Sweet home with sweet love :): 10. Boy Shortalls

Step 1
Make the straps.
With right sides together, sew one lining piece to one outer piece, leaving the bottom edge KJ open for turning out.
Press the seams open, notch the corners and turn right side out.

Top-stitch all around, except for the open end. Set aside.

Step 2 (Optional)

Make pockets. Go here for the tutorial for these pockets.

Step 3 (Optional)
Pin and top-stitch the front and back pockets in place on the main body pieces.

Note that the bib pocket (the one on the chest) spans both halves of the front body piece, so you will attach that later in Step 5.

Step 4
Find one front and one back body piece whose inseam edges line up as follows:

Flip one piece over so the right sides are together. Align the edges of their inseams as shown by the black arrow. Sew their inseams together, and finish the seam allowance (serge or zig-zag stitch). Top-stitch on the right side. Repeat for the remaining pair of body pieces.

Step 5
Place the two pieces body pairs you made in Step 4 together, right sides touching. Align the edges of the U-shaped crotch seam ADFRK and sew the two pieces together. Finish the seam allowances (use serger or use zig-zag stitch). Press the seam allowance to one side and top-stitch on the right side.

Now that the crotch and inseam are finished, you may (if desired) sew the bib pocket in position.

This is what it looks like so far:

You can see the top-stitching along the midline of the garment (the U-shaped crotch seam) and the short inseams.

Step 6 (Optional)
Prepare the waistband. Like the pockets, this is purely decorative. I added it so that the top edges of the hip pockets would have something to tuck into.

Sew the piping to both long edges of the right side of the waistband. I find it helpful to have the same seam allowances for the piping as the waistband- you can align their edges and sew directly through the actual stitching lines of both layers.

Step 7 (Optional)
Attach the waistband. Lay the waistband on the front body piece, right sides together, so that

the stitching line of one of its long sides lies directly on the line QPQ
the seam allowance of that side is above the line QPQ i.e. most of the waistband lies below the line QPQ.

Sew on the stitching line QPQ to attach the waistband to the body piece.

Flip it over - this is what it should look like with this bottom edge attached:

There is only the tiniest hint of stripes peeking out!

Fold in the seam allowance of the upper edge and pin in place. The upper edge of the waistband is now along the line EDE.

Top-stitch along this folded edge to secure the upper edge of the waistband. Top-stitch the lower edge of the waistband to match:

Step 8

Attach the straps. First, transfer from the pattern, and mark, (I used the head of a pin) the point K on the back body piece.

Align (see arrow) the unfinished edge of one strap with one slanted top edge of the back body piece so that

their right sides are together
the innermost edge of the strap intersects point K, as shown.

Pin in place.

Repeat for the other strap. You should be able to see that both straps begin to overlap at point K.

Sew a long basting stitch close to the edge to hold the straps in place. I removed the marking pin before sewing.

Step 9

Join the body pieces. Position the front and back body pieces so that

their right sides are together
their sides seams align, starting at points C at the bottom of the armscye.

Sew the side seams, finish the seam allowances (user serger or zig-zag stitch) and top-stitch on the right side.

Step 10
Sew the facing. Place the facing pieces right sides together. Sew and finish the side seams. Also finish the bottom edge. If you are using a serger, you may choose to be done at this point.

Or you could fold in this edge to make a proper hem.

Step 11

Attach the facing. Slip the completed facing into the body from Step 9, so that their right sides are together.

Align their seam allowances, pin in place, and sew all around the top edge of the whole ensemble to attach the facing to the body.

Notch the corners and snip the curved seam allowances. This is what it looks like with the facing on the outside:

Step 12

Now comes the magic! Turn everything right side out and press the seams flat. It looks almost done!

Top-stitch all around the top edge of the garment

Step 13

Secure the facing. Sew two or three stitches to attach the seam allowance of the facing to the seam allowance of the body. Do this for both side seams. This will keep the facing in place so it doesn't flip up when dressing or undressing. I used a contrasting color for visibility, but you should use a coordinating thread.

Step 14

Now let's talk about the fastenings. Here are common quick-release buckles for overalls-

The one on the right has two parts: the buckle itself, and an adjustable sliding loop. You will have to sew the end of the strap around the middle bar of the sliding loop.

The one on the left is a no-sew buckle -

it is a single integrated piece:

The strap loops through the buckle and stays put.

Regardless of which kind you choose, the button is installed the same way. You make a small hole in the garment, poke the threaded back stud through to the front,

position the head on top, and whack it in with a mallet.

There are special setting tools to do this so you don't deform the surface by pounding directly on it, but I usually just lay the head upside down on a padded surface, lay the fabric right side down on it, poke the back stud through the hole, and then pound on the back stud itself.

For this tutorial, we're using buttons and buttonholes. You wouldn't be able to adjust the strap length after sewing them on, though, so test the straps out on the wearer beforehand. Also, while the position of the buttonhole is marked on the pattern, you should make yours as long as is needed for the button you're using.