Zadie for Summer

Recently I’ve been sorting through my sewing stuff, sorting out my patterns and notions and especially my fabric. I spent a weekend sorting through what I had, taking all of my fabric stash out of it’s bookcase and refolding what I wanted to keep and setting aside what I wanted to sell at the next Fabricabrac. It was a really useful exercise for me, not only did it feel good to have a clear out and a tidy up, but it reminded me of some of the absolutely beautiful fabric that I’ve let sit in my stash, some of it for years! Sometimes I’ve just been waiting for the right pattern, but sometimes I’ve just held onto lengths of fabric because they’re special- I’ve bought them on holiday, or got them from a friend, or some other sentimental reason. I’ve had to give myself a bit of a talking to, I’ve bought this fabric to make clothes with, I’ll love it even more as a garment than folded in my shelf!

This fabric is one of those special pieces, I bought it from Raystitch in London when we were over in the UK two years ago. It’s a Sevenberry indigo dyed Japanese cotton, and I just adore it! I bought two lengths of Sevenberry fabric at Raystitch, the first piece became a V1247 skirt shortly after we came home, but I was just not sure what to use this piece for so it’s languished in my stash ever since.

It’s a lovely weighty cotton, with a fairly crisp hand but which also has a slubby, gorgeous texture. I’m definitely going to buy more if I see it again! I also really love the cross-hatch pattern, it’s one of the few patterned fabrics that I can imagine wearing top to toe like this.

The pattern is, of course, the Zadie Jumpsuit, darling of the indie pattern world this year! This is the second time I’ve made this pattern, the first one I made using a lightweight brushed chambray with sleeves, which got a lot of wear through autumn and then again this spring as a layering piece (technically this is actually the third time I’ve used this pattern, I also made a top for Frocktails using it!). I wanted to make a short sleeved version of Zadie for summer, but I was initially thinking of using a linen or a drapier rayon or something. I didn’t think I would have enough of this narrow width fabric to squeeze a jumpsuit out of it, so I kept dismissing it as an option. Finally I decided to just lay it out and see if I could squeeze it on, and I was stoked when I just about managed it!

I wanted to use the facing pieces I drafted for the neckline of my denim version, which was just as well because I’d never have managed to cut the matching bias tape to finish it otherwise! I couldn’t squeeze the whole pocket pieces onto the fabric, but I was able to cut a pocket facing in the main fabric to sew onto a pocket bag made in another cotton, which has worked out pretty perfectly. I ended up with only the tiniest pile of scraps left over from my 2.5m of fabric, which was very satisfying but also slightly disappointing, as I was hoping I would be able to squeeze a zippered pouch or something out of the leftovers! I made exactly the same adjustments to this one as I did my first version, cutting the back bodice on the fold and shortening both the bodice and the rise of the trousers to fit my short body.

I absolutely adore this jumpsuit, it’s ended up being such a perfect pattern and fabric match. The weight of the cotton and the amazing drafting of the wrap front means that it feels perfectly secure, and I’m not worried about it shifting around on me while I’m wearing it. It also shows off the great shape of the trousers! I can imagine it getting a huge amount of wear over the summer, it’s already taken me to a social sewing cocktail evening and my work Christmas lunch (I’m really not ready for Christmas stuff yet!). I’m so glad I finally cut into the fabric!