Made By a Fabricista: A Jumpsuit In A Classic Blue Chambray

Jumpsuits! They are so hot at the moment. I love the look of many of them but wasn't sure if they were too trendy for my casual, weekend wardrobe. So to make the look more classic I went for a blue with white chambray from Fabric Mart. I used Simplicity 1158, View A for my pattern. After looking at the finished measurements listed on the pattern I went down a whole size-- and actually smaller yet after sewing it up. I found this pattern runs really large especially in the bodice... like HUGE! I wish I started off by going down two sizes on top. All the gathering and the excessive design ease made it a tent on top, ugh! According to the envelope, I should have made a 16 bodice and a 20 hip. I would say I ended up with between a 12/14 bodice & waist with an 18 hip... with plenty of ease leftover.

I think this jumpsuit is a great alternative to a comfy summer dress. The fabric is so light and airy against the skin, it will be great this week as the temps hit the low 80s here in the city of Baltimore.

To get a better fit for my figure, I made a few alterations to the pattern prior to cutting my fabric. I'm 2" taller than what Simplicity drafts for, I ~~always~~ often need to add about 1" to my bodice length and another inch or two to my pants somewhere. My particular figure likes it when I scoop out the back crotch curve to accommodate my full backside. After sewing the whole shebang up, the bodice was a hot mess! It was so poofy in front and freakishly so in back. I took some impromptu selfies in my mirror so you can see the ridculousness some. It looked even worse in person. Blech! Actually the 'before' shot is after running a quick basting stitch to take in the bodice length about an inch in to see what that did for me. Not much. I looked like I was stowing a ham back there and ready to stuff another one in front.

So I ripped out the back waistline, removed over 2" from the bodice length and sewed it all back in place. This helped pull up some of that front poof as well. Check it out in the comparison pics below for reference. Even the way the hem of the shorts hung looked better.

So moral of this pattern's story, it runs really humongous. But on a good note, this is a really simple garment to sew up. It's very easy to slide on and off for needs in the ladies room-- just untie that back neck tie and I'm good to go. TMI? Likely not if your as obsessed with reading pattern reviews as I am.

There is a 1/4" elastic in the waist (hence the ease of getting this thing on). I like that the shorts are quite full and have an a-line skirt look to them, it's more flattering on my figure that happens to be fuller at the thighs/lower hip area. I forgot to add any length to hem so I just sewed up a super narrow hem.

And pockets! Functional pockets! Okay, now that I've made a jumpsuit that I feel I will actually wear, I'm now eyeing some other versions for me of this trend. I live in swishy, comfy dresses all summer long, this is a perfect stand in for one.

Happy Sewing!!

~Kathy
Kathy Sews

Made By A Fabricista | Chasing Time: My White Rabbit-Inspired Look for Atlanta Frocktails

For this year’s Atlanta Frocktails, I found myself captivated by a character who’s been quietly tugging at my imagination for years—the White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland. There’s something so relatable about his frantic energy, always checking the time, always running late. While he’s worried about being on time, I’m usually calculating how late I can be and still technically arrive on time. Spoiler: I’m often wrong. It’s a cycle of procrastination and anxiety that I know all too well. So when I imagined my look for Frocktails, I thought—why not honor the White Rabbit? After all, time has been chasing me too. But this look isn’t just about Wonderland whimsy. It’s also deeply inspired by this year’s Met Gala theme, Tailored for You, which includes a focus on Black Dandyism—a celebration of Black elegance, intellect, and expressive style. I’ve been obsessed with this theme since it was announced. As a Black creative, I find it powerful and moving to see style used as a way to reclaim...

Made By A Fabricista: Getting into the Spirit of Summer

I'm not gonna lie y'all, I had a completely different project I wanted to do, but that's gonna take more time, and I wanted something cute, comfy and fun to wear for my birthday on the 19th. When I saw this goldenrod & off white linen jacquard , I thought it looked a bit like the design on a Koroks body, especially Makar from The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker! I started with the bodice from the free Elderberry dress pattern from Mood, but deviated for the skirt, it felt a little plain of a design, and I had scraps of a Korok fabric that I knew would be a nice accent with some cut out pockets. I've made these pockets once before, deciding the cut out was based on aligning with the seam on the bodice for how far in, and as for how low depended on where I wanted the pouch of the pocket to start. From there I cut the visible part of the pocket, making sure to match the curve of the waist and following the line of the side seams of the skirt, as well as cutting a facing to...

Made By A Fabricista: A Pink Suiting Set for Spring

Spring is here! So is my first blog of the year. I had some inspiration with this one. I saw a picture on an Instagram profile and wanted to make my own. Now, my version ended up a little different, but overall, I really love it. However, I still want to recreate the inspiration pic at some point. For this look, I chose a cotton candy pink double weave suiting . It is soft, has a semi-textured hand, and has a crepe weave on the wrong side. The fabric does have some stretch to it. I absolutely love the color and feel of this fabric. This is a suiting fabric with the softness of a knit. The thing I do not like about it though is it snags. So, I had to be careful using pins and seam ripping to prevent snags. I had the Fernanda Vicki Sews pattern in mind but once I downloaded the instructions and saw how many pieces were involved, I switched to a different pattern, lol. I ended up making the Riana Blazer. It has a semi-fitted blazer with a straight silhouette. A belt and belt loops that yo...

Fabric Mart Fabricistas

Search This Blog