The Zadie jumpsuit by Paper Theory has been a huge hit in the online sewing community.  I resisted jumping on the bandwagon for a long time because – well, jumpsuit.  Having to take the whole thing off to go to the loo.  But in the end, I succumbed.

I actually sewed this up in one afternoon in order to wear it out for dinner with some sewing buddies that evening! It shows you that this is a fairly quick sew, because I got it done just in time. I had already cut out and made alterations to the pattern pieces, so it was a matter of pinning them onto the fabric – I deliberately chose a red/white chambray that didn’t require pattern matching – cutting them out and sewing!

I had previously tried on a friend’s size 12 Zadie, and had noted that I would need to shorten the bodice length one inch, shorten the crotch rise one inch, and shorten the legs three inches. The 12 is a size smaller than my body measurements suggest, but the size 12 garment finished measurements are a size larger than my actual body measurements so it was the amount of ease that I was looking for. I did all those alterations to the pattern pieces, which meant some adjustment to the front bodice edge shaping as well. I am pleased with both the shortening of the bodice length and the crotch rise, but didn’t need to shorten the legs as much as I did. After wearing this at the photographed length I have gone back and unpicked the one inch double folded hem and finished the leg hems with bias used as a facing.

Bias binding is used to finish the front and neckine edges of the Zadie. I made fairly wide bias with my handy Clover bias tape maker and applied it the way that I usually do – sewed the bias binding to the wrong side, then flipped over the seam allowance to the right side and topstitched it down just in from the edge of the binding. I know that others who are more clever than me can sandwich the main fabric into the binding and just sew it all in one step, but I am guaranteed to miss catching some of the binding on the reverse side if I do it that way.  I found that the neckline sat really well during wear and didn’t gape.

You need to make sure that you have enough length in the bodice and crotch that you can comfortably sit down in the jumpsuit! There is enough in this after my alterations that removed two inches, but only just. I have my usual folds of fabric at the upper back thigh, which I can’t be bothered ‘fixing’. That’s what happens when you have thin thighs on a round torso with a flattish bum.

From the Paper Theory website: Available in sizes 6 – 28. The Zadie Jumpsuit is a relaxed and easy to wear one piece that comes with the option of wide 3/4 length sleeves, or sleeveless with a dropped shoulder. It wraps around the body and fastens with a tie so there is no need for buttons or a zip – making it quick and to easy sew, and quick and easy to get on and off. The legs are cut wide and skim above the ankle. There are deep slant pockets on the front, with small pleats at the waist on the front and back. The neck edge is finished with a bias binding. This pattern was designed especially for woven, medium weight fabrics like cotton and linen and would look great in fabric that has a draped quality like crepe, viscose twill or satin. It would also make up well in some heavier fabrics like drill and light weight denim. It is possible to make this in Knit or stretch fabrics like Jersey but the binding technique around the neck is tricky in a stretch fabric so be warned that would take the difficulty degree up a few notches.

I rather like the slanted side seam pockets in the Zadie as well. Hot tip – when going to the loo, stuff the long ties into the pockets to keep them safely out of the way. I ended up liking the Zadie much more than I thought I would, and I may well sew it again in the short sleeved version when Spring eventually returns. In the meantime, I have a different jumpsuit pattern paired with some linen waiting for me to move it higher up the sewing queue.