I’m very late to the party here.

I bought the Burnside Bibs pattern by Sew House Seven when it first came out. I had big plans to make them ASAP.  Well, that was three years ago and, YIKES, I’m just now getting around to trying them. I hesitated to be honest. I really loved the style, but had so many issues floating around in my head. As a member of the #SewOver50 community, was I too old for the style? Would they look okay on my short waisted figure? Would I be comfortable wearing them?

Well, all of the angsty thoughts and questions completely disappeared when I began the construction process. Honestly, it was so fun! This project ticked all the boxes for me – – topstitching galore, interesting construction details like belt loops, pockets, and a self faced bib. Then there was the fabric…I used a lovely blue linen from the Mill End store, that is absolute heaven. So, I threw caution to the wind and went for it.

Constructing these bibs was a bit time consuming.  I cut them one evening and then sewed them the next day in a marathon session. I love pushing through a project like this…you can get completely absorbed in it! The instruction booklet from Sew House Seven was really wonderful – – lots of illustrations that made it fairly easy to understand.

Challenges – – well, the biggest one was figuring out what size to cut. I perused Pattern Review, several blogs and Instagram to see what my fellow sewists had to say about this topic. On their advice, I made view 1 which is the more fitted version with the invisible zipper on the side. I used my measurements to select a size and it turned out to fit well in the crouch and waist, but was a bit baggy in the hips so I tapered down a size there. This is a common adjustment for me in patterns, and I’m happy with the result.

The construction of these bibs is a bit out of the ordinary, so I didn’t/couldn’t binge watch TV while I made these, LOL. Small price to pay though. They are so fun to wear. I love how the tie ends criss cross in the back and slip through the belt loops. As you pull them to tie them, the waist area cinchs a bit more, which makes the fit really nice. I chose to tie them at the side but you can tie them at the front or back as you prefer.

I cropped them a bit more than the pattern suggested as I really want to be able to enjoy these in steamy Italy when I travel there later this summer. When I wear them, I’m really comfortable!!  I don’t think twice about the age appropriate issue anymore because, well, I love them and we all deserve to dress as we wish, don’t you think?

If you’ve hesitated to make the Burnside Bibs as I did, my advice is…go for it. It’s such a pleasurable journey.

Happy sewing and thanks for stopping by!