Hacking the Ogden cami sewing pattern by True Bias into a pinafore dress

I just love how much hacking potential there is with the Ogden cami pattern by True Bias. Earlier this year, I wrote a blog post talking about how I hacked the pattern to make a tiered maxi dress for summer.  In this blog post I’m going to tell you how I hacked the pattern to make a cute pinafore perfect for layering up in cooler weather. I will also show you the two versions I have made of this hack.

The pattern

The Ogden cami is a simple camisole top designed for woven fabrics.  It has a deep v-neck at the front and back.  The neckline and armholes are finished with a partial lining.  There are no fastenings on this pattern, no buttons or zips – it is designed to be pulled on over your head.

The pattern is available in two size ranges:  US size 0-18 and 14-30. The size 0-18 range has no darts and fine spaghetti straps.  The size 14-30 range has bust darts and a wider ¾ inch strap for bra coverage.

Overall the Ogden cami has a really clean simple silhouette, which I think makes it great for hacking.

My two pinafores

I have made two versions of my Ogden cami pinafore hack. 

I made my first version using beautiful cotton fabric from Lamazi Fabrics called Hawthorne cotton.  It is by Rifle Paper Co and from their Strawberry Fields Autumn 2020 collection.   The cotton fabric is similar to quilting weight cotton, so a perfect weight for a winter pinafore.  It is such nice quality cotton and was excellent to sew with.  The wildflower print is just beautiful and I think the black base is perfect for an autumn/winter garment.

For my second version I chose a viscose challis by Mind the Maker, which I purchased from Minerva.  The fabric has a black base with a really bold large-scale gold circle design.  I particularly liked the fact that the fabric was yarn dyed, so the black base colour is on both the front and back sides of the fabric.  The viscose has a really nice substantial weight to it and so again it was a great option for a winter pinafore.  It was nice to sew with although a bit more slippery and prone to shift than the fabric I used for my first version.  I took my time at the cutting out stage of this version to make sure the placement of the gold rings worked well.

How I hacked the pattern

I have included below details of how I made my pinafore dress hack of the Ogden cami.

The bodice

My measurements are 32-26-36, which corresponds to size 0 of the pattern.  However, I knew I wanted to be able wear layers underneath the pinafore, so I decided to size up to a size 2 for this hack.

I traced out the size 2 bodice and then cropped the bodice ½ inch above the lengthen/shorten line on the pattern, as I wanted to give the pinafore a slightly empire waist/babydoll look.

I also raised the v dip of the back bodice by 1¼ inches as I didn’t want such a deep v at the back for the pinafore, especially since I was cropping the bodice.

As with my first Ogden hack into a dress, I decided to fully line the bodice.  So instead of cutting a front and back main bodice pattern piece and a front and back facing pattern piece, I cut two front pattern pieces and two back pattern pieces.  I then followed the pattern instructions as if I was attaching the facing.

One other adjustment I made was to widen the straps by ¼ inch as I didn’t think the pattern’s spaghetti straps would suit a winter pinafore.  I then had to adjust the bodice pieces accordingly to widen the section where the strap would meet the bodice also by ¼ inch.

The skirt

I wanted a gathered skirt and I decided to make the width of the skirt approximately 1.5 times the width of the bodice pattern pieces.   I then drafted a square skirt pattern piece the length I wanted plus a 3/8 inch seam allowance at the top and a 1 inch seam allowance at the bottom. 

I also decided to add pockets as I thought this would be a useful addition to my pinafore.  I borrowed a pocket pattern piece from another pattern in my stash and I placed the pockets starting 9cm down from the top of my skirt pieces, after having a play about to find the right height of the pockets for me.

Finishing

Bodice – I sewed the gathered skirt to only the external bodice.  I then turned under the bottom of the bodice lining and slip stitched the lining in place to enclose the seam attaching the bodice to the skirt, to give a really neat finish.

Label – I fashioned a little label for each of my pinafore hacks – one out of the selvedge of the fabric I used, and the other out of some ribbon I had in my stash.  I sewed these labels to the back bodice lining pieces of each pinafore before I commenced construction of the bodice.  The labels are really handy to help me know which way round the pinafore goes!

Summary

I have had such fun hacking the True Bias Ogden cami pattern this year. I have already styled my Rifle Paper Co version with a white t-shirt for milder weather.  I can’t wait to get both versions layered up with a turtleneck top, black tights and a cosy cardigan as the weather gets cooler.

If you decide to have a go of hacking the Ogden cami, I hope you enjoy it as much as I have.