A Jumpsuit for Stepping Out

This jumpsuit is made for showing off. Its sewn from bright red linen, has hand-embroidered flowers, and shows just a flash of skin. It is also very much a product of the pandemic, made from fabric I ordered online and couldn't think of any other use for and hand-stitched embellishments that took me over a month to create. Today, two weeks after my final vaccine, I'm ready to celebrate! (Safely, of course.) 

Pattern: adapted from McCalls 7789 and McCall's 7719

Fabric: 2 yds Robert Kaufman Essex Linen

Cost: $40

For this piece, I think I spent about as much on embroidery thread as the fabric itself. Kaufman linen is fairly cheap (which is how it ended up in my cart) and I got two yards for less than $20 online. However, when it arrived it was much brighter than I had pictured, and I just wasn't sure what I would use it for. As my stash dwindled during the long months of lockdown, I finally decided it needed to be sewn up. 

The fabric told me it wanted to be bright red overalls like the Closet Core Jenny Overalls. But while I liked that pattern, I also wanted something that could be worn without a shirt underneath - maybe something more like a pinafore. I eventually ended up mashing together the pants from McCalls 7789, which I've sewn twice during lockdown already, with a bodice from McCall's 7719 squared off at the neckline. It required a fair amount of adjusting as I sewed and I think the bust darts ended up a bit high, but luckily the embroidery hides that and I really like the final results. I really like the overall shape and that it provides enough coverage while still giving the pinafore/overall look. 

So back to the embroidery. To temper all that red, I thought it would be fun to add some flowers to the bodice. I was also running out of knitting projects and needed something to do while I watched TV, so this was the perfect activity to occupy my time. As I've only done a few embroidery projects every, I used this as an opportunity to try out a bunch of different techniques and had a lot of fun browsing the internet for different petal and leaf designs. 

The one thing I have a hard time with in embroidery is picking out the color palette. So I looked around for a curated palette of colors. Sublime Stitching sells some amazing ones but they were almost all out of stock at the time. I finally found this fall palette I liked on Etsy. I really wish more sellers did this because it makes everything feel much more cohesive. I did run out of a few of the colors but was able to just order more of the single color online now that I knew what to get. The colors are give it a really vintage feel that I like. 

The jumpsuit has a low back and I really wanted the straps to cross in the back. However, the length of the straps coupled with the size of my hips meant I could barely wiggle out of it. I left the project alone for the night and came back the next day to uncross and re-sew the straps. As it's already a bit of a delicate garment, I really didn't want to strain it every time I needed to get in and out of it! I had to use the bathroom several times the first day I wore it and I was glad for the change. 

It also has pockets, so despite its delicate touches it is really almost a practical garment.

While the fabric purchase felt like a bit of a mistake and the process for making this was very experimental, I am so happy with the final result! The color, shape, and embroidery all come together to make a happy garment ready to step out in.