At the end of every blog post I always seem to throw in a "next time I make this, I'm going to do x, y, z..." anyone else notice I hardly ever get round to doing X, Y or Z? Well this time I actually did! The McCalls 7626 playsuit was literally calling out for a denim version to be made. And denim not having to be pattern matched, quick to cut out and easy to buy, making a second M7626 seemed like an easy win.
I wanted to change the buckles to a pair with a little more interest than the back-packy ones that were in my local haberdashery. I found these lovely tortoiseshell ones (eventually!) in Abakhan Manchester (big thanks to Mark for his eternal fabric shop patience and for getting stuck into the search for notions). They were smaller than the pattern requirements so this meant before I even got started I needed to reshape the straps. The front bits were easy but the actual strap took a bit of maths and logical thinking as they are cut on the fold, and I still wanted the point to be central of course. I thought I'd got it bang on, but those of you with a keen eye will see I managed to be a few mm off somewhere along the line. Oh well, at least they are a symmetrical pair! Again, I interfaced the straps despite the pattern not mentioning the need to do it. I initially thought this was going to make too bulky-a seam inside, but thankfully I talked myself into interfacing at the last moment and that was definitely the right thing to do.
I also chose to topstich this playsuit for maximum denim-ness. This posed a few issues along the way, the first being that once the lining was inserted and I was ready to top stitch the neckline, I had to stitch through both layers, and not just open out the seam and stitch the denim. I would have been unable to get around the corners where the straps attach without catching the lining. Secondly, I did initially do a double row of top stitching around the top, but as successful as I felt it was going as I stitched, the end result just looked a little wonky and inconsistent. So out it came!
I tried to be mindful of where I did do double rows of topstitching - I like the way it runs all the way down the side seams. Mistake-free, I could have got away with 2 reels of the golden thread, but a few fuck-ups meant I had to order a third reel for the sake of hemming at the final hour.
I paid super attention to getting a lovely pair of back pockets assembled. I'm really pleased with how neat they turned out.
Shape-wise, I kept the same alterations to the pattern as I did for my first one. The denim is a lot more rigid than the linen I used last time, so maybe could have done with a few tweaks here and there to accomodate for this. Its not as comfy as #1, but just like a new pair of jeans I think it just needs wearing in a bit. It was hard to test the fit as I went along, as some seams needed topstitching before sewing the next bit, meaning I'd pretty much already committed by that point right?
I lined the playsuit with a deep red, slightly iridescent lining fabric... that seemingly did not like high heat iron temperatures! Who knew eh! Yes, that's right, there is a scorch mark in my lining which is very evident if you look inside. Luckily I've no need to show you that and you can just act like I never told you, OK?
So yep, what was meant to be a breezey, "I've done this before", pattern produced many-a stumbling block along the way. I'm intrigued to know, has anyone ever ever ever made something that has literally gone 100% perfect? Fabric choice, sewing, fit, durability? Cause I swear some days I just see massive glaring errors in every single thing I've ever made. It's all a learning curve tho right?
What I do like about this one, is how its hip for summer, but can also be teamed with turtlenecks, of which I have many, to suit right through Autmn and Winter.
x
Location: Neepsend
Currently listening to: Blue, The Verve
