This is probably my favourite outfit at the moment. I do have a lady bug caplet in the works but I haven’t come across the perfect lining yet.
Self drafted the dungarees based on a vintage Busybodies pattern I found at the dump for some shorts. Added pockets, a bib, ruffles, straps, adjusted sizing, changed the waistband and essentially just looked at the front of the envelope for inspiration on the shorts shape.
For the blouse, I altered the milkmaid dress pattern from Lydia Naomi, adjusting fit and changing it from a side zipper to a back corset closure with inbuilt back pannel.
All the fabrics and notions are 2nd hand. The lace, strawberry fabric, blouse lining, dungaree lining and gingham fabric are from the dump. The eyelets for the corset and ribbon are from a garage sale and the ladybug denim was gifted to me by my best friend who found it at a charity shop.
Once you get a feel for sewing this patterns archive will be your best friend. You can see the shapes of over a century worth of patterns. I would start with a simple linen tunic or jogging shorts. They make great wearable first projects and only have a few peices so you can figure some things out before wasting large amounts of fabric or adding complexities.
I always use old sheets in a similar feel to the fabric I’m picturing for the finally look as a practice run. I try to find cute sheets so if it fits well the first go i will wear it.