Pattern Testing: The Holly Jumpsuit from By Hand London

Today I've got a finished garment to share with you which I've been absolutely bursting to share with you for what felt like months! It's the most recent release from By Hand London - the Holly Jumpsuit. Now before we get into the nitty gritty details I do need to explain that this version here is what I made when testing the pattern, after which this variation of the bodice was redesigned completely so if you purchase the pattern you will not be buying the pattern for the bodice you see here. The BHL ladies took the decision to redo this variation of the bodice, not because of any drafting or pattern related issues but because they had unknowingly replicated another pattern designer's work and wanted to release something fresh and new. This however is not going to stop me from making many more versions of this particular bodice as I absolutely love it!

As previously with my test of the Flora Dress I was provided with the fabric for my pattern test by SewBox. Susan was as helpful as ever and I had my pick of fabrics from her wide range of Liberty, John Kaldor and Michael Miller prints. When I picked my fabric I wasn't yet sure which variation I wanted to tackle so I wanted something with a bit of body and drape and something which would withstand my pretty active working day without wrinkling too much. As we were just heading in to summer I had bright prints on the brain so opted for this stunning French Crepe from John Kaldor. It's a lovely weighty crepe which was so enjoyable to work with; cutting, pressing and sewing. I was so delighted with how well it worked for the pattern and the lovely smooth, crisp finish it provided.

I always like to sew up the pattern exactly 'as is' when testing so I can give accurate feedback on the pattern without questioning whether any issues I come across are to do with my alterations. I cut the size UK10 as I always do with BHL patterns and this fit me pretty much like a dream straight out of the packet. In fact the first thing my boyfriend said to me when he spotted me in this was 'Wow that fits you so well!' and if that's the first thing he notices, in fact if he even notice the fit at all, it really must! There are in fact a couple of little things I would change next time fit wise. Firstly this version is slightly loose around the top of the bodice so the side seams are gaping away from my body a little. It'd very minor but I'd probably trim a little off at each side seam next time. Secondly, I did shorten the straps by 1" as I knew from previous experience with BHL patterns that they tend to be long on me in this area. Next time I'd take off maybe an inch more as, as you will be able to see in some of the pictures, they slip and sag a little when I stand in a particular way.

You may have noticed that this is pretty short! It's actually shorter than I think is intended as I kept trimming and trimming until I felt like the proportions looked right in this bold print. I ended up taking off about 3" in length which actually is pretty standard for me with patterns from this company as I'm such a short ass. The waistband sits in the perfect place on me though so you might want to consider lengthening the bodice if you are tall.

I personally love the way the shorts fit me for this quite figure skimming version but I know one change that was made after testing was to give a bit more room in the bum. I think this would give more of a relaxed fit which would suit the short sleeved bodice of variation 1, plus if I had made the trousers they would have hung differently and perhaps have required more ease in that area.

Construction wise it was super enjoyable as it has such a lovely clean finish.  I only had one head scratching moment when I was attaching the band to the neckline and convinced myself that seams were going to end up on the outside. In fact all the seams are wonderfully hidden beneath the band and I should have just trusted the instructions! I finished all the seams on my overlocker which produced a beautifully neat edge on the crepe, it's strangely satisfying to look at all those tidy and even intersecting seams inside!

I'd say this was a slightly trickier sew than By Hand London's other patterns as there's more to it but it's still a fairly straightforward make as I think the shape of the trousers/shorts is quite forgiving and princess seams are the simplest to fit. There is an invisible zip in the side seam but I've always found their zipper instructions to be particularly good.

Because of the length, summer style and loud print it's not the most easily wearable garment I've ever made but I absolutely adore it for beach/holiday wear and a spot of sunbathing in the park. I also came up with a little trick to make it A LOT more wearable on a daily basis which I'll share with you very soon. I feel fantastic in it which I think is down to the great fit and and clean and tidy finish. I'm really keen to use this bodice to make a dress but I also want to try the variation 2 bodice as released with the cowl neck as a dress in the style of Sew Busy Lizzy. For me one of the best things about this pattern is the scope it gives you for creating almost an entirely new wardrobe. You've got jumpsuit, playsuit, two very different bodices to mix and match with simple self drafted skirts plus separate trousers and shorts! I wish I'd had more time on my hands to sew this summer and I would have made every single one.

