African Wax Print Zadie Jumpsuit

Basically, it's been raining solidly for about three weeks, so getting some half-way-decently-lit photos of my more recent projects has been impossible. Finally, it wasn't too miserable for a couple of hours yesterday, so now I can show you my new Zadie jumpsuit! 

I'm sooooo thrilled with this make. I got it finished in time for a staff night out and my kids' joint birthday party, which happened in the same week. If it hadn't been such terrible weather ever since, I'd probably have worn it every day since as well. 

Pattern:

Is the Paper Theory Zadie jumpsuit pattern actual magic? IMO, there is not one single version out there on the internets that doesn't look amazing, and it seems to work on every body shape. I knew I had to make one at some point, it was just a matter of finding the right fabric (more on that below). I bought the pattern through Fabric Godmother (where I work part time), because they had offered me a free A0 pattern print out, and this seemed to be the right pattern to cash in that offer. I've never had an A0 version of a sewing pattern printed out before. I've always felt it was an extra expense I couldn't justify, but I was very grateful to get to skip sticking multiple A4 pages together this time.

(image source: Paper Theory Patterns)

It felt like a real treat to have the pattern printed out all big, however I did feel under pressure to pick the right size. Having got the A0 version, it would have felt disheartening and a real waste if I'd had to print out another copy if I chosen the wrong size to cut out. I'd heard that the pattern comes up a little large, and I think it was reading about Fiona's (Diary of a Chain Stitcher) stunning cotton Zadie that ultimately pushed me to just go for it and cut out a whole size smaller than my measurements suggested. My measurements also suggested I should blend between sizes, however the fitting notes of the pattern hinted that blending wouldn't be necessary as you can adjust the fit somewhat with how tightly you tie it up.

The one change I did make was to fold 2cm out of the length of the bodice, which is my standard adjustment for my short torso/high natural waistline. The construction was super simple, and not nearly as time consuming as I was expecting it to be. Applying the binding around the front edges was probably the fiddliest part, but in no way headache inducing. 

Fabric:

It took me months of lusting after Zadie jumpsuits on Instagram before I realised that I had potentially the perfect fabric already sitting in my stash. This amazing African wax print cotton was in my #2019makenine plans to use this year, but I just didn't know what to do with it. I bought it a few years ago from Goldhawk road, but I can no longer remember what my initial plans were for it, if I had any at all. I had already used some to make an (un)wearable toile for a different project a year or so ago, but I still had several metres left. As you can imagine, the Zadie jumpsuit is a fairly fabric hungry pattern, and I basically had just enough for this project. 

I adore African wax print, especially the more nutty print designs. This lock and key design is by no means the most bonkers subject matter I've seen used for this type of fabric, and the background pattern here is also fairly subdued. I had been trying to find something more crazy than this on that particular shopping trip, but now I am so glad that I didn't because I think it fits this garment style fantastically, and I couldn't be happier with the combo. Sometimes it really does pay to let a length of fabric live in your stash for a while...

Thoughts:

As I've mentioned a few times already in this post, I could not be happier with this garment. I love the look of it, and it feels comfy to wear but also quite put together. There's a slightly odd, unintentional pattern matching/placement thing happening along the front legs, but I can totally live with that without it bothering me. I'm pretty desperate for the weather to warm up again so I can wear this alllllllll the time. I'm concentrating on sewing from stash for the foreseeable future, however, next year I can definitely see me buying some gorgeous linen to make a solid version as well.

Turquoise Ginger Jeans: Lounge Camouflage

It wasn't until I came to resize these images, that I realised just how similar my new jeans are to the colour of our lounge wall! However, this is the only decent spot in our flat for taking photos, plus if you'd seen how many toys I had to clear out of the way to get these pics, you'd understand why I'm not going to re-shoot them. 

Pattern:

Maybes you remember my first crack at the Closet Case Patterns Ginger Skinny Jeans pattern? Well those have been worn sooooo often, that I knew another pair would be in the pipeline before long. What I have found with my first pair though, is that the low-rise option (view A) really is low. I wouldn't feel decent wearing them without a vest (AKA camisole/singlet) tucked in to them, especially if I planned to sit or bend down. That's fine for the three quarters of the year during which I wear vests, however I wanted my second pair to have year-round wearability. My feeling was that the high-rise option (view B) of the original Ginger jeans pattern would have been too high for me, and I considered buying the mid-rise version until my friend Paula told me that Closet Case had generously published a blog post with a tutorial for drafting your own mid-rise version. Let's do this!

