I made a jumpsuit! And I love it, but when I made it and put it on, Shaun saw me and laughed for 2 hours straight. I am not even joking. I am starting to think he really doesn't understand fashion. Poor lad.
This jumpsuit is a brand new pattern from
Itch to Stitch designs.
Anza Jumpsuit and Dress was released today and I am very excited to share my version.
I originally signed up to test the dress version. It is a lovely front buttoned V-neck dress that is super easy to throw on and look put together in. I was very excited to jump in, but after sleeping on it for a few nights I realized I actually wanted to give a jumpsuit a try... I was very surprised by this very strange to me urge. I always thought of jumpsuits as very fashion forward and I envisioned them on super fashionable pinterest-worthy ladies who always look like they are having endless coffees, fabulous lives and are always busy looking effortlessly great and fashionable at every time of day and night. This is not who I am, so I didn't think jumpsuit was for me. Yet, there I was with this insane urge to make a jumpsuit.
After trying to talk myself out of it, I decided why not? I sew after all, if I hate it I'll just swap the pant part for the skirt part! So I asked Kennis if I could change my assigned dress to jumpsuit and she agreed. I was so happy! My jumpsuit was to become a reality.
For my fabric I chose to go with
Mouse Gray Tencel Twill from Blackbird Fabrics. I bought enough of it as I was thinking of making a super lightweight
Kelly Anorak, but changed my mind in favor of Anza Jumpsuit. Not to worry, I did buy enough cotton twill to make Kelly Anorak, so it will still happen in the foreseeable future.
Tencel twill was the perfect choice for this jumpsuit. It is very lightweight and has a beautiful drape. It is also breathable and will be perfect for warmer months. I also really appreciate that it is opaque so no lining is needed. As well as I just love the subtle texture and sheen of the fabric, it almost looks silky. Yet unlike silk, it is a lot easier to work with and it has more weight.
I adjusted the pattern to fit my body. I graded from size 6 at the bust to size 10 at the waist and 12 at the hips. Even though my waist is quite a bit smaller than size 10, I needed to make sure that there was enough width in the waist to get my hips through. The jumpsuit only unbuttons to the waist and then is pulled on through the hips. So if your waist is smaller size than hips, I would recommend not adjusting for it, or making sure that the final measurements of the waist will allow for your hips to slide through. All the extra fabric will be synched in with the elastic anyways. I would think this will not be as essential if you are making a dress version though, as you are likely to be putting it on over your head anyways.
My other adjustments included adding length to the bodice and extending the shoulder. I am tall (5'10") and I have broad shoulders. So I added 1.5" to the length of the bodice and 1" to the shoulder. I also deepened the seat of the pants by scooping out the crotch curve. All of these are very standard adjustments for me.
In hindsight, I should have added more length to the bodice. I didn't muslin this jumpsuit as in my experience Kennis' patterns are always on point and I figured I can make it work with loose fit, all the extra seams and pattern parts. Once I basted the top and the bottom pieces together I felt that I could really use an extra 3/4" in length of the bodice. So my easy solution to this was to simply widen the waistband and attach it as its own piece, instead of Kennis' unique way to attach waistband on top of the bodice. This worked out great and I am very happy with the result.
Once the jumpsuit was all finished and I tired it on, I decided that I want my extra wide cuff to be a little smaller. So I simply folded it over! That is why my cuff may look slightly different from other testers' cuffs. I like both options but I felt that on me folded over cuff looked better.
I love this jumpsuit! I simply can not wait till it warms up enough to wear it. It snowed today in Calgary... so it still may be a few weeks for jumpsuit worthy weather.
As I've mentioned, Shaun found it hard to appreciate the beauty and fashion forwardness of this jumpsuit. He actually laughed for a couple hours while I paraded around the house in my jumpsuit, while holding a glass of wine and refusing to respond to him, because "I don't talk to haters".
Let me tell ya, did I ever feel polished and put together in my get up! Even though my hair hasn't been washed in days and was beyond dry-shampooing, part of my make up ended up under my eyes and the other part left my face completely earlier in the day, my nail polished was chipped to almost non-existence on some of my nails and my legs weren't shaved in weeks. But still, I felt beautiful and sophisticated. I even tried to converse in my very choppy and very forgotten French while I sat there sipping wine and ignoring Shaun's giggling. "Violette à bicyclette" is usually my go-to phrase. I am clearly very cultured.
So my conclusion is jumpsuits make you feel awesome, put together and pinterest worthy. Well, jumpsuits, or wine. Either one will do.
What do you think of the new
Anza pattern? Will you be making it? Would it be a dress or jumpsuit? Or may be both?
On that note, I am off to start another week of working. I hope you all have a wonderful day!
Love,
Anya
P.S. This blog post contains affiliate links, but all opinions, as usual, are my own :)
