sewing saturday! railroad stripe overalls

Belated Sewing Saturday! I completed railroad stripe overalls this weekend.

Taking after where I left off in part two..

First, I sewed darts into the two back pieces then sewed them together, stopping at the pattern mark where the zipper would begin. I then pressed the seams open and sewed the zipper into the back.

I sewed the back piece to the front piece at the sides, pressing the seams open afterwards. After sewing the legs together, I pressed about 5/8 inch up at the leg openings and finished the hem.

Then, I had to work in facing. I top stitched 5/8 inch along the unnotched edges and 1/4 inch along the notched ones. Once that was finished, I sewed the three facing pieces together, pressing the seams. I then ironed at the 1/4 top stitch line, wrong sides together, then sewed it.

I stitched the shoulder straps at the back, then stitched the facing to the bodice at the top at the 5/8 inch line, right sides together. I pressed the facing inside and connected the buckles to the straps, then sewed buttons onto the front of the bodice.

Finished! Cotton railroad striped overalls for the fall. What do you think?

Back to the mess that is packing and unpacking. We'll be settled into our new place by Sunday, can't wait to share photos with you all! Hope you're having a fantastic week.

shop update! prairie dresses and striped denim overalls

1970's Pastel Gunne Sax Floral Dress

1990's Railroad Stripe Denim Overalls

Vintage Tea Rose Liberty Print Dress

1980's White Lace Edwardian Blouse

1970's Eyelet Lace Prairie Dress

Some magical things just added to the shop! I told you I've been hoarding a pile of prairie dresses in my sewing room.. and this is just the beginning, friends.

Right now, I'm sorting through some old American color photos from the late 1930's that I heard about via Julia Frakes. The colors and candidness are really something.. Georgia peaches, New Jersey slums, little church choirs filled with children in peter pan collars and no shoes. I might have to post them tomorrow.

Happy Tuesday!

a prairie look.. railroad overalls and liberty print in the spring

Photos by Neil!

Vintage Striped Denim Overalls - Local Honey Vintage

Vintage Liberty Print Dress (worn as a blouse) - The Cat's Pajamas Vintage

White Thigh High Socks, Wide-Brimmed Straw Hat - Forever21

Cutout Lace Up Heels - Urban Outfitters

Here are the overalls and the dress I've been talking about.. and I love them both. Jessica and I made an Etsy trade (her shop is adorable.. check out this mohair cape, it's pure awesome) and I've been wearing the liberty print dress ever since.. even as a blouse sometimes, as you can see in these pictures. I wore it on its own to my fun blogger meet up that I'll post about in the near future, and I'm probably going to wear it out tonight to the movies with friends. I've seriously been wearing it too much.

And the striped overalls are another favorite, from Local Honey in Nashville! They might be the first pair of overalls I've ever owned. Like I said before, I've been searching for the ideal blouse to wear underneath (a white button up with ruffles, but not too ruffle-y, and three quarter length sleeves and maybe a high neck), and I haven't found it yet. So I improvised with this outfit because I loved the contrasting patterns. It's very Little House on the Prairie.

Imagine my surprise when Neil and I go to Borders the exact same night that we took these pictures and I find an awesome Nylon spread all about liberty prints and overalls. It was really beautiful and if I had caught it before we took pictures, I would have cited it as inspiration.. check it out, before the next issue comes out! Katy Perry's on the cover, but don't let that scare you away.

When we were at Borders, I also caught a glimpse of the latest British Vogue with Alexa Chung on the cover. It had great articles about a couple latest trends.. lacy, feminine items and a lot of whites/creams/nudes.. all so beautiful. The article on Alexa Chung was written by her and featured denim. I read most of it. I don't know. When people talk about jeans I lose interest, even if they throw in stuff about dungarees and chambray in the process.

I think I've gotten so sick of the prevalence of jeans.. sure, there is something elusive and kind of magical when you find the perfect pair of jeans simply because all jeans are shaped so differently and frankly, so are we.

But jeans are everywhere. Men and women and kids wear them to work and to church and to the movies and the grocery store and everywhere in between (I don't buy into the comfort myth.. I am a million times more comfortable in tights and an oversized button up or romper than I am in jeans). If you wear a dress or tailored trousers or a suit jacket or a skirt outside of a wedding, people ask you why you're dressing up. I remember in high school (and much of college), I had about seven or so identical pairs I cycled through. Long sleeved shirt, jeans. Cardigan and tank top, jeans. Different long sleeved shirt, jeans. I wore brightly colored socks just because I was desperate to add some personality to my wardrobe. I'm not vehemently against jeans, they can look spectacular and sometimes, a certain top or jacket calls for them. And everyone should probably own them. But they don't need to be an outfit staple every single day of the week, like they used to be for me.

I think that's enough ranting for today. Hope you guys are having a great week!