(image source: Closet Case Patterns)

To draft a mid-rise pair, it is suggested that you start with the original high-rise option (view B), as the proportions of the pockets and such are more suitable. I chose to make the rise exactly in between the views A and B. I took some additional body measurements to find out what I measured around the waistband of my view A pair, and what I measured around where I intended my new waistband line would be. That different of measurements was very useful when following the steps in the post. I should point out that Closet Case's tutorial doesn't include shortening the fly piece, which does need to be done. 

I'm not the first to say that each time you make the Ginger jeans, or any pattern that uses a fabric with some stretch content, it's important to have a mid-way fitting sesh. Even if the fit on your last pair was perfect, each stretch denim will have slightly different properties so can't assume your next pair will also be spot on. I was relieved that, after all that pattern tweaking and the different denim, the fit of my second pair before I attached the waistband was great. After I tacked the waistband on, I tried them on again, but found them too tight at the waist, so I unpicked and reapplied the waistband,  easing in some extra length. 

One fitting note that I didn't discover until they were all finished and being worn, is that I think they are too wide around the ankle. You can see it pretty clearly in these pics. At the moment the weather is pretty warm, so I'm wearing them with the hems rolled up a bit. However, when it cools off and I want to cover my ankles up again, I'll unpick the hem and take some of that width out from the side seam. 

For the topstitching on the back pocket, I used one of the downloadable designs that you can access from the Closet Case Patterns site when you sign up for their newsletter. I transferred the design to the pocket pieces using white carbon paper and a tracing wheel, and I'm soooo happy with how they came out. I would definitely recommend the designs that use straight rather than curved lines for getting a clean result.  

Fabric and Interfacing: 

If you recognised that this turquoise denim was one of the nine pieces of stash fabric I pledged to use up in my #2019makenine plans, then you get a million points. This project is my fourth completed project for that challenge, although a lot more sewing has been happening that aren't part of those make nine plans. This fabric is some turquoise-y stretch denim that I bought from Fabric Godmother a few years ago. Since buying it, I'd fallen out of love with it, but now that it's made up into a garment that feels good to wear, I'm a fan again. The elastane/Lycra content must be pretty high, because it has a kind of synthetic-y sheen, but because of that content, it feels like I'm basically wearing leggings rather than jeans. 

I had a long debate with myself about what to use for the facing and interfacing for the waistband. Feeling comfortable, particularly round my waist is of MASSIVE importance to me, and can totally dictate whether or not a garment I've made ever gets worn. I can't remember if I used interfacing on the waistband of my first pair of Gingers, however I used a non-stretch woven cotton for the waistband facing, so that waistband basically has no give. However, due to the fact that that pair sits so low, I still find them comfortable to wear, as long as I have a belt to stop them heading south.   

But because this second pair were going to be sitting higher up, closer to my natural waistline, I wanted to ensure more give so that I wouldn't feel constricted. I decided to use the same stretch denim to face the waistband, plus I applied fusible interfacing for knits to the waistband piece itself. The result is a pleasingly stretchy waistband that definitely does not feel constricting. Howevs.... they do start to migrate down a bit whilst they are being worn. I'm wearing a belt with them to counteract this, which slightly nullifies the point of a stretchy waistband. Any thoughts?!

Oh but wait! Did you see my pocket bags?! I got to use up an awesome remnant of quilting cotton that I'd bought from Ditto in Brighton yonks ago. It's got a cute 1950s kitchen print which is kind of at odds with a pair of turquoise skinny jeans, but I think that makes me like the combo even more. 

Thoughts:

You've probably already gathered that I'm really into this me-made! I promise to dig deep and sort out the excess width around the ankles so that I'll like them even more. I find jeans making sooooo satisfying. This year's Me-Made-May challenge taught me that a pair of black skinny jeans would be a useful addition to my wardrobe. So when Autumn hits, I'll keep my eyes peeled for some great black stretch denim and use this pattern exactly as it is for those. 

#2019makenine Plans And A New Pace

This will be my last post of 2018, so I'd like to say Happy Christmas (or whatever you celebrate around this time of year, if anything!) and Happy New Year. Thanks for visiting my blog during 2018, and I hope you'll pop back next year. I'll have the kettle on.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, I LOVE the start of a new year to reflect on what went well during the previous twelve months, and the chance to concoct some plans for myself going forward. Maybe it's because I'm an upholder, but I find creating resolutions and plans really fun, not stressful or something I immediately want to push back against. Sewing wise, I really enjoyed making a #2018makenine plan this time last year, and I got a lot out of executing it, so I've been very excited to make another. I understand that I don't *have* to complete each goal that I've set, but when I'm feeling uninspired or indecisive about sewing projects, I'm sure that it's going to be useful to have this grid to refer back to.

