Made By A Fabricista: Getting Ready for Fall with a Pinafore

Hooray, the best season has finally arrived again! I don’t know about you, but I spend all summer sweaty and wishing for cooler weather despite my massive appreciation for sundresses. I prefer a chill in the air, a breeze rustling my skirt, and layered garments for coziness! 

Would you believe I have never sewn a wrap pinafore dress in all my hundreds of garments? It’s shocking, I know. I’ve had one on my mind for at least a year or two, but narrowing down the final pattern wasn’t easy. In the end, I chose the Fibre Mood Khloe Pinafore because I really like the straight, high neckline and the finishes at the wrapped bodice. 

So here we are, combining the best of all possible worlds, a wrap pinafore that is utterly magnificent for summer, BUT adding a long sleeved layer underneath to take it seamlessly right into autumn. 

On the dress, my only change was to widen the shoulder straps by doubling their width for better bra concealment when I wear it alone. I do wish I’d added interfacing to them strictly for support. There is an awful lot of dress weight depending on those straps. I went ahead and followed the interfacing advice for the facings and waistband, also added a strip to the top of pockets for additional security. 

This project was actually a lot more involved than I anticipated, but I spread it out over a few days and got the job done. Facings, bias binding, gathering... this dress has a bit of everything included.

The chambray I chose is a midweight Tencel and cotton blend, and the addition of Tencel adds SO MUCH drape to the hand, I highly recommend it. I was thrilled to find an appropriate fabric in this shade of deep graphite since true black is pretty harsh on me, and this is really a perfect stand-in neutral. Sewing this pattern in a solid also gives all the details the opportunity to shine, which I love. Yes please, notice all my attention to detail! 

Ooh, and I wanted to include a sewing guts picture for clarity. The front apron actually fastens in the back with a snap (or button closure) for security, and then the back apron piece wraps around to the front and ties. Clever! There is all the skirt coverage you could ask for, and I feel totally secure from accidental flashing.

For my top, I opted for a Caspian Sea Blue rib knit, and it’s a poly spandex blend so it has good recovery. Another great color for my palette, a medium, muted blue that will easily be worn with many other garments. Don’t forget your matching thread!!

I used the Sinclair Patterns Bondi Tee with a scoop neckline (not that you can tell here) and, of course, long sleeves. This pattern has a million sleeve and neckline options included, and I’ve sewn Bondi several times. For a pretty little added detail that I thought would harmonize well with the pinafore look, I added small gathers to the shoulder area by raising the sleeve cap a couple of inches and then gathering it back to the original width. I love it, such a sweet feature. 

I’m feeling pretty accomplished between sewing a totally new style for myself and adding the components to make it very transeasonal. Cheers to incoming autumn wardrobe updates!

Happy sewing!

KATIE  | @kak513