The jumpsuit has a fun name, and it's like a dress in that it's an outfit in one piece with no becoming un-tucked, coordinating or agonizing over what goes with what, but the bonus of no worries about being cold or the wind coming up that you have with a skirt. Remember this cutie?
Try this or this if you want a onesie that zips and has a hood if you want the coverage of that, but moving on...
Even better than a jumpsuit is one that literally just pulls on, with no buttons to sew on or fall off and no zipper to get stuck.
Et voila, the peasant-top jumpsuit.
You can make it in short-sleeved/shorts for a romper in cotton, challis or a tropical gauze,
or long-sleeved/full-length in baby corduroy or french terry or velour for a three-season no-brainer (this one features a split sleeve), 
or any combo therein. Note that you can use either a woven or a knit for the jumpsuit, but it should have a good drape (not too crisp or clingy) and be stable enough to not roll when it's cut. Bear in mind that knits are stretchy, which means you might want to size down to get a not-too-baggy but still loungey look if you plan to use a knit.
or any combo therein. Note that you can use either a woven or a knit for the jumpsuit, but it should have a good drape (not too crisp or clingy) and be stable enough to not roll when it's cut. Bear in mind that knits are stretchy, which means you might want to size down to get a not-too-baggy but still loungey look if you plan to use a knit.
Now there are quite a few video tutorials out there that use commercial patterns and that's great, but we're not going to do that! if you find a peasant top and pants patterns in the clearance bin, then by all means use those, but for your convenience (ha, really mine) here are some that are free. (with thanks to their respective bloggers/originators:)
child sizes:
from rectangles, sizes 3, 4 & 5
the original I made years ago in sizes 3 and 5 years;
this one is good, sizes 1-14 years with sleeve options
adult sizes:
draft-your-own actually you could use this for a child too, based on measurements
S,M, L -- use the bodice only, the sleeve is a needlessly odd shape. You'll need to draft a sleeve that looks like the bodice but in your sleeve circumference across. Match the armscye curve to front and back. Bear in mind that the front will dip lower than the back, so the sleeve will look like this:
Pants patterns:
from babies to 6-7
sizes from 2 to adult XL one piece
XXS (20" [51cm] waist/29" [74cm] hip) to 5XL (60" [150cm] waist/65" [162cm]hip) front and back pieces but can be joined
how to copy an existing pair of pants with contrast cuff and waistband
These are all pajama/lounge pants fit -- these are not going to be trim, close-to-the body pants because of the way they are sewn. If you have a pair of pants in a fabric similar to the one you are making your jumpsuit from that fit the way you like, use the last tutorial above to copy them.
The best way to figure out which pants pattern size to use is by hip measurement -- outseam length is not a dealbreaker because you can always hem them up, and unless your waist measurement is much larger than the hips you don't have to worry about that.
Pockets: It's simpler to make a jumpsuit with the one-piece pants (no side seam) -- if you want to have in-seam pockets though, you'll have to keep the side seam. I prefer a cut-in patch pocket, which is a basic shape: (this is for an adult size; for kids, measure their hand and make it comfortable -- the one above is approximately 8 in[20cm] by 5 in[13cm]):
In addition to the two patterns, you'll need a tape measure, pencil, eraser, tape (not too sticky, like washi tape or scrapbooking paper tape) and a ruler, and a few important measurements. GIRTH is measured from the top of the shoulder, down through between the legs, and up the back, on a slight diagonal and a bit of ease for walking. Like so:
TORSO Length is a straight line perpendicular to the floor from the back neck to the waist.
Fabric requirements will vary widely -- finish your pattern hack first, then figure out the yardage/meters based on the length of the pattern pieces and how wide the fabric is. Pockets will need more, but just a tiny bit. (For reference, our daughter's size 8-10 took a meter/yard of 52" wide fabric, and my adult petite size 16 (roughly) took 2 meters/yd of 60" wide fabric.)
You'll also need elastic -- 3/4 inch should be good for adults for the waist, but go with 3/8 or 1/4 for the neckline, and for kids.
Also matching thread and the appropriate needle for your fabric, plus pins or clips.
The pattern hack:
First, the peasant top. You'll use your torso length to figure out where to shorten the pattern where it joins the pants -- most tops have enough to tuck in, but you don't need that -- just enough to blouse out above the waist. Measure from the center back and draw a line across. Mark the corresponding point on the front, taking into account that the front neck is lower.
Measure the new length of the top pattern front and back and add that to your center seam length on the pants (where the pieces are sewn together below the waist) -- it should be about the same as your Girth measurement, minus the distance over your shoulder. Since all these patterns are in half, the center front and center back will be on the edge that would be unfolded as sewn. Check also that the bottom edge of the top and the top edge of the pants are about the same.
Jumpsuit with a waist seam: If you want to use a fabric with a prominent print that won't look good with a center seam, go ahead and cut the top front and back, and sleeves, out of the folded fabric as-is, like you were just making the top.
To join the pants part, you'll need to subtract any waistbands first. If you already have your top, cut out the pants left and right, making a mark which are the front and back seams. Mark where to place the pockets on the right side -- usually an inch or so down from the waist, and closer to the sides than the center seam.
