Hiya, I’m elle aka @elleandthestitches and I am so incredibly excited to talk to you today about my latest make, this Lilac Lennox Boiler Suit. In my opinion, the boiler suit is a garment like no other, I think it is pure chic, casual comfiness. It is the cool aunt of the ‘shirt and jeans combo’ and I am even more obsessed with it than I thought I would be when conceiving the idea.
When Sew Me Sunshine offered to partner with me on making this garment, I was over the moon as they always have the most gorgeous and brightly coloured fabrics, which is definitely my jam. I was torn between the Hot Pink Twill and this Lilac Twill, but I am so glad I went with the lilac as it is such a beautiful colour and goes so well with the rest of my wardrobe. I ended up finishing this garment the night before my trip to Vienna which meant I could have a festive photoshoot in one of Vienna’s Christmas Markets! This boiler suit is perfect for layering, so I wore some thermal leggings and a handmade self drafted roll neck underneath. I apologise for those of you who feel queasy at the sight of an unironed garment, but I only had hand luggage and there was no iron in my airbnb!!
So, more about this twill - It is a medium weight fabric which was perfect for this pattern as it had a nice structure for the collar and the fly zip but wasn’t too heavy that I was restricted. I actually made my wearable toile out of a heavy weight cotton canvas and while I do like the very boxy menswear type feel to it, it wasn’t the most practical as it felt quite heavy and was almost crunchy when I sat down- if that makes sense!! This lilac twill was lovely to sew with and pressed really nicely. It also wasn’t too thick, so I had no broken needles and there wasn’t an issue when I was sewing multiple layers like when attaching my waistband pieces, which is always a bonus!
With regards to the pattern, the Lennox Boiler Suit is from Homer and Howells and I made a size 12 with variation B, the elastic waist back. I also took a total of 4 inches of length out of the trousers but kept the bodice the same. I took about 3 inches of length out of the sleeves.
I also ended up using a fun cotton I had in my remnant box for the pocket lining, which is this ‘boobs design’ and I am totally obsessed. Putting my hand in my pocket has never made me smile so much before!
I had actually ordered some sparkly lilac buttons to go with this but sadly they didn’t arrive in time, so I had to use some blue buttons I had in my stash. I am now thinking that I should leave them on as actually they give a bit more depth to the outfit? I think the blue really pops but also fits in with the colour pallet.
All in all, I am so pleased with this make and cannot wait to wear it all year round! Thank you Sew Me Sunshine.
*Elle was provided the fabric of her choice free of charge for her blog post & also provided with a £50 voucher *