Judy P's Tickle Trunk

Rosies work wear for women coveralls: a review. As sure as the universe is unfolding as it should, if I put on good clean clothes it won’t be too long before I’m drawn into some activity which has me wiping my dirty hands on my pants or kneeling in the mud to peer in under a vehicle or boat up on blocks. Since I stated building my wherry I have gotten into the habit of donning coveralls before I went out the door. Sadly that pair, which I have had since 1999, is crusted with epoxy resin and glue and too unsightly to be seen in public. That said, I shan’t abandon them until they are good and shaggy. So for camping set-up and break-down I ordered myself a new pair from Rosies and have used them several times now. Indeed, I have worn them for two full days of travel and only stopped when we arrived at what appeared to be a trendy locale where they just didn’t suit the occasion. A lady in the gas station asked me if I was military but she had one eyebrow up as if asking “shouldn’t you have been retired for ten years?” Anyhow, the coveralls are khaki coloured medium weight twill. I could have gotten them in pink or paisley, or my first choice, red, but the khakis were on sale and you all knows how I love a bargain and besides, I figured if they were good and drab I wouldn’t have to be inhibited about getting them good and dirty when I’m crawling around under the camper looking for assorted drains and ports and adjusting the stabilizer jacks. They are a fine addition to my leisure-wear collection if I say so myself. I love the heavy weight cotton and when worn over jeans and a long sleeve T they are as cozy as a 5-year-old’s snowsuit but still loose enough to move around in. Indeed, I can do a full squat or work high over my head without any restrictions. I may have to scale back to a tank and bloomers when the weather gets hot but with the way it has been for the past few weeks I don’t think that will be an issue until July at which time I may invest in a lighter pair. I did have to shorten them about 4 inches and could probably have purchased the “cropped” style and still had long pants. The knee pads are a practical addition and have already paid off but they look a little like hockey gear when just standing around. The suit goes on and off over boots with no difficulty. That said, the cotton sticks to other cotton and despite the lax fit it is sometimes a bit of a struggle to separate the coveralls from the flannel shirt. I love the deep pockets and the coordinating polka dot cotton hankie which adorned the breast pocket (and which fell out on the bathroom floor the first three times I went to the facilities so I parked it). The downside of these coveralls are the cuffs and the front opening. The cuffs are a folded back French cuff with no fastenings. Seems to me there is some danger of it getting caught up in moving part of a power tool. There is no way to fasten it down and so I have been wearing them rolled up, which I usually do anyhow. They are apparently designed this way so that they can fit over work gloves. Doesn’t work for me. The front opening is secured with Velcro. It may make for quick opening and closing but I would much prefer a real zipper. The Velcro is noisy, very scratchy if not completely done up and your arm runs across it (I’m such a delicate flower, I know) and will pick up lint. I have also seen Velcro buckle annoyingly if the fabric shrinks at all. Seems to me they tried to save money on production by eliminating fastenings like snaps and zippers and/or the labour involved in installation or making buttonholes. Besides the changes mentioned above these coveralls (Lance calls them a Union suit) would benefit from having a slit in the side behind the pocket like my old coveralls has. This allows you to access the pockets of your jeans or shorts or whatever else you are trying to cover up. I have yet to find out what they behave like when wet, I daresay they can hold a lot of water, or what they wash up like. I’ll keep you posted.

I am accessorizing the coveralls with an elastic band bracelet which was skillfully made by Hunter B. Click here on ROSIES (its just killing me not to put an apostrophe in there) to check out their other merchandise. They do ship to Canada. © Judy Parsons 2014