Welcome back to the third installment of my V1645 jumpsuit sewalong. At this point you have already done most of the work for constructing the garment. Today I'm going to lead you through the last five steps for finishing it up. I have labeled these the "tricky bits" as they take a bit more concentration. I recommend trying them out as you make the muslin so that you're ready to go for the final garment.
11. Underarm binding: In steps 3 and 9 from the last post, we sewed up the side front and side back of the garment, leaving 2" free at the top. The reason we left the side pieces free is so that we could bind the top of it. To do this, lay the armhole bands (#15) on top of each side piece and sew with right sides together. Press the opposite edge of the bands under 5/8." Wrap the band around to the inside of the garment and stitch in the ditch from the right side to secure, catching the folded edge underneath (read this tutorial on Hong Kong seam finishes for additional support on how to bind an edge).
Now sew up the remaining 2" of the side seam. Finish binding/overlocking the raw edges of the seam that you started in steps 3 and 9.
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12. Arm binding: Fold the armhole facing (#16) lengthwise wrong sides together. Stitch to armhole edges (I recommend using a narrow seam allowance, though the pattern is designed for a 5/8" seam allowance). Press open and trim the seam allowance. If you are using a loosely woven fabric or one that is otherwise prone to distortion, you may consider stabilizing the seam with interfacing or another stabilizer.
Fold the binding in toward the inside of the garment and topstitch around the arm opening to secure the binding in place. As you do this, you will catch the side seam allowances in your stitching, holding them in place (see photo below).
Note that I have modified my pattern to be sleeveless. For this reason, the armhole on the right side of the picture below may look different. For a cut-on sleeve as written in the pattern, both sides should look like the left side of the photo below.
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13. Facing: Sew your front facings right sides together to make a long piece in the following order: sew front facing (#9) to back neck facing (#11) to front overlay facing (#10) to lower front facing (#12). If it's hard to tell which piece is which, I highly recommend laying your garment on your dress form or a table and matching the facing pieces up to double-check.
Attach the facing to the main garment along the neckline and the bottom of the front overlay. If you are using a loosely woven fabric or one that is otherwise prone to distortion, you may consider stabilizing the neckline with interfacing or another stabilizer as you did for the armholes. Note that I ran out of fabric for facings so the photo below shows how I turned the raw edge under twice.
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14. Zipper: Your garment should now be mostly assembled save for the outer seam of the right leg. There, the right front overlay is sewn to the back leg, but the outer leg seam on the right front piece still hangs open. Place the right front right sides together with the right back; the overlay will be sandwiched in between. Sew together, starting at the notch for the bottom of the zipper near the hip and sewing all the way to the hem.
Insert the zipper in the opening at the hip. If you're having trouble envisioning where this opening is and what it should look like, I've included a picture of the finished garmnet below. The front overlay is pulled out of the way and you're looking at the outer leg seam where the front is sewn to the back, leaving an opening at the top.
The pattern instructions recommend that you bind the zipper tape to keep things tidy. It is a bit of an odd process as the back seam extends all the way up to the underarm but the front piece stops at your hip. Many people complained about this step in the reviews, so feel free to ask questions or share ideas!
Rather than mess with a zipper (and because supplies are short in quarantine), I decided to close this area with snaps (shown below). Since this area of the garment is hidden under the overlap, you can also experiment with a number of fastenings. You may also try pinning the opening in place to see if you can easily remove the garment without a fastening.
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15. Hem: Hem the pants by turning under twice. For the leg with the overlay, start stitching where the overlay is attached to the seam, sew around the hem, and finish at the other side of the overlay, leaving the overlay free.
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You've now sewn up your jumpsuit! I'll be back soon to share final pics of how mine turned out.
11. Underarm binding: In steps 3 and 9 from the last post, we sewed up the side front and side back of the garment, leaving 2" free at the top. The reason we left the side pieces free is so that we could bind the top of it. To do this, lay the armhole bands (#15) on top of each side piece and sew with right sides together. Press the opposite edge of the bands under 5/8." Wrap the band around to the inside of the garment and stitch in the ditch from the right side to secure, catching the folded edge underneath (read this tutorial on Hong Kong seam finishes for additional support on how to bind an edge).
Now sew up the remaining 2" of the side seam. Finish binding/overlocking the raw edges of the seam that you started in steps 3 and 9.
.
.
12. Arm binding: Fold the armhole facing (#16) lengthwise wrong sides together. Stitch to armhole edges (I recommend using a narrow seam allowance, though the pattern is designed for a 5/8" seam allowance). Press open and trim the seam allowance. If you are using a loosely woven fabric or one that is otherwise prone to distortion, you may consider stabilizing the seam with interfacing or another stabilizer.
Fold the binding in toward the inside of the garment and topstitch around the arm opening to secure the binding in place. As you do this, you will catch the side seam allowances in your stitching, holding them in place (see photo below).
Note that I have modified my pattern to be sleeveless. For this reason, the armhole on the right side of the picture below may look different. For a cut-on sleeve as written in the pattern, both sides should look like the left side of the photo below.
.
.
13. Facing: Sew your front facings right sides together to make a long piece in the following order: sew front facing (#9) to back neck facing (#11) to front overlay facing (#10) to lower front facing (#12). If it's hard to tell which piece is which, I highly recommend laying your garment on your dress form or a table and matching the facing pieces up to double-check.
Attach the facing to the main garment along the neckline and the bottom of the front overlay. If you are using a loosely woven fabric or one that is otherwise prone to distortion, you may consider stabilizing the neckline with interfacing or another stabilizer as you did for the armholes. Note that I ran out of fabric for facings so the photo below shows how I turned the raw edge under twice.
.
.
14. Zipper: Your garment should now be mostly assembled save for the outer seam of the right leg. There, the right front overlay is sewn to the back leg, but the outer leg seam on the right front piece still hangs open. Place the right front right sides together with the right back; the overlay will be sandwiched in between. Sew together, starting at the notch for the bottom of the zipper near the hip and sewing all the way to the hem.
Insert the zipper in the opening at the hip. If you're having trouble envisioning where this opening is and what it should look like, I've included a picture of the finished garmnet below. The front overlay is pulled out of the way and you're looking at the outer leg seam where the front is sewn to the back, leaving an opening at the top.
Rather than mess with a zipper (and because supplies are short in quarantine), I decided to close this area with snaps (shown below). Since this area of the garment is hidden under the overlap, you can also experiment with a number of fastenings. You may also try pinning the opening in place to see if you can easily remove the garment without a fastening.
.
.
15. Hem: Hem the pants by turning under twice. For the leg with the overlay, start stitching where the overlay is attached to the seam, sew around the hem, and finish at the other side of the overlay, leaving the overlay free.
.
.
You've now sewn up your jumpsuit! I'll be back soon to share final pics of how mine turned out.
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