Another 80s jumpsuit

Jumpsuit 2

The Summer of Jumpsuits continues – here’s one from a wee vintage pattern from 1981, Style 3304, that I got on eBay with the aim of recreating some of the camisole jumpsuits I’ve been Pinning like this and this.



Style-3304
Jumpsuit 3

I cut a size 14 but had to take the bodice in a LOT, like 4 inches around the top. I’m not sure how it’d stay up on anyone with the amount of ease built in! The waistline is formed with an elasticated channel made by the seam allowances being pressed down and topstitched. I did consider leaving it loose and unelasticated like my Marigold but decided to add it here for wardrobe variety. I lopped a good 8 inches off the leg length too.

Jumpsuit 4

The back is supposed to have a slit and be fastened with a button loop but I added an invisible zip so that I could make it fit snugger – I can’t stand when camisoles droop or gape. Next time I’ll re-cut the pattern down to a 10, the smallest in the packet.

Jumpsuit 5

This fabric is a rayon crepe from The Fabric Store. Bit of a backstory here: After admiring The Fabric Store’s range from afar for so long, I finally did an order when there was a free shipping code, buying some baby pink merino, some galaxy printed silk and this rayon. On top of the expensive order I then had to pay a hefty customs charge, but luckily I loved all the fabrics enough to make it worthwhile when I got the package in my paws. Threw them all in a cold/handwash machine prewash together – then nearly burst into tears when I pulled them out and found that this rayon had bled navy ink both into itself, meaning some of the white lines are streaked with pale blue, and worse – all over the lovely powder pink merino jersey, leaving unsalvageable indigo tie-dye all over it. The Fabric Store were amazing about it and kindly sent me both replacement pink jersey and a bonus piece of green too. And after running the rayon through the wash a couple more times with colour catcher sheets I felt that I could use it. I cut around the worst parts of the dye leakage and you can’t really tell from far away that anything’s wrong.

Anywaaaay, the rayon crepe was a really nice match for this pattern and while it was a little shifty to deal with I love the result. So, happy ending to that saga. (I should also add in case you were wondering that The Fabric Store are partnering with some bloggers at the moment to send them fabric but that wasn’t the case with me – I paid out of my pocket!).

Jumpsuit 1

I was considering this a wearbale toile both due to the imperfect fabric and testing a new-to-me pattern, but I’m glad I managed to hack around and end up with a pretty well-made and well-fitting garment. It was great to wear to work during the mini-heatwave a couple of weeks ago, and again works equally well for daytime, cycling and going out. I’m going to alter the bodice of the pattern to try and get the fit bang-on because getting a well-fitting camisole top is like the holy grail for my hollow-upper-chested self, then probably hack it into tops and dresses too.

18 thoughts on “Another 80s jumpsuit

  1. Chloe

    I am loving your summer of the jumpsuit! Perfect for looking cool in hot weather. I really like this fabric, too, glad you could make it work! And really nice of The Fabric Store to help you out. Good to hear!

    1. Katie Post author

      eep – I’m going to put this in my darks wash in the future, but the most annoying part was it bleeding over *itself* – no way around that one!

  2. kalimak

    Katie, you have an incredible eye for prints. My fabric pinterest board is basically populated just with your fabric picks reposted ;-) This one is another winner — what an amazing simple print! It has to be said, too, that you’ve built a great summer wardrobe.

  3. Lynsey

    Lovely jumpsuit, love the cami top agree on getting fit spot on is not easy but it looks great, shame about the fabric but it’s always good to know what their customer services are like.

    1. Katie Post author

      I know what I need to fix on the fitting, so hopefully it will be better next time! Agree, I would be happy to order from them again but definitely be 100% careful in separating the fabrics.

  4. Steely

    How great Fabric Store were to sort you out with some new fabric. I love this jumpsuit and really like the changes you’ve made to the pattern – it really did need to sit snuggly at the top. I wasn’t sure, but I’m guessing that the pattern originally had full length trouser legs. I do like the length you’ve chosen for your jumpsuit – far more summery.

    1. Katie Post author

      Indeed, they were full length, and I ended up taking some off to get them to my actual ankle length, then more just for the summery look :)

  5. Quincy

    oh this is nice. it’s still spring(rainy season) now here in my country, so I guess I’d have to shelf this up for when the heat returns. It’s truly lovely. any tutorial on how you made it?

  6. Heather

    This looks super cute! I’m loving following along with your summer of jumpsuits. I would have cried my eyes out over your washing mishap. How awful! I’m glad you were able to salvage the rayon and kudos to the Fabric Store for helping you out with the others.

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  8. lsaspacey

    Cute, and yes you definitely have great taste in fabric prints. Just wondering, did the pattern have any final garment measurements? If so, were they just incorrect? I used to sew a lot of late 80s Style and New Look patterns and looking back the finished items were probably looser than I would have liked, but I was a young sewist and didn’t think much of it at the time and just trusted the body measurements to fit me. Thanks.

    1. Katie Post author

      No, it just had back waist length (which always seems spectacularly non-useful!). I think it just had far too much ease; also that I’m smallest around the upper bust so I should have graded down anyway.

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