So pictured above is my #2019makenine plan! Like a genius, I've come up with a new angle this year (ha). I've selected nine pieces of fabric which are currently residing in my stash, and I plan to turn into wonderful, wearable garments by the end of 2019. Two of these pieces have been in my stash for only a couple of weeks, whereas one has been there closer to seven years. I've got a pretty clear idea of what I want to make from most of them, but I'm going to keep most of those ideas close to my chest as they are liable to change.

Here's the run down:

1) Mustard viscose twill from Fabric Godmother. One of my newer purchases, I recently made a top from this fabric in a different colour way, so I can vouch how lovely, drapey and soft (although liable to wrinkle) it is.

2) Lock and Key print African wax fabric from Goldhawk Road. I have tons of this crispy cotton, I may end up giving some away once I've completed my project. I've had this for three or four years.

3) Lightning print french terry knit from Girl Charlee UK. I've had this knit for less than a year, but my initial plan for it fell through. It's feels like quite a loose knit: floppy and drapey.

4) Ruffle print Liberty Tana Lawn from Sewbox.co.uk. I bought this from Sewbox at the GBSB live event last year. I had a great time: leaving my kids behind for a day and heading into London with my sewing-loving friend Rea, chatting to various sewing people at the event and picking up a couple of select goodies. I suppressed the urge to buy a print that featured sailboats instead of this one, and I'm pleased that I did because my love for this print has grown even more over the last year. It's a crime to leave it folded up in my airing cupboard.

5) Turquoise stretch denim from Fabric Godmother. I bought this about 18 months ago, and to be honest I can't really remember why I bought it (maybe sleep deprivation?). I don't dislike it, but I'm not in love with it, as I am with much of their current denim selection. Anyways, it's great quality so I'm going to use it to make a hopefully-wearable toile of some 'proper' jeans. I feel like taking a step beyond my jeggings journey, but taking all that I've learnt about fit and pattern tweaks with me.

6) Bird print viscose crepe from Fabric Godmother. This is another newbie, but I really don't want to waste it my letting it languish in the dark for long. Its drape and busy print is dictating a top pattern that is free of a lot of detail, but makes the most of its flowy movement. I'm pretty sure that this will be the fabric that gets used first.

7) Dark blue stretch denim from Ditto Fabric. I've had this for about 18 months also, and I'm praying there's enough for some dungarees.

8) Cream/navy striped knit. This is the piece that I've owned for about seven years. It's such great quality and the perfect Breton stripe, but it there's only a short length. I'm thinking of using this for some selfless sewing, otherwise I'll squeeze a short-sleeved t-shirt out of it!

9) Buffalo check coating from Fabric Godmother. I bought this maybe two or three years ago, and I'm not sure of the fibre content but it feels synthetic. It's good quality and pleasingly soft though, so it deserves to become a fabulous jacket using one of the vintage coat/jacket patterns that I've been hoarding.


A change of pace...

I announced, but a month ago, that I intended to continue my pledge to use up one piece of fabric per week (like I just did for a year). However, more recently, I've been having a change of heart. I have some new constraints on my time: a new part-time job, some of which I do from home, a toddler who has started to drop his afternoon nap, my recently acquired allotment that I will have to spend more time on when the weather warms up and the days start to get longer, plus an additional top-secret project (NOT another baby, before you jump to conclusions).

My rethink is also because I don't want to load up my wardrobe unnecessarily with piles of garments, and, I must admit, that the successful using up of a piece of fabric per week (even if the outcome was a useful and well-fitting item) occasionally eclipsed the enjoyment of making and wearing the actual garment, which feels wrong.

Sewing up one piece of fabric per week served me well for the last year. It gave me an over-arching project and my life a bit of momentum when I was generally feeling frustrated with the constraints of being a SAHM. But now that things have shifted a bit, the one-piece-of-fabric-per-week project has started to feel more oppressive (and wasteful) than engaging. Therefore, I'm going to implement a more considered, slow-fashion approach to my sewing for a while and see how that goes, which definitely sits more comfortably with my general ethics surrounding consumerism and possessions any how.

I'm mentioning this in part because this slower approach may result in a slightly reduced blogging output. I don't want you to think that my commitment to this blog is on the wane at all. This blog is still as important to me as it always has been, and there will be exciting things happening here in 2019, including the tenth Me-Made-May!!!