Until now I've loved the idea of the jumpsuit but had not found one that I loved wearing. Well, that all changed the second I tried on this little number. The knit fabric is soft and stretchy and oh so comfortable while the black color and silhouette are super chic and dare I say sophisticated?
I made a jumpsuit once before using McCall's M6083 and a grey/black woven fabric. I like it ok but it's not super flattering and just kind of a pain to wear. The fabric doesn't have a lot of give and it's annoying to take on and off. So I've only worn it a handful of times. Kelli of True Bias made a gorgeous version from that pattern in a black knit. It's looked so comfortable and cool that I stowed away the idea of a knit jumpsuit.
Then when I saw McCall's M7099 I knew it was time to give it another try. The fabric is a basic jersey knit from JoAnn's. It has a really beautiful drape and is very soft.
I made a few slight modifications to the pattern. I lengthened the bodice by 1.5 inch and the pants by 1 inch. I wanted to be sure that there was enough length to accommodate my long torso and still have the blouson effect at the waist. I initially forgot to extend the neck band to match the change in length I made to the bodice. So I had to recut them. I think it could look really cool to use a contrasting fabric, like faux leather, for those pieces.
I cut out the pockets but decided not to use them. I just didn't want extra bulk plus I kind of wanted to finish as quickly as possible. But mostly it was the bulk factor. :)
I prefer this design to M6083 because it has a cool neck band (check out the little overlap in the back) and the shoulders are a little narrower, which I find more flattering. Overall, I'd recommend M7099 over M6083 for these details and the option to have sleeves. I'll never make the strapless versions in M6083 but I can definitely see doing the sleeves.
This jumpsuit was super easy to make and it's highly likely that I'll be making another one. I haven't worn it out yet and I'm trying to think of the right occasion. I think that I could pull it off at work and then transition to an evening out pretty easily. Have you made a jumpsuit? What do you think of the trend?
