An uncharacteristic ditzy-printed garment for me, doing a bit of stashbusting to make a wearable toile of the Closet Case Blanca flight suit that thankfully turned out very wearable indeed!

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The Blanca is a hella stylish all-in-one zip-up number with a straight leg, tailored fit and tons of pockets. Most of Instagram has plumped for a solid colour, but I decided to use a long-stashed fabric that I thought might give a bit of a different look.

The fabric is Liberty Lantana in ‘Minako’ print from The Fabric Store originally. Lantana is a perhaps lesser-known Liberty substrate that’s composed of 80% cotton / 20% wool. It sort of feels like a lightweight, drapey cotton flannel suiting, soft but not overly warm – very nice to sew and wear! Shaukat has a few Lantana prints too. I was delighted to find I had the perfect length of zip in my stash with a pretty pewter-coloured pull and teeth.

Sewing it up was pretty fun and not as time-consuming as I was expecting, though I cut corners by leaving off the chest and back pockets as the detailing wouldn’t show up in this print. I followed the instructions for the zip and collar insertion which were straightforward, although I am not super keen on the zip tape and seam allowance showing when the neckline is unzipped and how there is asymmetry between the faced vs non-faced sides. Next time I would consider leaving off the facing side and finishing the zip tape / SA edges together with bias binding.

I cut a size 10 graded to 12 at the hip and found it pretty true to size – it’s designed to be looser in the bodice and slimmer in the hip. The back has some interesting details like pintuck-pleats down the bodice and a curved back waistband – all of which get completely buried in this print. The waistline is designed an inch lower than the natural waist; I think I might pull it up in my next version, although the fit overall is pretty good.

I’m enjoying wearing jumpsuits right now, the ideal blend of comfy enough for the mainly-housebound lifestyle but smart enough to nip out in too. I’ve got some baby pink needlecord to make another Blanca and I’m glad to finally have this fabric out of my stash and into my wardrobe.