It's A Love Affair

Sometimes it takes a minute to know if you like something or someone & every once in a while its love at first sight! There was no second guessing when it came to merging the bodice of Simplicity 9010 & the leggings from McCalls 8351.

Both pieces were modified to give the look & feel that I have come to love so much & that why I have made this jumpsuit a staple in my Spring, Summer, and Fall wardrobe!

So without further ado lets get into the modifications & how I pieced this garment together!

The Process Lets break it down into two parts, the bodice or top portion of the jumpsuit & the pants or bottom portion of the jumper. There are no zippers or buttons used in the making of this jumpsuit. I was also able to eliminate use of the elastic. I used my sewing machine, Bernina B790 to sew the entire jumpsuit.

Bodice

Simplicity 9010, view B was used for the bodice because it has the open back & the longer sleeve. Two pattern piece make up the bodice. Front Bodice (Cut 1 on the fold), Back Bodice (Cut 2).

1. Stay stitch around the neck of the bodice back & front pieces.

2. Stitch front to back at the shoulder seams with right sides together.

3. Instead of using bias tape, use fusible tape to create a narrow hem the raw edge of the neck line & back bodice.

4. Stitch front to back under the arms (making sure right sides are facing).

5. Use hem tape to create narrow hem to the raw edge of sleeve.

6. Turn top right side out & with left back bodice over the right, baste stitch the lower edge using a narrow zig zag stitch or lightening bolt stitch (between the two dots) which aligns with the ends of where each back piece overlaps.

Modifications

1. I did not add elastic at the waist line so there is no need to create a casing using the seam allowance of the top.

2. Once front & back bodice are stitched together, fold the sleeve in half with crease lining up with the top of the shoulder seam. Then at the bottom of the sleeve make a one inch 45 degree angle cut at the crease. This creates a a small triangle accent on the sleeve.

Pants/Joggers McCalls 8351 View D, which are the joggers without the ankle band. Lets highlight the modifications first because there are a couple key points that must be considered.

Modifications

1. Eliminated the pockets

2. Eliminated the contrasting strip.

3. Eliminated back pocket

4. Eliminating the waist band

Eliminating the contrasting strip gives the pants/joggers a tighter fit. If you are looking for a looser fit retain the contrasting strip. Because the contrasting strip is eliminated I needed to transfer the marking that were intended for the strip onto the back of the pants.

With Pocket

*If you were going to add the pockets, with right sides together you would stitch one pocket to the side seam of the front pant leg and one pocket to the side seam of the back pant leg.

*Then right sides facing, stitch the front & back pant legs together, stitching around the pockets

Without Pocket

1. With right sides together stitch front and back pant leg together at the side seam.

2. Next stitch each front & back pant leg together at the inner leg.

3. Turn one pant leg on the right slide & slide it into the other pants leg, right sides together & aligning the crotch seams.

4. Stitch along the crotch seam, reinforce stitch at the crotch if needed.

5. Hem bottom of pants leg with hem tape by folding up the bottom of pants 1/2 inch, place hem tap and iron or fold up 1/2, iron & then fold under 1/4 inch & stitch a narrow zig zag stitch.

6. Turn pants right side out.

Connecting bodice to pants

1. With right sides together pin & stitch the pants to the top (bodice) at the waist. Note: Wrong side of bodice should be facing you and the raw edge of the bodice should be lined up with the raw edge of the pants.

2. Stitch 5/8" from raw edge all the way around.

3. Serge edge or use pinking shears to remove excess seam allowance.

If adding elastic:

1. Be sure to stitch 3/4” from raw edge so you have enough room to add a second row of stitching to create a casing for the elastic.

2. The create a second stitch 1/4” from are edge to create a casing, leaving open a small area to insert the 1/4” elastic.

Pattern Highlights

1. Difficulty:

   1. Advanced beginner/ Intermediate

   2. 5/10 (10 = most difficult)

2. Prep

   1. Cut pattern = 25 min

   2. Cut fabric = 30 min

3. Sizing/Fit

   1. Bodice: True to size for Two-way Stretch Knits, Rib Knit, Jersey, Interlock, Velvet Knits. Size down for 4-way stretch knit

   2. Pants/Joggers: True to size for 4 way stretch knit when contrasting strip is removed. May need to size up if using velvet or two-way stretch when contrasting strip is removed.

4. My Measurements: Bust 36/ Waist 35/ Hips 41

5. Pattern Size Cut

   1. Bodice: Size 12

   2. Pants: Medium

Wrap Up Modifying & piecing together this jumpsuit has really inspired me to be more creative & possibly draft my own pattern! I am already looking into attaching the bodice to shorts to make a romper or to a mini skirt.

This pattern is suited well for an experienced/advanced beginner who has a solid understand of stitches & pattern markings. I have made this jumpsuit with & without pockets & I will definitely make it again! Interested in sewing along or watching a live sew-along? Follow me on TikTok @SewSophisticatedDesigns or Facebook @LetsGetSewcial. I do live sew alongs several Fridays a month from 7pm - 10pm EST, check events on the home page for a schedule of upcoming sew alongs & the details of what platform they will be hosted on.