Simplicity 8513, Bodysuit

 

Some patterns just keep on giving. Sometimes the simplest designs can lend themselves to being adapted in a million ways to create something fun and diffrent every time.

Simplicity 8513 is one of those patterns. Once I'd perfected the fit of the body (not too tricky as its a pettern for knits and therefore quite forgivingm - I just had to lengthen the body a little but shorten the chest above the front armhole notch #smallbustproblems), I could make easy design alterations to the neckline and sleeve length to keep from making the same garment over and over again.

This time I was using this very cute sausage dog print kindly gifted to me from Minerva. I pounced the moment I saw it and was SO stoked that no one else had claimed the fabric before me. It has the perfect amount of stretch and recovery - making it great for vests and t-shirts (maybe a matching knicker set....), so naturally I gravitated to this bodysuit pattern that I know and love. The quirkiness of the fabric makes it appealing for children and adults alike  - I can imagine some reallllly sweet baby clothes in this fabric (yep yep, I know, I've essentially made myself a babygrow here). The fabric is available in a few different colour ways. Aside from the monochrome being my go-to, I think this helps stop the print from being tooo Ceebeebies meaning I could get away with making something for me! I've not stuck my romper through the wash yet, but the fabric feels good quality and unlikely to bobble or fade in the wash (we've all been there, spend days or weeks on a project, complete a sassy make, within two wears it's already bobbling where your handbag rubs = heartbreak). 

So how did I change the pattern this time? There are two amendments I made:
Sleeves: I had a vision and I wanted to try something new, I thought tshirt sleeves would look cutest with the fabric - to make them more exciting I did my first ever bit of 'ruching'! This is an easy and effective way of changing up a sleeve, and can also be used to make sleeves look shorter, without actually cutting anything off the hem. 
To Ruche, I first drew a line 1.5 cm away from the raw hem edge (pre-hemmed) towards shoulder point (marked by a dot on the pattern piece). I drew the line about 4 inches long, but this could be loads longer if you want more ruching or have a longer sleeve to play with. I played around with different lengths of 4mm elastic against the line, stretching it out anf letting it ruche between my fingers to get an idea of how the gathers would look. I decided the elastic should be about 6cm long for my desired ruche, but cut 8cm so I had some to hold onto. I stretched the elastic out and stiched along the line I drew. Let go of then end and Ping! You've ruched! 

Second modification was the Neckline. I couldn't decide if I wanted a turtleneck, mock turtleneck or cowl neck, so I cut one of each and pinned them on to test. Having never done one before, I loved the idea of a cowl neck, however the floppiness of it seemed to distract from the neat silhouette I had created. There was somehting a bit more official about a tall neck, an almost formality that challenged the playfulness of the dog print. I think that's one of the things I really enjoyed about this make. The sexy meets cute, feminine but bold, applicable to either situation depending what you style it with. I used the pattern piece included in the pattern but messed around with the height of the neck, making sure I'd got them pooches lined up nicely in the centre.

My fave part of making this is always putting the leg elastic on. I had a quick peek at the sewing marketstall in Sheffield and they finally had some picot elastic in stock! I bought 2 meters and have about 50cm left after going round the legs. My top tip for applying this would always be not to stretch the elastic too much as you sew, as you want the edge to hold on to your body but not squeeze it.

Now, who's for hotdogs?

x
Location: Home Sweet Home
Currently listening to: Club Cougar, Nadine Shah