I recently acquired a new indie sewing pattern from France, the Marieke Jumpsuit from ikatee.com. At ikatee there are lovely makes for kids and women. I rarely sew for my kids anymore. They are such opinionated little style makers that it’s hard to give them what they want when they want it. Sometimes they just want something in a fabric I’m not a fan of and that makes it harder for me to say yes. I know that might make me a fabric snob, but I know that a printed quilting cotton in just an “ok” substrate isn’t going to be as comfortable as a double gauze. They don’t know what substrate means or proper hand, so bit by bit I try to teach them, and bite my tongue when the dig their stylish heels in.
This jumpsuit was my idea, not something the little one picked out. I saw how cute all the variations were and just thought it would be a great summer make for all our outings. I printed out a size seven and pulled out fabrics from my stash that could make a wearable muslin, knowing she requested another fabric. I made a few adjustments, a tiny bit more room in the belly and bum but that was it. I think it’s quite stylish as a first run. It would be so lovely in a double gauze or with some color blocking in the bodice top and bottoms.
The instructions were very well written and it works up pretty fast. The waistband in the contrast chartreuse is actually a tube the elastic is fed through and could even be a drawstring if you add button holes. I love how easy it is to assemble and not fiddly like folding over and stitching in the ditch. Sleeveless with a ruffle was cute and it would be just as cute without. I just realized I could make a version with my pink pearl snaps that didn’t work for my Harrison button down a year or two ago. YAY!
Up next is to make it in a black and pink plaid with cute skulls, she is so my kid.
