vintage pattern: denim smock

a little bit communistic, and a little bit cute.

i've been making a mess lately with plastics. much as i love my marimekko apron, the long skirt can get in the way and i don't want to trash it up. i needed a smock that covered my clothes, and wouldn't be a tragedy to get crap all over. i didn't have to look far for inspiration:

oh, sheila. a denim smock with huge pockets is exactly what i want. i had a cute pattern for a beach cover up that looked promising. it's a-line with an open back and bows at the neck and mid back. it uses hook and eye closures, but i went a step farther and made functioning ties out of self binding.

adding the front pockets wasn't complicated:

• mark the pattern piece measuring up from the hem line to the height of your pockets. add 1" for the pocket hem. also mark where you'd like to stitch the pocket to the body. pin to fabric and cut out along the pattern lines for the side and bottom. mark the top line on the fabric, and remove the pattern before you cut. transfer the markings for the pocket stitch lines to the fabric.
• hem the top edge. pin the pocket to the front and stitch along the lines indicated. baste the pocket to the front along the sides and bottom.

making self ties:

• cut 1 1/4" strips of fabric on a 45 degree angle. (for binding, sew the strips together in the same manner as the marimekko apron)
• fold a strip in half, right sides together. sew the sides and one end, with a 1/4" seam allowance. trim the corners and allowance.
• turn tie right side out. this can be a painful process, and totally frustrating without a loop turner. even with one it can be frustrating. top stitch the ties.

• sew the unfinished ends to the back panels, just in from the edge. this end will be encased in the binding.
• after the back edges are bound, press the ties over the binding so they are laying in the right direction. tack stitch the ties to the binding securely.
• for the neck ties, i increased the length of the binding at the neckline on both sides to the length i wanted the ties. then they were finished in the same manner as the marimekko apron.

when the smock was finished and on the dress form, it left something to be desired. it was a bulky and kind of penitentiary-ish. immediately i wanted the lower ties to be longer so i could tie them in the font. but i wasn't about the rip the whole thing out though. and i didn't really want ties dangling while i worked.

fortunately there was enough overlap that some snaps would do the trick. and sewed on with little crosses makes them look intentional. i totally meant to do that.