Len Coveralls Covers All My Wardrobe Needs

That's a pretty bold statement to describe any garment piece, but the Len Coveralls does it for me. Designed by Trista Roland of Sugardale patterns (@sugardale on Instagram), these coveralls make me happy wearing them. At work or at play, in the shops or stuck at home during the lockdown, my Len coveralls fill me with simple joy when I put them on.

I finished making them in the early days of the Covid-19 lockdown, and was miffed that I couldn't wear them outside. But since restrictions have loosened in my part of the world, it was time to take a romp in them to one of my favourite haunts - the garment district in Tel Aviv. But first, an obligatory jump of joy to start off an outing!

The first stop is Tissu (@tissotextile on Facebook), located at HaShomer 10, where I get a large percentage of my fabrics from. Kobo, the guy who runs the store immediately poured on compliments for my Len coveralls, which put a smile on my face. He then revealed to me his new shipment of linens that he thinks will look great in this pattern. He takes out bales of fabrics fresh out of their plastic wrap, like it's an exclusive reveal of his most treasured stock. You can't fault his salesmanship. Or his reasonable prices. Or his wide selection of fabrics. Or his enthusiastic grin.

So I was enticed and bought 12 more metres of fabric that I hadn't intended on getting in the first place. This is usually what happens when I go to the textile district. I go to get some zippers and return with a sackful of cloth. It's a terrible weakness, but who can resist when mesmerised in a sea of kaleidoscopic colours?

Let's move on from the fabric haul to the coveralls. They are extremely comfortable to wear, and once on, I feel I can overcome any task ahead of me. They have a fun vintage forties-feel. They make me feel smart and put together. They also allow for full freedom of movement because of its relaxed cut.

The most unusual detail is that what looks like a waistband in garment is actually a belt that fits into the waist button at centre front. Very neat idea! However, its best detail is also my only gripe. I love how the belt is anchored into the button of the top of the pants portion of the garment, but it also means that going to the bathroom takes some patience to undo and re-button when finished. There are nine buttons in total. Maybe I should put in a zipper into the fly the next time round to have less buttons to fiddle with. Yes, the pattern is drafted with a button fly with buttons installed on the opposite side of where the buttons are on the shirt. This hides the buttons on the fly, but it also means there are more buttons to deal with in general. But this doesn't lessen my love for these coveralls. Not one ounce.

The other neat detail is that View B has a back bodice that has two curved pleats running from the shoulder down to the waist. View A has simple back darts. The other option for customisation include short, cuffed sleeves or long sleeves with plackets and cuffs. Instructions are easy to follow and this pattern is aimed at intermediate sewers or ambitious beginners.

The sizes come in 0-20, and I sewed up a size 2 with zero alterations. They fit me perfectly. There's enough ease for comfort, but fitting enough for a sharp look at the same time. The fabric is a blue cotton-linen blend from another fabric haul from Singapore and the topstitching is done with a dark brown thread from Gutermann Extra Strong. Buttons are natural shell, 1.5cm wide.

Trista recently started a Patreon page for anyone who is interested in supporting her creative quest to hack her 3 patterns (Len Coveralls, Evelyn Overalls/Trousers, and Hilda Skirt ) in myriad ways. If you join her club, you can choose a membership for how-to hacking video tutorials or a membership that gives you both access to videos and pdf expansion packs of all her hacks of the 3 existing patterns. Check her out in the link provided.

I bought her Len pattern a couple months ago and received a nice surprise from her in May for a free pdf pattern of the coveralls hacked into flared trousers. What fun! And how sweet! Here's a big shout out to her for providing another project that I can look forward to with glee.

#lencoveralls #sugardalepatterns #memademay2020 #memademay #memade #mmmay #slowfashion #diyfashionblogger #diyfashion