I'm back with a new make, this time it's the 113 Playsuit by Salme patterns.
I bought this pattern a long time ago, after seeing some promising versions of it by other stitchers.
Playsuits/rompers haven't been my thing, but they seemed like perfect casual summer wear, and has had a bit of a revival this season. So I thought why not have a go?
I decided to make mine in a plain navy blue viscose, the same stuff my red blouse was made of. The quality is not stellar, but ok for day wear. Most importantly, it's comfy to wear.
I cut a size 10, which is a UK 12 and a EUR 40. The measurements given are a tad smaller than my actual measurements, but I've heard this pattern had plenty of ease so I was confident it would be ok.
I used the PDF version of this pattern, The pattern does not include seam allowances, and I hate that. I know this was pretty standard back in the day, and still is for some pattern companies, but still; I hate it.
The second thing I also didn't care for, was that the waist band was not included in the pattern pieces. So you need to draft that one yourself. In the instructions, lining fabric is listed in the notions, more specifically 28x35 cm. This will not cover your lining needs for the waistband, so not reliable as a shopping list. Also not included, was pattern pieces for belt loops. So there was a significant back and forth action, before all was in order. In the cutting diagram, the pocket pieces are not drawn in for some reason, so I had to rearrange my pieces to make everything fit.
Sewing up the playsuit, went swimmingly, up until the pockets. They are unnecassarily complicated, with their 4-piece construction, and the instructions aren't very good. By the time I had spent hours trying to get the first pocket right and also taking the bother to at least try and finish it to some standard, I totally dropped the ball on the second one and just stitched it like it said in the instructions (still not succeeding, btw). I don't like zig-zag-finishing, it looks untidy, and especially so on fray-prone viscose. If you are considering this pattern, and happen to have the Carolyn pajama-pattern from Closet Case Files, use those pockets instead (or some other normal pockets)!
The facings around the neck was also meant to be finished with a zig-zag edge, and was not interfaced. Far to unstable in my opinion. Needless to say, I slapped some fusable interfacing on there, and finished the edges neatly. All other seams I did the french way. I also finished the armholes with self bias binding.
This pattern is nice if you have sewing experience, and can plan for better finishing than stated in the instructions. If I had made this garment as a beginner, I fear the finished product would not look very tidy. But with additional interfacing and some decorative top stitching, it looks rather good.
After all is said and done, I think the playsuit itself is a good addition to the summer wardrobe, and I am very happy with it. It's easy to wear, and is a good style. I can't quite decide where I like the waist to sit, I left the elastic quite loose, so I can wear it low on the hips, but it might look better with the waistband drawn up nearer to the natural waist. In the end, I didn't use the belt loop pieces, but when photographing, I tried it with a belt. It suddenly looked more dressy, so I might stitch on some loops now. I am not that long in the torso, so I found the length in the back is good. It is always an issue when top and bottoms are joined, you do want to be able to bend forward without getting that dreaded wedgie!!
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| (Excuse the wrinkles. I sat down...) |
The front is closed with snaps, so no visible buttons. During wear, the front gets pulled over to the side, exposing the snaps. So even if it looks very clean without any visible closure, it doesn't quite work. I tried to pin it on the inside, but then you get pull-lines... If I make another, I'll just use buttons, or maybe small hooks and eyes right on the edge there.
I declare a sewing success, and feel my sew-jo is being rekindled!
