Pant Set Refashion – Turia Dungarees with Embroidered Florals

Happy Friday everyone! I am still doing Me Made May (and totally forgot to post a second week roundup so I’ll do a two week roundup in a few days) and have my latest make to share today! I actually have two other makes that I need to blog about too so expect a few more posts in the next couple weeks.

As I mentioned before, one of the things I love most about Me Made May is seeing what people wear on a regular basis, not just pretty dresses for special occasions. It’s more about staple garments and there are quite a few new patterns that have caught my eye.

I’ve actually had my feelers out for an overall pattern for some time, but I’ve just been waiting around to take the plunge. I used to make fun of my mom for wearing overalls. And she used to dress me in them – which made me kind of hate them. But overalls have been updated and the new versions are so cute (and practical!) that I had to try out a pair.

The Turia Dungarees by Pauline Alice have popped up in my Instagram feed more than once and I finally decided to take them on. I liked that they came in two versions, and the short-alls were perfect to make in the middle of a small heatwave. I didn’t want to buy any new fabric because I didn’t even know if I would like the look of overalls on me, and really didn’t want to waste nice, expensive fabric on something that wouldn’t fit properly. So I decided to make a wearable muslin.

I had this denim pants set from my grandma’s closet for years, sitting without a plan. I really didn’t know what to do with the set, but there was a lot of material to work with so I figured some idea would come to mind. There seemed to be plenty of material to work with for a muslin of dungarees and I set out tearing apart the pants. I actually didn’t think I would need to cut too much into the jacket, but to my surprise, I needed almost all of it!

This photo is one of the pant legs opened. I was able to get the two pant pieces on each leg, and one of the pocket pieces. There were a few smaller pieces to this pattern that were able to fit in random places. Nothing is properly on the grain, but they all fit!

As you can see, the jacket had these embroidered flowers on it, and I didn’t know if I should use them of not. I decided to play with the florals, since this was a muslin, why not, right? I had to cut the bodice pattern in half to place the florals properly, but was able to use all embroidered pieces in the final product!

Turia was a really great pattern to make, and I didn’t have any issues with construction. I think I have a slight issue with fit, and want to work on that for my next pair. I made View B in size 36. Of course, the hem was too long for my petite body and I had to hem them up an extra 2″ from what the pattern called for. My altered hem makes it a little difficult to walk normally, because it feels like the crotch bunches more than it should. There is a ton of space in the crotch, which you need to actually bend, but I think there is more than there should be, so my next version I’ll be taking this up a bit. I think I would also like the lower the bodice, as it will make the piece more modern and mature.

I should also note, I didn’t need to insert the two side zippers, as this denim had just enough stretch and the sides are low enough.

I know this pair is somewhat cutsey, and I don’t know how much wear I will get out of this version but they will be great for working in the garden. The pockets on these are fantastic!!

I love taking old pieces and creating something new with them. Refashioning doesn’t have to mean a quick cut and stitch, it can be making something completely different. I don’t always like using muslin to make a test garment because it might not be the right weight, but old garments are a great way to use fabric – and gives you the option to wear the piece after sewing!