This weeks Crafty Bloggers Club post is from Jenny, you can find more of her makes on Instagram @Jennylovestosew

Hi, my name is Jenny and I was thrilled to be invited to write my first post for the Crafty Bloggers Club. When I browsed the fabrics this gorgeous leaf print jumped out at me. As usual I was late to the party, when tropical was all the rage last year I never got round to using any but it is a trend that is still going strong and a party I am happy to finally be at.

I knew pretty much straight away what I wanted to sew. I have developed a bit of an obsession with dungarees over the last 12 months. Before that they were something that I had totally discarded and although I loved seeing them on other people I didn't really think that it was a style for me - how wrong I was. I finally gave in last summer and sewed my first pair of dungarees (the Burnside Bibs) and now I just can't get enough of them.

The pattern I have used this time is the Closet Case Jenny Overalls and the fabric I have selected is a lovely lightweight linen/viscose blend with colours that work perfect together. The black base contrasts with the white and the pops of yellow/green around the edges of the leaves are a lovely finishing touch. I have made a couple of trouser versions of this pattern before and it is very versatile from shorts to long trousers and then with the added bib the combinations are endless. The fabric is probably lighter weight than is suggested on the envelope but I knew the look I wanted to achieve and it fitted the bill perfectly, the great thing about sewing your own clothes is that you can experiment with different types of fabric to achieve different looks to take you through all seasons. The linen content in the fabric gives it that little bit of structure so I had no problem sewing with it and having washed it (something I always do before sewing) it came out really well with no sign of fading.

I fall between the size 12 and 14 on my waist for this pattern but knew having previously used it that I would fit the size 12, I shortened the rise by just 1/4" - that's the joy of using a pattern repeatedly you can make adjustments until you perfect it, I used an invisible zip rather than the standard zip recommended purely because this is my zipper preference. The only other alteration I made was to shorten the length, this is a standard adjustment for my 5ft 2" frame. I used a contrasting polkadot fabric for the pockets – yes it has pockets! You can’t see it from the outside but it’s a cheery little print that only I can see and I used a lovely yellow thread which was the perfect match for all the topstitching.

This is the first time I have added the bib and I cut the size 8 and graded it out at the waist. I decided not to use the recommended buckles and made my own strap loops instead, to do this I simply cut a couple of pieces of fabric 5" long by 2" wide and folded them over wrong sides together so that the edges met in the middle, I then folded the fabric in half to enclose the raw edges. I attached the loops to the top of the bib allowing for the seam allowance and leaving a gap big enough for the strap to go through. I also lined the bib rather than just adding a facing.

I also decided to attach some belt loops, this is very easy to do and I used the same method as I used for the loops on the bib. I cut a length of fabric which I sewed up and then just cut to size before attaching to the waistband.

And of course if you have belt loops you will want a belt. I do have a ready to wear belt that I have worn but I also sewed up a fabric one out of the left over fabric.

I really love how the Jenny Dungarees have turned out and they are perfect for the warm summer days that I am hoping to enjoy in my garden whilst perfecting my balancing on one leg act – hubby is just waiting to snap the shot when I fall in.

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“Crafty Bloggers Club Contributors are given products and materials to test from Crafty Sew&So. We hope you enjoy their honest and impartial reviews of the products. All opinions are their own.”