Made by a Fabricista: Velvet Holiday Jumpsuit

Hey friends! So glad to share one last make with you. Hope you've enjoyed wonderful holidays, even if they have been a bit different than normal.

I'd been wanting to try making Deer & Doe's Sirocco Jumpsuit for a while, but was afraid it wouldn't be flattering on my mom-tum. I finally got over that with a romper this Summer (oops, never got around to blogging that!) and decided to follow up with a velvet jumpsuit for Christmas!

When my hubby saw it he called me an elf. Bahaha.

But I love it; I even wore it for our Christmas card photos.

I used a green stretch velvet I picked up at Fabric Mart a couple of months ago. The particular deep green velvet I used is sold out now, but I just love these alternatives: Rosewood, Ocean or Obsidian (or you can find even more options here!) I think the marriage of stretch velvet and this pattern is really excellent!

I didn't have to make many pattern alterations: I often need a full bust adjustment (FBA), but didn't need one here. I did decide to add 1/2" more overlap where the bodice meets the waistband on this iteration to make sure it doesn't gape when I lean over.

I went one size up in the waist because there is a LOT of negative ease in the waistband, and am super happy with how it turned out! There is a bit more room without looking sloppy.

Plus: pockets. Pockets are always worth mentioning. And these are actually pretty generous pockets, unlike many in women's patterns (and RTW clothing). Yay!

I also had to shorten the legs a couple of inches (I'm 5'4"). With the pleats in this pattern and knits in general there is a lot of grace to be had with fitting. I do think I might have a bit much volume in my hip and leg and may try going down a size there in future versions.

I only made one design change for our Wisconsin Winter weather, and that was to turn the short sleeves into 3/4 sleeves. I added about 9" in length and played with the taper of the sleeve a bit and am happy with the result!

Love and light to all of you this holiday season, and a very happy upcoming New Year! May 2021 be a beacon of light at the end of this challenging tunnel.