Or that time I channeled my inner denim-clad Gumby…

I’ve missed just sewing things for the heck of it. Like so many of us, I am very time poor so I had tried to sew sensible/practical stuff to make the most economical of my time spent sewing.

Turns out, for me, that’s a bit of an inspiration killer. So I’ve decided to revert to my former sewing self and sew the things that tickle my fancy or intrigue me. In all honesty I tend to wear my slightly off-kilter garments the most. Plus I sew because it relaxes me, my yoga is sewing. I make no apologies for that.

And lately it was this that intrigued me. Japanese pattern books are back!

I fell in love with this book a few visits ago to Kinokunya (Sydney) and last time I visited, it was still there. So I decided it was meant to be.

And while there are several very sensible and more practical patterns in this book, the pinstripe jumpsuit captured my interest. So I decided to fly with the idea.

Pattern tracing took me a night, however the alterations and procrastination took me at least another two weeks. Not because they were complicated but I did try to talk myself out of this odd outfit choice and procrastinated over the pattern changes.

Tracing

My favourite thing to trace my patterns with is a product called ‘Trace & Toile’ from Spotlight (Australia). At $20 a 10 metre roll, it is expensive. I wait for a sale and purchase several rolls at $10. I don’t sew as much as I used to, the upside to this is that a roll will see me through many patterns.

While it has it faults – pen rubs off a little, heavier to see through – I love the fact I can baste my pattern pieces together to get an idea of fit. This product gives me a better idea than I seem to achieve with tissue paper fitting – and saves me the trials and tribulations (and precious time) a fabric toile can take. It doesn’t replace a fabric toile but if you don’t think you need drastic alterations you can quickly see if more length etc is needed. Long basting stitches slide out easily and I can cut the pattern pieces and sew in strips to lengthen a pattern or fold//sew shortening tucks to modify a pattern. These modifications become a permanent sewn-in element of my finished pattern which I then make the garment from.

Minor Modifications

These Japanese patterns are drafted for someone only slightly taller than me. As mentioned on previous posts, I am proportionally long through the torso and jumpsuits make pattern modifications a necessity as no-one wants to wear – or see – a jumpsuit wedgie!

I added 1 1/2 inches to the crotch depth, this was intentionally longer than needed as I wanted a casual, very loose jumpsuit to wear during summer. I added 1 inch to the bodice – however found this made the waist too low and I removed it, I might even shorten the bodice if I was to make it again. I should have added some length to the legs as well – I turned the hems up with bias binding as the unfinished length was close to perfect.

I added belt loops and a self-fabric belt. I prefer to wear this looped through the belt keepers and then tied at the back, rather than wrapping it around the front. It created a bit of shape without being pulled in against my waist. Very loose and easy to wear.

I would probably insert an invisible zip in the side seams if I was to make it again. It’s a little wriggle to pull it up and over my hips (note to self, not too many yummy Christmas indulgences this year) – a zipper would help.

I do need to wear a singlet or tshirt under it – however I like the overall/jumpsuit mix, one of the things that attracted me to it.

This is made from tencel denim from ‘the stash’ purchased from a bargain table for the grand sum of $5 a metre… or maybe it was $4 a metre. I also squeezed another Tessuti Sadie Slip dress out of this, similar to this dress I blogged over a year ago – which I love!

Agreed. This jumpsuit is a slight crazy garment. I wore it all day today – the best way to assess a garment’s suitability to your lifestyle is to put it ‘through its paces’. It passed the lifestyle test with flying colours. I love it. It’s a bit oddball but quite unique – and exceptionally comfortable. I am also confident I will not be bumping into any other denim-clad Gumby wannabes in the downtown Port Macquarie. So it’s a win-win for me.

See it in action? Visit Instagram!

Photographed terribly in the late afternoon sunset last weekend, too much glare and the tencel looks shiny. The Instagram images (or Boomerangs) are much more true to the actual garment and you can see me wiggling in an action shot… life is too short to be too serious… and let’s be honest, I don’t pretend to be a high fashion model!

This isn’t going to be everyone’s ‘cup of tea’ – however it’s mine. I appreciate some will hate it. If we all sewed, liked and wore the same style… well… that wouldn’t be terribly interesting would it?

The thought of wearing a pinstripe onesie to work is still very appealing…

Pattern: No.5 from untranslated Japanese pattern book which loosely translates as “7 Basic dresses” – this jumpsuit also includes as a jumper dress option. ISBN 978-4-579-11570-9
Fabric: Tencel polka dot denim, Spotlight Australia