Creative Needle Easy Sunsuit: Overalls Part 2

This is the second part of a two part blog series. Before you begin, check out my post describing my quest to create a specific pair of overalls, you can find it here.

To get the look of overalls, I used the Creative Needle Sunsuit Pattern. I altered it by moving the straps. Instead of having them attach by button in the back as seen in the pattern. I cut them off, and sewed them to the back. Then placed the button on the front of the strap and the button hole on the front of the pattern. I made sure to add a half inch of length to the strap to accommodate the seam allowance. I also added a front pocket to each other the overalls I made. In Maria’s, I added side pockets, which makes the tutorial I describe below a bit trickier. Robby’s do not have side pockets and are the ones I used for the images.

This pattern is awesome! …once you figure it out. The side seam instructions were a bit tricky for me and (as I later learned) for some of you all too. The majority of the pattern is extremely straightforward. However; the side seams take a little brain bending.

I put together a quick tutorial to help you all learn from my earlier mistakes and hopefully give your seam rippers a little rest.

As you can see in the images below, the front and back pieces are completed as written.

In the pictures above you can see the beginning of the tricky part. I will walk you through completing the back as seen in the image above.

Sewing the Side Seams

First, sew from the marked dot (indicated on the pattern) along the side seam line. This marked dot should be on the “placket tab.” Then clip, at an angle to the dot. This, in and of itself, is not all the difficult, it’s just that there aren’t many other patterns like this. The only one I can think of is Creations By Michie Sunsuit.

If you look at the image below, it shows a bit more clearly how to clip to the dot on the back, “placket tab” piece.

Once clipped, turn so that the right sides are out and press. Do this on the completed front and back pieces. Make sure to use some kind of point turner to get the corners pushed all the way out. Here’s a link to one if you don’t have one.

At this point the pattern indicates that you should lay the completed front on top of the completed back with right sides together. Make sure to line up the armhole so that the finished edges meet one another. This does not let the “placket” opening line up. That is what through me for a loop. Normally the placket opening and the top should line up…but not on this guy.

Then sew, perpendicularly from the dot (copied off the front lining pattern piece) through all the layers fabric, to the bottom of the short. It’s pretty thick. The dot can be seen in my image as the blue mark.

The pattern then says to finish the edges, I waited until after the next step and finished all the edges at one time.

Next, take just the front lining piece and sew it to the finished placket tab. This is awkward because the bottom of the placket tab is a completed/finished edge to which you are sewing a single piece of lining fabric. It is easiest to see in the image below.

Once that is done, you’ve gotten through the tricky part of this pattern…and you get to do it again on the other side!

Tah Dah!

This pattern is totally worth the fuss..once you understand how to do it, it goes together so quickly and turns out so stinking cute!

I added side pockets to Maria’s “Overalls.” She loved having a front pocket for “things” and side pockets for her hands. I added the side pockets by comparing the pattern to the Children’s Corner Robert.

Robby is 14 months old and wearing a Size two in this image. It is a scosh too big for him. I’m hoping it’ll last us through the summer.

Maria is three and wearing a size four in this image.

Hope ya’ll enjoy this post! I can’t wait to see what you create with this pattern. I’m so thrilled to have stumbled across it and hope you love it too.