Oh My Yanta
As a child of the 90’s there will always be a place in my heart for overalls. They were the darling garment of my childhood, in part because there were so many pockets to keep all the cool rocks I found. Alas, my adult body is trickier to buy overalls for. The bum-to-waist ratio I’m working with makes buying pants in general a nightmare. For this reason, overalls were my first ‘aspirational’ garment when I was learning to sew. As soon as I felt mildly proficient I bought the Helen’s Closet Yanta overall pattern.
It’s been quite the journey since I first bought that pattern. The Yanta overalls have taken the spot for my most sewn garment. I figure they are deserving of their own blog post. Here you are a summary of some, not all, of my Yanta overalls.
Bread & Butter Yanta
The staple, most practical, goes with everything, workhorse overalls. My first ‘official’ pair of Yanta overalls was a simple straightforward denim. There was a wearable toile before this but shh I’m not counting that one.
Fun fact for you, I got dumped the day I took this picture. Please note the dumping was due to the person liking their ex a lot more than they like me and had nothing to do with the overalls. Don’t blame the overalls, they are innocent.
No dumbing took place this day and I must say my eyeliner looks fire. I wear this pair of overalls all the time! Quite likely my most worn me-made piece of clothing. It’s perfect for everyday wear and this pair has plenty of pockets for cool rocks I find.
Sweet Summer Yanta
The only time I don’t want to wear my denim Yanta overalls is in the peak summer heat. I love them dearly but I sweat buckets when it’s in the high twenties. I wasn’t going to give up wearing Yantas in the summer so I needed to make a shorts version. This pair is made of stretchy fabric for maximum comfort!
These are the only short version I’ve made. Maybe next summer I’ll whip up another pair. After all, one takeaway from this blog post is that I can never have enough Yanta overalls.
Peak Loungewear Yanta
I am not one to keep up with trends. Not that I think anything is wrong with that it’s just not my passion. However, the loose loungewear-esk overall trend has my support for now and for always. I made myself a loose black pair and then I made my sister the same style in yellow. It’s all part of my long-term plan to have us always match.
I left off the metal clips as strap fasteners and instead put in a buttonhole and tied a knot in the strap. It makes it much more comfortable to fall asleep in the grass without having metal digging into you.
Fancy Pants Yanta
Until now, I’ve had a pair of Yanta overalls for almost every eventuality… except a formal pair. I tried once before, see above for brocade disaster, but that didn’t work out. Then this beautiful chocolate brown satin came into my life. Aaaand the solution emerged.
I’m loving this pair of Yanta overalls! I added gold details for the hardware and left off a few pockets for a more sophisticated look. I did leave a few pockets, you know for especially cool rocks.
Overall Thoughts
There are lots of ways hobbies enrich our lives. I love my sewing journey and how much better I’ve gotten at it over the years. But more than that I love that it allows me to make clothes I would struggle to find off the shelf. It’s a difficult world to keep a positive view of your body in. That can be especially true if your dimensions are outside the mainstream. I love that sewing allows me to make clothes that fit me rather than trying to make myself fit the clothes.
If you love overalls and can’t find the right fit in-store, or just want to try making your own, the Yanta overalls by Helen’s Closet really is a fantastic pattern. The instructions are details and easy to follow. While my current closet has more overalls than I strictly need I make no promises about stopping. There will always be an extra hanger for another pair of overalls.
After all my ramblings and reminiscing you want to make your own pair you can buy the pattern online here: Yanta Overalls
Hannah
Feeling inspired to start sewing? Check out my list of patterns that will teach you how to sew: Sewing Patterns for Beginners
