Retro Burnside Bibs in Montgomery Rust
This Montgomery Rust twill caught my eye immediately! I love the retro vibe of the plaid & hounds tooth print and the rusty orange color has been a favorite of mine for a while. Admittedly, deciding on a pattern was more difficult! I wanted to choose something that could handle this print and fabric structure as well as the crossgrain stretch. A few patterns crossed my mind (maybe my ideas will strike your vibe) A Heather Blazer by Friday Pattern Co. York Pinafore by Helen’s Closet. Bisque Trousers by Vivian Shao Chen or a Boxy Dress like the Wiksten Shift. I choose the Burnside Bibs by Sewhouse 7 (which goes up to 65″ hip).
Burnside Bibs have been a favorite of mine since I started sewing in earnest back in Jun 2019. I’ve made several pair for both my daughter and I, meaning I know my way around this pattern pretty good and wanted to have experience on my side when working with this particular fabric. What threw me for a smidge of a loop was how much stretch it had crossgrain (around 25% according to my testing). I figured working with a familiar pattern would help me somehow! So I went to work cutting it out very carefully attempting to match as much plaid as I could or at least center the main lines of plaid. I had limited yardage to work with so I had to bail on some pattern matching. BUT what I did manage to do pretty decently, if I do say so myself, is pattern match the pockets on the front and back. Also I use a stablizer on the edges of the pockets to keep them from stretching out, especially since I was attempting to pattern match
One thing I’d like to say about sewing with a stretch fabric is to make sure to use a walking foot, a stretch needle and use a stretch stitch (I use an elongated zigzag) on places that will be stretched. For these bibs, that area was the backside and crotch area. Of course I had to learn those lessons the hard way by trying them on, popping a stitch in the crotch when I bent over and going back in and reinforcing the full stitch line with a stretch stitch and now they’re good to go! I’m glad that happened at home AND that’s why I’m sharing with you 🙂
Lastly, if you’re looking to try a pair of Burnside bibs for yourself, I wanted to say that I’ve sized down one size in my bibs. These are version 1 with the invisible zipper and are more fitted across the hips. Version 2 is a roomier version which plays nicely with linen or linen blends. Either can be made up in full length or cropped views, which makes them a year round wear in my book!
