Five Ways to Wear Dungarees

Have you jumped on the dungarees bandwagon yet? If you haven’t, these styling tips may persuade you to stitch this oh-so-versatile garment!

It’s Louise here, and I have been living in dungarees for years now – but I must admit it wasn’t love at first sight. Ever since I purchased my first pair, I have been playing around with styling my dungas to go from smart, to casual, to chic. I wanted to look like a stylish grown-up and not like a children’s TV presenter (that’s the fear, right?).

They are one of the easiest pieces to put on in the morning, as you have the main body of the outfit complete and just have to think about what to put underneath. Dungarees work for all ages - you just have to find the styling that speaks to you and wear it with a big smile!

Our Mila dungarees sewing pattern has a slim, modern silhouette, that is perfect for every day wear. I made my Milas from a gorgeous petrol stretch needlecord from Bobbins n Buttons and opted for the classic buckles.

Free Hip Pockets Pattern for the Mila Dungarees!

What's better than three pockets on your Mila dungarees? FIVE pockets on your Mila dungarees!

You asked for more pockets, so we've created a free downloadable pattern for a hip patch pocket that you can add to your Milas, plus instructions below for how to sew it. The pockets make a simple addition and are large enough to slip your phone, snacks or idle hands into. You are welcome :)

Download the Mila hip pocket pattern

Get your Mila dungarees pattern
if you don't already have it

If your fabric is 150cm (60in) wide, you’ll need 0.25m (3/8yd) extra for the pockets. If it’s more like 115cm (45in) wide, you’ll need 0.35m (1/2yd) extra fabric.

Fitting the Mila Dungarees

Making the Mila dungarees? Wondering what size to pick or think you need some fitting help? Vanessa here today to offer some tips on sizing and fitting.

We designed Mila to be made in woven fabrics with a bit of stretch, which makes them relatively easy to fit as the stretch does some of the work for you - hooray! Some of you won’t need to make any fitting changes to the dungarees, but of course we all come in different shapes so you may need to make some tweaks to the pattern before sewing your final garment. Getting a personalised fit is one of the bonuses of DIY dressmaking!

This post will be quite long but feel free to skip straight to the parts that feel relevant to you. We will cover:

• Choosing your size
• Lengthening or shortening the legs
• Lengthening or shortening the bib for larger and smaller busts
• Combining pattern sizes
• Lengthening or shortening the crotch seams
• Full booty adjustment
• Small booty adjustment
• Saggy back leg adjustment

It’s always a good idea to trace off a copy of the pattern pieces you are adjusting so that you can keep the original version intact in case you want to change it later. Remember to trace off notches, grainline arrows and any other markings.

Inspiration and Fabrics for Making the Mila Dungarees

If you're planning to make the Mila dungarees sewing pattern - or maybe you aren't sure and need to imagine it made up in different fabrics or on different body shapes - then today’s post is for you! We wanted to share with you some of the design inspiration we came across whilst developing this pattern, and also fun ideas for fabric, styling and embellishments to get your creative wheels turning.

When choosing your fabric, we suggest you pick a medium weight woven material with a small amount of stretch in it (not to be confused with stretch knit fabric, which probably won't work out well). Look out for stretch denim, stretch needlecord or stretch woven cotton with at least 2% lycra or spandex.

We've linked to a few fabrics below, but please note we haven't handled them all ourselves. We'd recommend ordering a sample if you're not sure about the fabric before buying.

Meet the Mila Dungarees Pattern!

Kick off your 2018 sewing with our brand new pattern – the Mila dungarees!

If you’re already a dungarees aficionado, I won’t need to tell you how addictive these are to wear. And now you can make your own!

Never worn dungarees before or think they’re not your style? I’ve lost count of the number of people who thought the same about our Cleo dungaree dress and were pleasantly surprised when they tried it – in fact, it’s become a wardrobe staple for many of you! I’m hoping you’ll discover the same love for dungarees with our new pattern.

ORDER THE MILA SEWING PATTERN