I wanted to add a couple more summer outfits to my wardrobe this year. Two summers ago I bought a dress and a skirt, last year I bought a pair of linen pants and replaced some tank tops, and this year I decided to get a 2nd pair of linen pants and try out overalls/a jumpsuit for the first time since… maybe when I was a kid? We all had overalls at some point, right? I don’t remember.
Anyways, this one seemed cute, comfy, and cool (literally, not figuratively): Jeans Jumpsuit
It arrived about a week or so ago, but had a small problem. Well, large one actually. As in, too large. I mean, I totally knew it was going to be full length on me, not the above the ankle shown (dratted tall Germans…). So that was expected. But the armholes were ginormous, putting the drop waist way down my hip. And I was swimming in it. I think a) their sizing chart is a little two generous, but b) picking a size to fit my bust gave me a waist way way too big.
In short, unwearable as it was… Sadly (for you, not me), I “forgot” to take a photo of just how bad it was. But let’s say TheEnabler couldn’t hide his despair that I might be seen publicly in it. Also, it was straight up in danger of just falling off.
In some instances, something like this would make me just send the garment back. But, the fact that it’s sized with positive ease and was a little extra big anyway, and the overall design, meant I felt I could save it. And it promised to be sooo comfy in hot weather. Also: POCKETS. Roomy pockets. A lady can’t just give those up when she’s found them!
So I set to with scissors, safety pins and needle & thread:
I had three alterations in mind.
- Shorten the shoulder seams. Sleaveless garments are easier to alter, because you don’t need to tear out and alter the sleeve cap to match. I determined I needed to remove 2in from the back shoulder strap and 1in (hello bust!) from the front shoulder strap. I initially removed equal amounts front and back, but it was clear this was pulling up the waist in the front and put the horizontal bust darts above my bust, which undermined my goal to make this more, not less, attractive.
- I did need to cut away the extra fabric here, leaving a raw edge. Since I was hand stitching, I just did a little whip stitch over the cut edges to prevent unraveling.
- Note: for my fellow busty gals, extra length in the front shoulder in another place you can alter a sweater or top to improve fit. Especially if the short rows below the bust (which you usually want to keep to under 2in of length) aren’t enough to meet your needs
- Increase the darts in the back. I have a bit of a sway back, which means there is a significant dip in from buttocks to waist, and then back out again from waist to back of shoulder. Garments which are straight from shoulder blade to buttocks look baggy and unattractive, especially in a fabric with no drape, such as denim. I folded over the existing darts and used that as a guide to stitch in new darts. Effectively, I doubled the amount of fabric being taken in from the existing 1 1/4 to about 2 1/2 inches
- Because denim is already thick, and there’s still positive ease, I was lazy here. I could have removed the existing dart stitching, and maybe cut away excess fabric. I didn’t. The extra bulk isn’t bothering me, and you can’t see it.
- Add some darts to the front bust. The bodice already had horizontal darts a couple inches below the armhole, but no vertical darts. The front bottom has some pleats already, so I just did darts in the top part to create a bit more of a slanted line from bust to waist in the front. This also meant I didn’t need to take out any of the waist stitching, which would have been harder to put back invisibly since I don’t have identical thread.
A note on the safety pins: one of the things about a sturdy denim is that you only need to secure it in a couple places to do a seam. So I’m happy to go with a few bulkier safety pins that make trying it on safer than opting for lower profile normal sewing pins.
I’m really pretty happy with the results. All together it maybe took a couple hours to do, but it looks much nicer. The armholes are still a little loose, but they fit in with the overall relaxed look. I was going for “reasonably attractive”, not “haute-couture masterpiece”. The seat in the back sits where I want it and doesn’t billow anymore between shoulder blade and behind, and the front hangs more attractively. Also, notice how the waist seam sits horizontally from front to back – this is the result of taking in the shoulder seam more from the back than the front.
I’m actually a little torn on one thing though! I don’t have a sewing machine, and while everything would have been much quicker to complete on one, I actually think I did a tidier job by hand given that I was going for short cuts in how much of the existing stitching I removed (like… almost none). I was massaging the fabric into just the spot I wanted it with each and every stitch. And since I did it while watching (well, listening mostly) to some YouTube videos, the time didn’t even seem that slow.
Today’s Non-profit: SPLC
Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) is “dedicated to fighting hate and bigotry and to seeking justice for the most vulnerable members of our society. Using litigation, education, and other forms of advocacy, the SPLC works toward the day when the ideals of equal justice and equal opportunity will be a reality.” As you can see, they work through several different avenues to achieve their aims. You can also check out the active cases they are currently working on in pursuit of justice for vulnerable groups, as well as their map of the hate groups they are currently tracking.