Hello readers,
I drafted the post below just before the killing of George Floyd. It didn't feel right to post something so frivolous when the world was in such pain and it felt urgent that the forces of the internet (or at least the bubble I participate in) was mobilising towards activism, and I didn't want to take up space there.
I working on becoming a better ally, and I know that my words are insufficient to address all the work that needs to be done, or to acknowledge all the work that has been done by the very people who are those harmed by systemic racism. I am here to do the research, to listen, broaden my influences, and to put my money where my mouth is (donating to causes such as The Black Curriculum, Free Black Uni, Black Minds Matter) and to speak up and take action, for the long haul. Black Lives Matter.
Thanks for reading so far - if you're keen to read my thoughts on the (rightly) very popular pattern the Zadie Jumpsuit, the usual sewing content is down below.
Yes I have joined the ranks of Zadie-wearers.
Yes I have joined the ranks of #linenlovers.
Am I a cliche? Maybe, but that's fine with me if I can be this comfortable and still feel put-together during lockdown. I have two Zadie jumpsuits, one made pre-lockdown as part of my #Sew5EasyPieces plan (a hashtag that never really got the chance to flourish, but I am now finishing up the last of those planned garments and hope to share the pieces I haven't yet blogged soon!).
My first version is a black 3/4 sleeved version made in a cotton-linen blend from Fabric Godmother for a February getaway to Rome (remember travelling for pleasure?). It was perfect for the trip - apart from the fact that the fabric hadn't quite softened up yet and I got a little bit of thigh chafe due to the dropped crotch seam after a day of exploring the city on foot!! I haven't got around to doing a photoshoot for it (see also; a two-year backlog of other things I haven't blogged yet that no longer seem relevant, eep!) so only have these tourist-in-action shots, and I'm wearing my SOI Anna Coat in all of them, but the sleeves are nice trust me.
I made a tiny mistake with the seam binding on the first version when I overlocked the full crotch seam before attaching the binding so there's a bit of a clumsy overlap there - but it doesn't show because I tend to tuck the binding in on the pants section of the jumpsuit. On my teal second version I followed the instructions exactly which makes for a neater finish at the centre front of the pants section, but the binding stills looks better folded away in my opinion - in future versions I'm considering adding a little to the CF edges to allow for a hidden binding all the way around.
I made both Zadies up in a straight size 14 to allow for an easy fit as the first was planned for travelling in and the second was made during lockdown and therefore needed to accommodate the working from home lifestyle and potentially expanding body. I mentioned in a previous post that loungewear isn't my thing (overly casual clothes really don't suit me) but this is as close as I'm comfortable getting to it.
I didn't make any adjustments to the pattern. Other people have shortened the rise which perhaps I might do in future - this definitely does make my bum look like it goes down to the back of my knees when I stand after a period of sitting! And I could probably shorten the bodice a little as the waist ties naturally sit higher than the waist seam when tied up in the most natural position. I will also mention that the cut-on short sleeved version does also give a little peek of side-bra through the arm opening, but I'm not sure whether I could really avoid that.
My second version was made in a fit of feeling like I wanted an easy make as a comfort sew, and when the weather was really starting to warm up so I omitted the sleeves that I'd originally planned. This linen is from Minerva and is 'petrol blue' although it reads more peacock/ teal than I was expecting. I had wanted navy but it was sold out, so this was my next best bet in my impulse purchase and I was hoping it would read more blue.
This fabric is pretty lovely but boy did it shed fibres all over the shop - my house was covered in a thin layer of teal fuzz for weeks after cutting this and I felt pretty bad to discover quite a lot of it in the catbed - hopefully Lily didn't ingest any of it. So a warning to vacuum your sewing space regularly if you go for this!! Other than that, no dramas in the sewing - I don't strictly need another one of these jumpsuits but if the mood took me I'd happily make one again, as it's an easy sew, easy to wear and pretty versatile.
I'll leave you with the back view for information - and if you scroll all the way down a bonus action shot of me throwing a coin in the Trevi fountain (I look very silly!).
Hope you're all staying strong and finding ways to stay sane,
NorseOtter xx
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