade
Notions: 1 yard Pellon SF101 interfacing - $1.00, black thread - $2.00, 6 black buttons - $2.00
Time: 10 hours
Total Cost: $ 6.03

*I was give the Pippi Pinafore pattern free of charge to review with no expectation of the outcome. All opinions are 100% my own and honest based off my experience.