I put the Tilly and the Buttons Marigold Jumpsuit pattern on my Make Nine 2019 list after seeing a few versions online with the front neckline squared off. I really liked the wide straps, elastic waist and tapered legs.
Right off the bat, let me tell you that I WORKED HARD for this jumpsuit. When I printed and taped together the pattern, the crotch length looked really long so I decided to both shorten it and make a toile to test my alteration. The crotch on the toile hung a good four-five inches lower than my own and pooled very unattractively at the front of the pants. I decided to take another inch off the front and back pattern pieces. In hindsight, I should have made another toile at this point – instead I cut into my lovely silky linen and viscose blend from Blackbird fabrics… luckily I had bought too much fabric.
I sewed up the pants first and when I tried them on they still had the pooling in the front but did not have enough room for my behind in the back and pulled horribly across the thighs and bum when I tried to sit. Insert angry swear words here.
So I went back to the drawing board on the pattern, scrapping the crotch curves and replacing them with the curves from my own self-drafted wide-leg pants. I completely altered the shape of both the front and back curves, straightening out the front and scooping out the back. I had just enough fabric left to squeak out the new pant legs (I’m talking millimetres to spare – yay for being short!) and used the old legs to cut out another set of the pocket pieces.
Thankfully, the fit of the pants ended up 100x better than the original. There is still a bit too much length in the front but they are fully wearable and, I think, pretty cute. The bodice is a bit long and the zipper puckers too much but I can deal with it. I don’t feel like redoing anything else on this make! I won’t go into how I straightened the front neckline as it’s a pretty straight forward mod – this post is more to let others short-waisted makers know that this pattern will likely not fit as drafted.
However difficult it was, I’m glad I stuck with this make. The fabric is gorgeous and would have been a shame to make and I think these are going to get a lot of wear come summer.
Thanks for stopping by!
~ Lindsay