Jump around

Earlier this year, my lovely friend Ciara asked me to help her change a wrap-around dress of hers into a jumpsuit. I’m not particularly good at alterations and modifications, but I was up for a fun lockdown challenge! In the end I did a not-so-fantastic job on the transformation (sorry, Ciara!), but I did become a bit fascinated with the dress-come-jumpsuit’s construction, particularly the way the pockets were incorporated into the belt.

So I rubbed off the blouse part, modified it a bit to my liking, drafted some shorts to add to it and this is the result!

I was so pleased with the process of drafting/pattern hacking and I love the final result. The fabric is a petrol grey thin flowy cotton (in my stash for a while with no memory of where it came from :/ ) and I embroidered some little leaf details onto the yokes. The pocket lining and blouse bias is finished with some turquoise satin lining fabric. I love the combination of the colours!

I have only worn it a few times so far as I don’t know if I am really a jumpsuit person. I thought I would wear it in the summer a bit more but in the end I didn’t turn to it that much. Going to see if I wear it a bit more over the winter with some thick tights. The waist gathers at the back do look a bit ‘crinkly bottom’ in the photo here though – maybe I need to give it a better press!

I enjoy when something inspires you to access the energy/headspace needed for this kind of ‘problem solving’ (or ‘making it up as you go along’) sewing, opposed to sewing something where you know exactly what you are doing, with a tried and tested pattern, for example. Working on this was a slow process over a few weeks (months?) earlier this year when we were still under different restrictions, and even though I didn’t always feel like exercising that part of my sewing brain I was always glad when I did. My plan now is to adapt the pattern a bit to make a dress version based on the bodice cut. Sewing really is engineering and I love it! It’s also great when one item of clothing can act as a source of inspiration and can lead you down an unplanned (garden) path.

p.s. And the plan is to fix Ciara’s original butchered garment and make it into a top! 🙂