Functional and stylish, our Hayley dungarees are the perfect go-to look for any season. Slouchy and oversized they are especially perfect for some lockdown lounging, and as a beginner level sewing pattern are a great make to keep you occupied in quarantine! As our most popular pattern, we’ve compiled a list of ways to design, fit, hack and style your very own Hayley dungarees:
Design Your Hayley Dungarees
Central to a good make is the right fabric, and Hayley works best in a range of medium to heavy weight materials such as twill weave cotton or linen - we love this green cotton linen from Sew Me Sunshine!
For a statement piece, try a patterned cotton: we love Romy's use of IKEA fabric for her Hayleys!
Abstract prints work especially well, and a coloured gingham is also perfect for summer! We’re also very partial to a corduroy dungarees, especially in a bright colour - check out our gorgeous yellow cord here.
As for the buttons, the choices are endless! Choose a colour button that matches your fabric or a statement button to contrast - we love these flower buttons from The Button Shack:
Fit Your Hayley Dungarees
Hayley is loose on the waist, so when fitting its best to go on the hip measurement and lengthen or shorten the leg to your size.
Follow our tutorial and diagram below to fit your pattern pieces accordingly before cutting your fabric:
- Lay your pattern pieces side by side with the hems in line.
- On the back inner leg you will a see a point where the pattern bends. At this point, slash across both pieces and move down to lengthen or up to shorten.
- Once you've moved the piece the desired amount, draw a new line from where you slashed the piece to each edge of the pattern on the hem.
The finished measurements for Hayley are as follows:
| Size 6 | Size 8 | Size 10 | Size 12 | Size 14 | Size 16 | |
| Waist | 88cm | 92cm | 96cm | 100cm | 104cm | 108cm |
| Hips | 90cm | 94cm | 98cm | 102cm | 106cm | 110cm |
Hack Your Hayley Dungarees
An extremely versatile garment, there are loads of ways to hack your Hayley. She comes with a front pocket, but why not add a pocket to the leg, or the back?
You can also play around with the strap fastenings: rather than buttons, why not add buckles or poppers? Alternatively you can put the buttonholes on the bib rather than the strap and then knot the strap through for a tied dungarees look.
Hayley's straps are made long so you can fit multiple buttonholes or poppers to adjust your Hayley to whatever you layer underneath - perfect if you want to wear her with a thick jumper!
Style Your Hayley Dungarees
Hayley is super versatile, and can be styled for wear all year round: turtlenecks and chunky knit jumpers are perfect layered for winter, or try a bandeau or crop top with some chunky sandals for summer.
We also love the classic dungarees and striped top combo, perfect styled with trainers for a comfy and casual look!
Learn more and shop Hayley here.
Like Hayley? Read our Ellie pattern spotlight here.
Want to learn more about dungarees? Check out our fashion history article here.