Pattern Review: Okey Dokey Overalls from Peek-a-Boo Pattern Shop

Look how cute these denim overalls turned out! I am so happy with this project.

I recently made skinny jeans for my older son and wanted to use the same denim fabric to make something matching for my younger son. The Okey Dokey Overalls from Peek-a-Boo Pattern Shop was the perfect choice. I love the topstitching details and the fun buttons and buckles, and the way these overalls fit my chunky baby is just the best.

Pattern Details at a Glance

Description: 5-pocket overalls with faux fly. Sizes 12 months to 10 years.

Difficulty: Intermediate

Time to Sew: About 5 hours

Format: PDF (standard 8.5"x11") instant download

My Honest Review

This is my second pattern from Peek-a-Boo Pattern Shop, and overall I'm happy with it. The instructions are fairly easy to follow and the pattern comes with a full tutorial that walks you through all the construction steps.

The one area where I hit a snag was getting the bib to line up cleanly with the pants section. Looking back, I think that was more of a cutting error on my part than a flaw in the pattern, but it's worth taking extra care at that step.

My only real critique of the pattern is the shape of the front pieces. Since the fly is faux, I'm not sure why the pattern includes a section that folds under to mimic a real fly opening. In practice it just adds bulk and makes that area more confusing to construct. If you're making these, just take it slowly through that step.

This pattern is time-consuming but the results are worth it. Just set aside a good chunk of time and don't rush it.

Skills you'll need: Buttonholes and attaching jeans buttons. If you haven't done either before, don't be intimidated — the pattern walks you through the process, and they're both very learnable.

What You'll Need

These overalls are designed for stretch denim and other bottom-weight fabrics like corduroy and twill. I'd suggest choosing a fabric with at least a little stretch for comfort. I used Blue Stretch Indigo Denim from Fabricgenie, and it worked beautifully.

• Denim needle

• Jeans buttons

• Overall buckles

• Jeans thread (optional but highly recommended for topstitching)

The jeans thread isn't strictly required, but it gives the topstitching that classic, polished denim look. I'm really glad I used it.

Two important tips before you start:

1. Pin It

   If you're sewing with denim for the first time, read up on the technique before you cut into your fabric. Denim has some quirks that are worth knowing in advance.

2. Pay close attention to the buckle sizing. The pattern specifies which size to use for each garment size. I used 1-inch buckles for the 3T, and they were perfect.

Have you tried the Okey Dokey Overalls pattern? I'd love to see what fabric you chose — drop a photo in the comments below!