Testing Sallie

I almost declined testing Heather's newest pattern for Closet Case Files, the Sallie Jumpsuit/Maxi, because it looked sooooooo farrrrrrrr outside my comfort zone. Jumpsuit? Excuse me, what? Long, flowy dress? Hmmm, don't think I've ever spotted one in my closet.

But I took a chance and accepted. It wasn't that I didn't like the line drawings or concept. It just it didn't seem like me. And it didn't seem like me because I had always, always, always stayed away from those styles. But if what if they were for me?

As I contemplated what to respond to Heather, I put myself in my private fantasy version of "What Not to Wear". I could hear myself telling Stacy and Clinton, "but I never wear maxi dresses! I'm short, I can't wear them." I could almost feel Stacy rolling her eyes as she forced several maxi styles in my hands and pushed me into the dressing room. Out I appeared in a long, flowy and ridiculously comfortable knit maxi dress. Stacy throws up her arms in victory, turns, and walks away, silently proclaiming "I fucking told you so!" and Clinton stands there with one hand cupping his jaw, delicately grinning with approval.

Yes, maybe these styles are for me. I accepted the challenge to make myself a maxi dress or jumpsuit because it was like the sewing Gods were telling me to take a chance. And let's be honest, I love testing patterns! I've said it before, how can I get a job as a professional pattern tester?

The other reason I accepted to test this pattern is because I'm heading to a European wedding this year and one of the events is a 70s/disco-themed party. My friend had some inspiration photos and there were all these jumpsuits! There's also going to be a pool party as well before the late-night party so basically this pattern will serve as my European vacation wardrobe builder.

While I really wanted to test the jumpsuit, and I even made an inspiration board (for the first time ever), I unfortunately couldn't find the right fabric in the short time frame. I want a fabric with a little bit of body and a print that will help camouflage my hips and bum. I decided to make the maxi in a fabric that was already in my stash: this beautiful fuchsia and white print, lightweight jersey from The Fabric Store. I bought it during the LA Sewist meet-up with intentions of making a wrap dress, but I was always concerned it was too lightweight. However, the bodice of the Sallie Maxi dress is self-lined, so this fabric seemed to be just perfect for it.

Even though I'm writing about the tester version, Heather mentioned she didn't make too many changes to the final version. One noticeable difference is the hem of the skirt, which is now more of a curve.

One thing to remember about CCF patterns is that Heather is conscious of suggesting just the right amount of fabric for her patterns. Sometimes I like to cheat with my yardage because I know I'll have to shorten hems (and I did shorten the skirt to accommodate my 4'11" stature), but I BARELY fit this dress on 2 yards of 60" wide fabric. The suggested yardage was 2.25 yards (now upped to 2.5 yards) and I would highly, highly recommend you do not buy less than that. I had to do some finagling to get everything to fit, including placing the print in opposite directions on the front and back skirt panels. I thought I had a non-directional print, but if you look closely, you can tell that the pattern isn't quite symmetrical.....but thankfully it's not noticeable from afar.

The pockets aren't very deep so you don't have to worry about large pocket bags getting in the way and contributing to unsightly bulge. Usually I don't actually put stuff in pockets of my dresses or skirts, but I really like having them there to put my hands or even just the tips of my fingers in (that sounds so weird, but you know what mean, right?).

There is elastic casing at the bottom of the bodice (just above the waist seam), which helps prevent any ballooning of the dress. I tried attaching the elastic in a different method and it DID NOT WORK, so I would advise you to follow the instructions because they do work! Fancy how that worked out ;)

I made a straight Size 6 (except for all that shortening of the skirt) because it matched my measurements and everything fit really well. I told Heather that I thought the skirt portion was perfect around my hips and bum, but I thought the bodice could have been a bit more snug. However, she said the dress is designed to be a bit looser on top, so take that into consideration when you pick your size. I'm a way more conservative dresser, so having low cut tops that are on the looser side will take some getting used to on my end.

The slits aren't revealing at all, but rather provide extra movement and some sexiness! I'll be honest, I wasn't sure what I thought when I first tried on this dress. I was worried I looked frumpy in it and that the top was too loose. But after twirling around on my patio taking photos I really warmed up to it. I came back inside and realized just how comfortable I was in it. Not once was I worried about the top being too revealing or my bum looking dowdy. In fact I felt the opposite. I told Heather she has a way of designing patterns that bring out the sexiness in women.

Now for that jumpsuit version. Maybe instead of a printed fabric for the entire jumpsuit, I could do a color block version. A lighter colored silk or rayon jersey on top, maybe convert the kimono tee to a wrap bodice, and then dark colored jersey or ITY on bottom. What do you think of the Sallie Jumpsuit/Maxi pattern? The possibilities are endless! Thanks again, Heather, for letting me test your pattern!