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Jean Paul Coverall by Ready to Sew

Hello! If you follow me over on Instagram (@nf_merritts), you may know that I’m celebrating all week with Nicole’s Birthday Jumpsuit Bash. I’ve loved the idea of jumpsuits for years but, wasn’t able to wear ready to wear jumpsuits without serious discomfort due to my long torso. Two years ago I sewed my first jumpsuit (an Anza Jumpsuit) and fell in love. Since then my handmade jumpsuit collection has grown by a few each year. This Ready to Sew Jean Paul Coverall is the fifth addition to my growing collection. I was enamored with the pattern upon its release last year and have been patiently biding my time until I could make a spring/summer appropriate version. The time has come and I’ll probably live in these for the foreseeable future. Are you ready for all the details? Let’s get to it.

Fabric Choice

When planning this make I had a vision of spring and summer days spent outside with my son. As such, I needed a fabric that would be light and comfortable. After a bit of deliberation and some help from Erin (@erinalwayssews) I settled on this Tencel Twill in Ginger from Imagine Gnats (they were kind enough to provide this fabric for me as part of my Birthday Jumpsuit Bash). The fabric turned out to be everything I was hoping and more. The fabric has beautiful drape, is slightly easier to sew than rayon, and the color is even lovelier in person. All the online raving about tencel twill is true. This was my third time working with the substrate and it’s a dream every time.

Pattern Details and Construction

The Jean Paul Coverall and its expansion are jam packed with interesting details. In fact, this was probably one of the most time consuming clothing items I’ve ever sewn. There are large pockets on front and back, button plackets, a front and back pleat detail, front fly, ample topstitching, a drawstring waist (from the expansion),and a collar. Making this was equivalent to the work it takes to make both jeans and a button up shirt. The effort was 100% worth it as I plan to never take this off.


While this jumpsuit was a ton of work, it was also a satisfying sew. Topstitching is one of my favorite sewing tasks and I got a decent amount of practice as almost every detail is carefully topstitched. It also made fixing my mistakes take a bit longer. I got cozy with the seam ripper a few times redoing the collar and fixing the button plackets. I’ve made at least 30 collars and button plackets over the years and occasionally still make mistakes. Honestly, neither looked awful before but they weren’t quite to my standard either. I debated leaving my mistakes but with a project this time consuming, it was worth the extra minutes to redo those imperfections and love the final product.

Speaking of imperfections, there is one on this jumpsuit that I couldn’t correct. That issue is the twisting on my right leg. My left leg is just fine without any real twisting so I know that the issue lies with me and not with the pattern. Twisting usually occurs in pants when the legs weren’t cut on the proper grain. As careful as I try to be this does occasionally happen when cutting in a double layer. Note to self: Always cut pants in a single layer. The issue wasn’t noticed until one of my later try-ons and by then it was too late to do much about it beyond completely scrapping those pieces. It doesn’t affect the comfort of this outfit and likely won’t be noticed by anyone who doesn’t sew so I won’t let it bother me too much and just chalk it up to a lesson learned.

Fitting

According to the sizing chart, my measurements put me at a size 38 bust, and size 42 at the waist and hips. This made grading fairly simple. Just below the bust darts I began grading the pattern to a 42 waist. On the pattern pieces it seemed like a steep angle but ended up looking just fine in the final product. Other fitting adjustments I made were adding 1/2″ to the rise on the front and back pants and 2″ to the length. I also added 1/2″ in length to both the front and back bodice pieces. Being able to add length is what drew me to sewing my own jumpsuits. Nobody deserves to be left out of jumpsuit wearing because their torso is longer, shorter, rounder, or thinner than the “standard” sizing for ready to wear clothing.


One last fitting modification was tapering the legs a bit. My calves and ankles are a good 2 sizes smaller than my waist and hips. It used to be something that made me quite self conscious as I was sometimes teased about walking on toothpick legs. Once I became an adult and realized a person’s body shape or size has exactly zero to do with thier worth, those kind of comments stopped bothering me. Ok, back to the leg tapering. I first basted the pant sides as is. Honestly it didn’t look bad but was a bit frumpy due to my proportions. Starting just under the front pockets I ended up tapering the seam until I had taken it in an extra 1/2″ at the bottom of the legs. This extra 1/2″ taken out of a seam meant that the bottom of the legs were taken in by about 2″. The taper isn’t so extreme as to make the pants uncomfortable but, just enough to feel proportional to my body.

