The One Piece – The Zadie Jumpsuit

The Zadie Jumpsuit

Paper Theory Patterns

Last year I responded to a post on Instagram from someone who was looking for sewing friends. I was fairly new to the Instagram sewing community, so I jumped at the chance. A handful of people responded and we decided that it would be a fun idea to choose one pattern and all sew a version of it by a certain date. From there, our group of international sewing friends decided our first project was going to be the Zadie Jumpsuit and we were going to have it done by November 1st, 2019. Did we all get it done by the deadline? No. Did we all get it done at all? Also no. But I don’t think that was ever really the point. 

Our group choose a pattern that I would never have chosen for myself. I assumed that as a short, busty sewist, a jumpsuit wouldn’t be flattering on me, especially a jumpsuit that is known for having a little bit of extra ease. However, knowing that my new group of sewing friends were going to see it, or at least ask me about it, was a great motivator to take the time to make a muslin before diving into the real thing. 

I chose a linen (or linen blend?) from Tania Textiles for the jumpsuit. I didn’t know what I was looking for, but when I found a bolt of it in the back I knew it was perfect. I could not be happier. The short-sleeved version takes just shy of 3 metres. Fortunately, I already had the thread to match. When does that ever happen?

Modifications

Since this was not my usual style, I decided to read a few blogs about the fit of the Zadie. Most of them said the same thing; size down. So I did. Quite a bit! Here are more details about the changes I made:

• I made a size 12, even though my measurements put me at a 16 bust, 18 waist and 14 hip (For reference, I am 41″ / 35″ / 41″). Keep that finished measurement chart in mind when choosing your size.
• I reduced both the front and back rises by  1″.
• I slimmed the front and back leg pieces by 1″ (I did this by reducing the outside leg seam so that it came down almost straight from the hip. This meant that I also had to reduce the side of the pocket the same amount)
• I hemmed my pants at a 20″ inseam. I thought long and hard about where I wanted to hem these pants. I love the look of pants that end at the ankle bone, but if I don’t wear them with high heels, it tends to look like my pants are just a little too short for me. 

When I make it again, I think I will move the shoulder seam back by about half an inch to an inch. I feel like my shoulders slope forward when I wear it. .