The Playworker Dungarees – Closet Core Jenny Overalls in leaf print canvas

I’m back sharing a very recent make (hooray for catching up a bit!) which I finished at the end of November: my first pair of Closet Core Jenny Overalls. Or dungarees as I prefer to call them. Not sure if there’s a difference, but it sounds less like something you’d don to fix a car. Here’s a pic of me modelling them with wellies on in some local woods:

Closet Core Jenny Overalls as cropped dungarees
Proof these are practical: can be worn for a super muddy winter walk (with wellies)

These were made using a fabulous digitally printed canvas supplied by Minerva in return for a post on their site (500+ words) with 6+ photos. You can find that post here, and it goes into some detail about sewing up this pattern. Minerva only supplied the fabric. All thread, notions and the pattern were purchased by me.

The Closet Core Jenny Overalls are a really satisfying sew. The pattern instructions were excellent, I loved all the different options to choose from and all that contrast topstitching made my heart sing. It’s really nice sometimes to work with a medium weight woven stable fabric too, as I tend to sew a lot of jersey and viscose fabrics.

I’ve titled this post as the Playworker Dungarees because when planning and sewing them up I was convinced they’d be great for my childminding job. I’ve been giving this lots of thought as not all of my current wardrobe works. Basically, I need practical outfits of sturdy but comfy trousers or shorter knit skirts/dresses over leggings as I spend lots of time getting up and down from the floor and we play for at least an hour outside in all weathers. I thought these would be ideal and they sort of are…

The problem arises when going to the loo! Now, I always knew there would be a bit of hassle involved: you have to unclip the buckles, deal with the straps (not letting them fall in the toilet bowl is a really good move–I learnt that pretty quickly!) then there’s a button, zip and finally pulling them down. Honestly, dresses over leggings are so much easier! What I really hadn’t considered, though, was how much more difficult this would be when wearing a cardigan layer over the top. I thought I could make them year-round suitable by layering up with a cardigan, long sleeved top and either tights or leggings underneath. However, the added hassle of dealing with these layers makes going to the loo a bit more or a challenge than I really feel like most days. It would be fine at the weekend, but when my job is to stop three two-year-olds from fighting and trashing my house, taking off for the shortest of toilet breaks is a risk!

So, they’re not really going to work for the winter months. There isn’t enough warmth in this canvas for this time of year without some serious layering. I modelled them on a relatively mild day with tights and a freshly made turtleneck top underneath (I’ll be blogging that one in a couple of weeks). However, I’m really looking forward to trying them out over a t-shirt and with daps when the weather warms up. Hurry up, spring! I’m losing my sense of humour over winter. Enough already!

Closet Core Jenny Dungarees
Photobombed by Lauren!

I mentioned it in the Minerva post, but I’m definitely going to get my money’s worth out of the Closet Core Jenny pattern, as I have fabric earmarked for at least another two pairs. I’m going to see if I can save my red needlecord toile as a pair of hipster trousers (the rise wasn’t high enough) and I have black canvas for some dungaree shorts – possibly with a removable bib to give options. The red cord pair are hopefully going to happen soon as I think they’d be good winter trousers. Let’s see if I’m right this time!

On the sewing table…

Uh, nothing?! I finally finished up the faux fur gilet which I’m really looking forward to sharing. Here’s hoping I can get some good photos this weekend. In my garden or on a local walk, because those are the only things we can do at the moment *sigh*

All week I’ve been meaning to cut out another Heather Dress (here’s my first) from some gorgeous zebra print jersey, but haven’t yet found the time. Going into lockdown here in England again but working as a keyworker (childminders can keep doing their job) has resulted in a fair bit of head scratching this week and some emergency cover for older siblings of the younger kids I look after. Gabriel and Daisy are both still going to school which I’m glad about for their sake, although a bit worried about the increased prospect of us catching Covid that this entails.

Instead I’ve been working on seam ripping this old maternity dress I made with the intention of returning it to regular use. I’m planning to shorten it a bit and alter the neckline to a split funnel neck as I think they suit me better than a cowl neck.

I also think I should probably make myself a few more face masks. It looks like we’ll be wearing them for some time still, and the few I have are looking rather tired. Time for some funky replacements!

My next post will be the PJs I made Daisy, which I meant to share this week but… lockdown happened. See you all on Tuesday. Stay safe!

Love and socially distanced hugs,

Anna x

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