Final Thoughts

Overall, I’m happy with this make although there is some noted room for improvement in my next version. Next time I’ll budget more time for the construction, cut the leg pieces in a single layer and pay more careful attention to the fly (it looks nice, just not quite perfect). Next time I sew this pattern I plan to make the dress version possibly in a rayon/linen blend. Although I honestly wouldn’t be opposed to sewing this same version in a rainbow of tencel twill (I have my eyes on this Mallard color from Imagine Gnats). After sewing for years and making a myriad of projects, it’s nice to make something that humbles me again. Sometimes I overestimate my skill and underestimate the time something will take. This was one of those times. This project doesn’t actually take significant skill, just a willingness to slow down and take your time while sewing. My mistakes don’t make me like this garment any less, in fact, they make me thankful for the lessons learned and I still plan to wear the heck out of this thing.

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The Free Justine Skirt by Ready to Sew

Happy Fall! I know October is nearly over and leaves have been falling for over a month now, but fall has finally come to my yard. Did you catch my last post about my Named Gemma Sweatshirt? Those photos were taking just two weeks ago and the trees were still a lush green. Now reds, yellows, and oranges have taken over the backyard. After years of apartment living, it’s a bit surreal to look out the windows and suddenly realize that these big, beautiful trees are part of our yard and it’s time we buy a rake. During our house hunt, mature trees were one of the reasons I resisted the idea of a new build. The shade in the summer is ace and these beautiful fall colors are another bonus (although, let’s see how I really feel when I’m finished raking everything).

Ok, enough about trees, let’s get down to business and talk about why you’re really here. This skirt: the FREE Justine by Ready to Sew. Until making this skirt, I hadn’t worn a skirt in nearly a year. I fell out of love with the ones I owned and just wasn’t feeling inspired by skirts. Cue the release of Justine in June. I was immediately drawn to the large patch pockets, midi-length, and button front. Hello effortless skirt of my dreams. Add to that the fact that the pattern was free and trying it out became a no-brainer. I immediately bookmarked the pattern and not so patiently waited until I was no longer knee deep in painting and packing. When we finally moved into our home during the last week of July, I downloaded and printed the pattern before I had even unpacked my kitchen. 

Sewing up this skirt turned out to be a great way to revive my sew-jo after a busy summer. There are only four pattern pieces in the pattern which made it easy to knock out the pattern assembly and cutting in less than an hour. A few days later, I spent an afternoon sewing and finished all but the buttons. Then, I spent a lovely evening watching Netflix and hand-sewing each button. The instructions were straightforward and, combined with my fabric choice, made for a fuss-free sewing experience. 

Let’s talk about fabric choice for a quick minute. My textile of choice is this woven stripe in a cotton/linen blend. I purchased it from Suppose, my favorite hidden gem and a place I called a second home for five years. It’s got a great weight to it, heavier than a quilting cotton, but lighter than a true canvas. The weight makes it a skirt that can easily transition through the seasons. I wore it with sandals and a tee in the heat and can see it looking just as lovely paired with tights and booties.

I had originally flagged this fabric for a pair of Burnside Bibs (see what I actually used for my bibs here) that never came to fruition.  Once I’d printed this pattern and saw this stripe sitting in my stash it felt fated. Working with this stable fabric is incredibly easy and something I would certainly recommend to a beginner. The only drawback to the fabric (thanks to its natural fibers) is that it’s somewhat prone to wrinkles. I’m personally a fan of linen and have learned to embrace the wrinkles that come along with it. 

Can we pause for a moment and just admire these pockets? One of the reasons I love sewing is the aspect of customization that can be added to each piece. If a pattern doesn’t include pockets, I will often add them. With few exceptions, I truly believe that skirts and dresses should always include pockets. I don’t love carrying a bag everywhere and pockets allow me to forego one from time to time. One issue that I sometimes have with patterns are that the pockets are sometimes too small to be useful. Not so with Justine. The included pockets are large enough to fit my entire hand which means they easily fit my keys, wallet, and phone. The folded flap detail is a unique design choice that I’ve come to love. Occasionally I’ll attach a favorite enamel pin to the flap for added flair. 

We’ve talked assembly, fabric, and pockets so I’ll leave you with a note on sizing. My waist and hip measurement put me right at a size 42. I cut a straight 42 with 2 inches added to the length. The full 2 inches of length wasn’t necessary and I ended up taking off 1 of those inches. I didn’t make any other modifications and felt the fit was spot on. 

In summary, the Justine has made me a skirt convert. It’s easy to wear, neutral enough to wear with my wild closet, coupled with just enough detail to keep it interesting. I think you’ll be seeing lots of this baby in my wardrobe. Currently pondering a corduroy version for winter. Should I try it? 

Have I convinced you to try the pattern? If so, head over and download it here.

Want to see more of what I’ve made using Ready to Sew patterns? Check out my Jumpy pants here.

Interested to read more about the shirt I’m wearing in these photos? Read about my Willamette Shirt here.