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Ah….summer! If you're an enthusiastic gardener, you spend whole Saturdays in the backyard and, on weekdays, steal any spare moments you can to do a little digging. Sometimes after work you don't bother changing, but kick off your shoes and head into the yard for a quiet walk and weed.

If you're a gardener who sews, you'll find this sturdy smock just the thing to slip over office clothes or old gardening gear – it's both protective and pretty. Its side slits and roomy raglan sleeves give you lots of reach when you need it, the small upper pocket is perfect for seed packets, and the big one below accommodate gloves, string, plant markers and all the other little things you like to keep hand. There's even a loop to tuck your trowel into. Not only does it look right at home in the garden, but between washings the flowered fabric helps hide the inevitable smudges of soil.

Smock
Generous one-size fits 32- to 38-in bust.

You need:
Download the pattern by clicking here
(PDF format requires free Adobe Acrobat Reader)
• 2.80 in sturdy medium-weight cotton, chintz, denim or canvas, 150 cm wide
• Piece of lightweight fusible interfacing, 100 x 40 cm (39-3/8 x 15-3/4 in)
• 5 buttons, 25 mm (1 in) in diameter
• Matching or contrasting thread
• Brown paper

To make:
Note: Enlarge pattern by squaring method as follows: On brown paper, draw grid of horizontal and vertical lines 2.5 cm (1 in) apart. Each squares on diagram equals a 2.5 cm square on your paper. Enlarge by drawing each line of pattern onto corresponding square on your paper. Transfer any markings. (Seam allowance is included.) If necessary, shorten or lengthen front, back and/or sleeves along blue lines, tapering underarm edges.

1. From folded fabric (see tips), cut 1 back, 2 fronts, 2 sleeves, 2 front facings, 1 back facing, 2 pockets and 1 seed pocket, along black lines, and 1 strip, 14 x 5 cm (5-1/2 x 2 in). From interfacing, cut 2 front facings and 1 back facing.

2. On each pocket, press under 1 cm (3/8 in) then 4-5 cin (1-3/4 in) along straight (top) edge; edgestitch (3 mm or 1/8 in from edge) both pressed edges. Press under 6 mm (1/4 in) around curved side/bottom edge. Pin to right side of each front where indicated by red line; edgestitch side/bottom edge.

3. Stitch each front to 1 sleeve along armhole edge, then stitch back to each sleeve along armhole edge. Bind seam allowances and press away from sleeve: stitch in place 3 mm from seam.

4. 0n each sleeve, match rows of dots to make 2 tucks at cuff edge; press and pin. From right side and beginning at cuff edge, edgestitch each tuck up pressed edge, pivot at top dot, stitch across top of tuck, then, 6 trim from pressed edge, stitch back down to cuff edge. Stitch each front to back, from cuff edge, around underarm, to notch on side edge. Clip seam allowance straight in to seam at each notch and along curve. Bind seam allowances and press toward back; stitch in place 3 mm from seam.

5. Fuse interfacing to wrong side of front and back facings. Stitch each front facing to back facing along shoulder edge; press seam open. Bind inside edge. Pin facing to smock along neck and centre-front edges; stitch, leaving hem edge open. Trim seam allowance to 6 mm, clip around neck edge and across top corners, then turn right side out along seam line and press. Pin inside edge to wrong side, then, from wrong side, edgestitch. From right side, edgestitch neck and centre-front edges.

6. Clip seam allowance along cuff-edge curve, then press under 1 cm twice and stitch. Press under 1 cm twice along hem and side-slit edges and stitch. Machine-zigzag raw edges of seam allowance in place at top of each side slit to reinforce. With narrow, closely spaced machine zigzag make 6 mm long vertical bar tack at each top corner of pockets to reinforce.

7. Press under 1 cm along each long edge of strip, then fold so pressed edges are even; edgestitch. Cut strip into one 6 cm (2-3/8-in) and one 8 cm (3-1/8-in) length. Machine-zigzag ends of short strip to right side of front at dots between pocket and side seam, for trowel loop. Machine-zigzag ends of long strip to right side of back at dots below neck edge, for hanging loop.

8. On right front, stitch 5 buttonholes; stitch buttons on left front (right edge overlaps left to seam line along inside edge of facing).

You can find more great sewing projects here.

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