I’m a fan of making garments that allow for easy layering. I have always cared about sustainability and making garments that I can wear over and over again. Garments that are loved and get lots of wear are better for the planet and my wallet!

Pinafores take me back to Primary School which isn’t a bad thing! Truth be told I love having garments in my wardrobe which are more uniform-y to pair with wardrobe items which are hero pieces. Having a blend of these garments helps to achieve endless outfit combinations.

I have made two pinafores recently – one plain one to replace my York pinafore that no longer fits me well and the other a bolder check.

I decided on the Viki Sews Stacy pinafore # vikisews_stacy as a replacement to my York pinafore. I purchased the Russian version of the pattern from the Viki Sews website. This pattern is also available with English instructions from The Foldline.

The Stacy pinafore is a slip-on sleeveless dress pattern (as seen above). It is a pattern of moderate volume with a light trapeze silhouette and a deep V-neck. It has bust darts for shaping and is designed to be fully lined with pockets in the side seams. The silhouette is created by the lines of the side seams and the central back seam. The length of the dress is designed to sit below the knee. On the back, the central seam ends with a split. 

At the time of writing the size range is from a 34 – 52 inch hip.

Finished Stacy pinafore worn with a cotton Melilot blouse with shell buttons.

I made this dress using the size 46 pattern using the 162 – 165cm height range. I should have chosen a size 44 which seems to be the optimal Viki Sews size for me. I used a polyester suiting fabric which is lined with a viscose. As an outer fabric, I don’t mind using a polyester fabric as it isn’t touching my skin. I don’t like wearing polyester garments which touch my skin as I find the fabric too sweaty which irritates my skin. The benefit is that polyester is also generally a hardwearing fibre that doesn’t generally crease.

I decided not to follow the instructions of the pattern as it is a pretty simple make. The length of this pattern is very long. At the designed length it looked a little dowdy so I cropped 20cm off the hem length. The garment didn’t need the spilt as it was easy to walk in without it. I sewed the bodice using the bodice burrito method.

Paul helped me to even the hem using one of my favourite sewing tools as shown below. I hemmed the outer and the lining separately and hand sewed them together at the side and back seam.

I like how this garment turned out – It does feel a little bland in comparison with other items in my closet. I’m sure it will get a lot of wear as I can combine it with more statement pieces.

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When I saw this pinafore dress I decided it needed to be my next project. I downloaded the free Mood Gambit dress pattern and decided not to follow the instructions as the order seemed a little odd.

I had this wool check fabric in my stash which I knew would be perfect for this garment. This pinafore is extremely fabric hungry requiring 4- 5 meters of fabric! I had 1.8 meters so I knew I would have to play around with the skirt design (as can be seen below) to make the most of my fabric. I only had enough fabric for a gathered rectangular skirt which I left unlined. I will be adding lining as the wool fabric sticks to my hosiery.

The bodice lined with scraps of leftover tencel. I cut the inner bodice piece on the bias for visual interest.

The pattern is sized from 34 – 63 inch hip. I chose size 14 according to the bodice measurements rather than hip measurements as I wasn’t using the skirt pattern. As I am short waisted so needed to remove 4 inches from the bodice length. I also did not add the darts to the rear of the pinafore – once I had shortened the bodice it removed the darts from the pattern pieces.

I have been wondering about adding them in to give the bodice a bit more shape. However, a belt does provide some definition. I added a zip to the back bodice as per the pattern instructions however I haven’t had to use it. If I made a smaller size or added darts I would probably need to use the zip.

As you can see I matched the check as much as possible. It is a sign of a quality garment! I find my Clover Fork Pins essential for matching stripes and matching up checks and garment side seams.

I love how both of these garments turned out. My favourite is the Gambit Pinafore dress. The wool blend fabric is lovely and warm and feels like a special piece I will wear for many years to come. The combination of colours is really unique and goes with lots of garments in my wardrobe. I love that Paul chose the fabric for me which makes it extra special.