True Bias Yari Jumpsuit

And I love it 🙂 I wore jumpsuits a lot back in the 80’s –  they were perfect for travel and for wearing on our farms in Costa Rica. The Yari takes me right back to that time, but it’s a lot easier to wash and wear than the vintage styles.

I was cautious with the pattern because of the design elements and the potential for fit failures. And I read every review I could find. Other folks’ experiences are so helpful, and, in this case, kind of saved my soup. Initially, I contemplated adding an inch or more to the bodice (I’m 5’7″, and Kelli drafts for a 5’5″ model). Many sewers did that exact thing, and they ended up with a too-low crotch seam. This one factor led to my muslin, which I sewed with no changes to the pattern (here).

So cute!

Some sewing notes:

• My fabric is Kaufman yarn-dyed Essex linen in Espresso, purchased from Fabric.com. It’s 55%linen/45% cotton and weighs in at 5.6 oz/square yard. Great weight, body, and hand for this jumpsuit.

• I started with View D, the long version with the extended shoulder. Once my shoulders were sewn, I trimmed and reshaped the armhole to suit me. The pattern has a sleeveless option, but I prefer a wider shoulder to balance the overall silhouette of the jumpsuit.

• I opted for a self-fabric belt with a D-ring buckle. I don’t care for a lot of fuss on my clothes, so I avoided side tabs, side ties, or a waist tie.
• I also drafted my pattern with the wide-leg option offered by Kelli in her tutorial (here). It’s really easy, and it doesn’t add to the fabric requirement.

Small details:

• The finished shoulder, which is flat-felled on the right side, and a view of the bias binding on the armhole.

• The lower button band area closed with hand-stitching, instead of top-stitching.

• Inexpensive faux wood (or bone?) 5/8″ buttons from JoAnn. I used 6, spaced at 2 1/2″, being super careful not to have one under my belt buckle (more on buttons in an earlier post, here).

To close, here’s a shot with no belt!

Ciao! Coco