Just in case you were wondering I did test the new bodice too. I only had time to whip up a quick muslin with no bottoms attached in some slinky poly crepe I had in my stash (and sorry I didn't get any photos) but that was enough to tell me that I definitely NEED to make that one up for real too. I was a little sceptical about the design at first as that cowl neck style is not something I would usually go for but this sits really beautifully. For me it has the perfect amount of drape as I don't feel like I'm at risk of exposing anything I don't want to. The bias binding used for the straps is a little fiddly and time consuming as I always find binding to be but is another great trick for a clean and professional looking finish.

The only question left is which variation do I make up next?!

A not-so-successful Salme Playsuit

I was really excited about this make when I got started on it just as the weather turned lovely and hot back in July, but I'm less than enamoured with it now it's done and it hasn't had a single wear yet! I don't think this has anything to do with the pattern or the fabric, but rather the combination of pattern and fabric which is entirely my fault! I'm quite disappointed as I absolutely love this fabric and wish I had used it for a more successful project.

I got the fabric in an accidental trip to Simply Fabrics in Brixton, which can come up trumps with some bargain fabric treasures! It's a lovely, drapey viscose which feels sooo nice to wear. I love that the print looks a bit like a giant gingham. It looks very familiar to me and I'm not sure why, perhaps a little Kate Spade?

I used the Salme Patterns playsuit pattern and I love the simple, relaxed style of the design but I think, although I imagine it's meant to be worn with some ease for that slouchy look, it's come up a little large which hasn't helped my lack of excitement for the finished product. I definitely should have made a muslin (especially as both of my previous Salme Pattern makes have come up a little on the large side) but as any of you Brits will understand I was desperate to get this done as quickly as possible, once the sun is out as you never know how long the good weather is going to stick around!

The one thing I'm loving about this make (with the exception of the kimono sleeves which are becoming a bit of an obsession after the success of my Anna's) are the genius construction and finishing methods detailed in the pattern instructions. The best of these are the pockets which, with 4 pattern pieces each, seemed overly complicated and caused a helluva lot of head scratching when I first read the instructions through. But I just went with it and man did I love the look of them and feel like an accomplished seamstress when I was done. Especially as I used french seams everywhere possible!

I also love the clean finish of the neckline with a facing and and concealed press stud fastenings. I chose to finish the edge of the facing with bias binding but I had to stitch the facing down as it kept flipping out around the neckline and wouldn't lay flat despite notching and under-stitching the seam. I just decided to topstitch round the edge of it with my machine and am actually pretty chuffed with how neatly I managed to do it and the finished effect. 

The only aspect of the construction I'm not delighted with is the elasticated waist which I personally don't particularly like wearing, I feel like it sucks in a not very flattering way and just feels uncomfortable.

I made more of an attempt than I ever have before with pattern matching as I thought this pattern had the potential to look atrocious if I didn't make any attempt! I by no means put huge amounts of effort into this and have since discovered Tasia's super useful tutorials on the subject which will come in handy next time, but I'm pretty pleased with the overall effect. I mainly wanted to ensure the stripes of squares lined up at obvious points and that the crotch didn't look awful and I think I managed it. Ish.

That still doesn't make up for the fact that I feel a little like a clown when I'm wearing it though. And when was loading the pics onto my computer this surprise photo gave away the photographers true feelings on the make...

Haha! To be fair looking at it from behind I feel like that too!

I'd really love some tips from you guys on how to make this more wearable. Looking at the pictures I think I should definitely shorten the shorts a fair bit to help the overall proportions of it and expanse of the print. My other half thinks I should slim the shorts down too which I think could work but is a fairly major alteration as those pockets are so beautifully complicated! Or maybe I should even cut off the shorts entirely (I'm really not sure on the look of them in this print!) and either turn it into a blouse or attempt to get some more of the same fabric and add on a skirt? I do actually have a polyester crepe version of this fabric in the black squares on cream colour way so perhaps a skirt in the alternate colour way would be nice? Or too much? There's so many options I'm weighing up, none of them which I'm 100% sure will work out! Autumn seems to have hit us over the weekend anyway so I doubt we'll be seeing any weather hot enough to be wearing this for at least 9 months!