Cleo Pinafore & Dungaree Dress

I think the Tilly Cleo will be a sewist staple for years to come, and with the amount of beautiful Cleo’s out there I do not need to sing it’s praises anymore. I myself have made 6 Cleo’s previous to this review, but this one is a little special.

I am differently abled and have a physical condition called Ehlers Danlos which means my joints like to dislocate without being asked (how rude) so there have been times where I’ve ended stuck like a sausage in my clothes, and need someone else to help me escape. As a strong independent woman, this can be somewhat….. NOT WELCOME. I have seen a button up version but buttons are not the easiest thing for me so I thought, how about a zip?

Originally I was going to do an invisible side zip as I was hiding my inability to dress independently. I was embarrassed that I was struggling, but thanks to the sewing communities support after a particularly emotional Instagram post I decided to middle finger hiding.

I chose a chunky RED plastic open-ended zipper of awesome and used the already drafted center seam allowance to insert it. The only adaptation needed being to add SA to the front facing and not cut it on the fold. Tilly has an excellent tutorial about exposed zips on her site, so you can always head there if you need zip insertion support.

Super simple, but super effective. I am making another version and will be drafting a full facing to go all the way down to make the inside as beautiful as the outside. Boom. Love my Cleo pattern again.

Fabric from The Village Haberdashery.