V1591 - I fell in love with a jumpsuit

Friends, I never thought I would fall for the jumpsuit craze. I saw nothing for me in the angular stylised boss-lady suits or the casual summer florals all-over. They seemed quite overpowering. I was always disappointed with the single-layer, unfitted, spaghetti strap sewing patterns with elastic casings and ludicrous cutouts. They were not for me.

And then V1591 came along. Oh my. I still don't know if I fell in love with the sewing pattern or the model. Look at her: that sleek, smooth hairstyle, uncomplicated no-nonsense pose, those angular square shoulders reflected perfectly by the square neckline. The lack of cleavage, those dominant legs. The camera work is so good here: slightly lower, looking up at her. She takes no sh*t. Yes, these are wide legs. Wow.

So then I looked at the line drawing. This is a bold design with a bold pattern. Actual pleating/seamline detail! Pockets! Backless! Then I looked at the fabric requirements. Lined! underlined! Hanging loops! It's made of lace! I have never seen a lace jumpsuit before, and this one looks amazing.

This absolute goddess is wearing some sort of formal lace dungaree/jumpsuit with her full back on show and just looks like she's got places to be and people to stomp on. And the sewing pattern shows she knows what she's talking about.

I realised I needed that pattern.

I wanted to make sure it wasn't just me who thought this looked great so I waited a full damn year for reviews to pop up before buying it. There were a few instagram posts, but not much else. I also waited for a long time to find the right fabric. In the end I was fed up with dithering and impulse-bought the pattern and the fabric ready for an Easter-weekend (2019) making session. This took about 2 days to make with minimal fitting or design alterations. I will admit I'm incrediibly late to the party.

Incidentally, this floral viscose was £4/m from John Lewis. Nothing in John Lewis is £4/m! The lining is part of the gift haul that a friend brought back from India.

V1591 bodice facing, lining and hanging loops

v1591 catch-stitched hems and small thread chain for trouser lining

v1591 CB lining and facing

I actually followed the pattern instructions for this make and the finish is excellent. The only trouble I had was matching all of the notches at the waist seam between the bodice and the trouser. I think this is mostly because I like to mark the centre front and seamlines, whereas Big 4 patterns don't. They add notches in different places, so it can get quite confusing if both systems are potentially in play.

I also remember the pocket facings being a bit confusing at the cutting out stage as the pattern refers to them as a "patch". If you make this in lace as advised, they may tell you to cut the pocket facing from the lining/underlining fabric instead of the lace. If you're using regular fabric, you don't need to do this - it's a design choice. If you've made this type of pocket before (like on jeans, for example), you'll know what you need to do, so it's good to trust yourself. I still don't know if there's an error or not - but just watch out.

In terms of cut and fitting, I'm so impressed at the coverage and modesty of this garment considering it's really designed to be seductively braless. I cut an 8 on top, grading to 12 at the waist. The legs are very long - though my fabric also tends to shrink and droop, so it can vary on me. People with different proportions may benefit from shortening the legs. I could have done an SBA, but for this design it didn't seem worth it.

The cut is quite modest on CF, and around the sides/under the arms. 

My finished jumpsuit is more casual than the envelope. I'd love to make a more formal version but honestly, the current one has been worn so much that a casual version was the right choice. It wears best with no bra/shirt underneath (good for sweaty ceildhs) but I do also wear it with lacy M&S bralets or full t-shirts too. It has survived the office, late night ceildhs, duvet days, housework, house parties and camping. It is oddly well-suited to the british climate, handling our annual heatwaves (for which the Brits are famously ill-prepared) and more moderate temperatures too (the lining and underlining really work together).

On the next version, I'll pay more attention to the straps. I sewed tubes for this version and didn't top stitch at all. They will never lie flat again. I am hoping to find a solution that doesn't use ribbon like the pattern calls for, because the colour-matching challenge would be a big headache. In future, I  may also swap out the tie for a button or hooks and eyes - as I'm not a big fan of the knot and always tie it in front. We'll see what the future holds.

That's it for now,
K x