You'll also need a strip 3 inches wide (2 to 21/2 inches for kids) and the length of the top of the pants to carry the elastic on the inside -- an internal waistband. Cut this along the grain.
Combined pattern piece (seam in the vertical center): I wanted to make one pattern piece with a center seam, so i went a step further and combined the top and pants in the pattern. Remove the waistband and seam allowances from the top edge of the pants pattern, and align that with the waist points you just marked. Cut the top pattern down the center, front and back. You'll move the seam allowances from the sides to the middle.
Tape the front pants to the front top, and the back pants to the back top pattern, lining up the waist seams and grainlines as closely as you can. Now measure up from the inseam to the neckline on both front and back, and add them together. This should be about the same as your GIRTH, minus how low you want the neckline to fall below the junction of your neck and shoulder.
In this case, it is better to make your pattern piece flat and not on a fold, marking front and back. The one-piece pants pattern is already like that, so join the half-front of the top to the front of the pants, and the back to the back, and blend the lines. It will look like this. This is for a romper/shorts, but you can see the difference between front (on the left in the pic) and back (on the right).
adult sizes:
draft-your-own actually you could use this for a child too, based on measurements
S,M, L -- use the bodice only, the sleeve is a needlessly odd shape. You'll need to draft a sleeve that looks like the bodice but in your sleeve circumference across. Match the armscye curve to front and back. Bear in mind that the front will dip lower than the back, so the sleeve will look like this:
Pants patterns:
from babies to 6-7
sizes from 2 to adult XL one piece
XXS (20" [51cm] waist/29" [74cm] hip) to 5XL (60" [150cm] waist/65" [162cm]hip) front and back pieces but can be joined
how to copy an existing pair of pants with contrast cuff and waistband
These are all pajama/lounge pants fit -- these are not going to be trim, close-to-the body pants because of the way they are sewn. If you have a pair of pants in a fabric similar to the one you are making your jumpsuit from that fit the way you like, use the last tutorial above to copy them.
Pockets: It's simpler to make a jumpsuit with the one-piece pants (no side seam) -- if you want to have in-seam pockets though, you'll have to keep the side seam. I prefer a cut-in patch pocket, which is a basic shape: (this is for an adult size; for kids, measure their hand and make it comfortable -- the one above is approximately 8 in[20cm] by 5 in[13cm]):
 |
| 10 in[2.5 cm] x 7.5 in [19 cm] with opening 3 in [7.5 cm] x 4 in [10 mm] |
(side note for nerds: this basic shape, which i think of as a cracker with a corner bitten off, is the basis for the half-drafts of a peasant top, its sleeve, and pants legs! How fun is that?)
In addition to the two patterns, you'll need a tape measure, pencil, eraser, tape (not too sticky, like washi tape or scrapbooking paper tape) and a ruler, and a few important measurements. GIRTH is measured from the top of the shoulder, down through between the legs, and up the back, on a slight diagonal and a bit of ease for walking. Like so:
TORSO Length is a straight line perpendicular to the floor from the back neck to the waist.
Fabric requirements will vary widely -- finish your pattern hack first, then figure out the yardage/meters based on the length of the pattern pieces and how wide the fabric is. Pockets will need more, but just a tiny bit. (For reference, our daughter's size 8-10 took a meter/yard of 52" wide fabric, and my adult petite size 16 (roughly) took 2 meters/yd of 60" wide fabric.)
You'll also need elastic -- 3/4 inch should be good for adults for the waist, but go with 3/8 or 1/4 for the neckline, and for kids.
Also matching thread and the appropriate needle for your fabric, plus pins or clips.
The pattern hack:
First, the peasant top. You'll use your torso length to figure out where to shorten the pattern where it joins the pants -- most tops have enough to tuck in, but you don't need that -- just enough to blouse out above the waist. Measure from the center back and draw a line across. Mark the corresponding point on the front, taking into account that the front neck is lower.
Measure the new length of the top pattern front and back and add that to your center seam length on the pants (where the pieces are sewn together below the waist) -- it should be about the same as your Girth measurement, minus the distance over your shoulder. Since all these patterns are in half, the center front and center back will be on the edge that would be unfolded as sewn. Check also that the bottom edge of the top and the top edge of the pants are about the same.
Jumpsuit with a waist seam: If you want to use a fabric with a prominent print that won't look good with a center seam, go ahead and cut the top front and back, and sleeves, out of the folded fabric as-is, like you were just making the top.
To join the pants part, you'll need to subtract any waistbands first. If you already have your top, cut out the pants left and right, making a mark which are the front and back seams. Mark where to place the pockets on the right side -- usually an inch or so down from the waist, and closer to the sides than the center seam.
You'll also need a strip 3 inches wide (2 to 21/2 inches for kids) and the length of the top of the pants to carry the elastic on the inside -- an internal waistband. Cut this along the grain.
Combined pattern piece (seam in the vertical center): I wanted to make one pattern piece with a center seam, so i went a step further and combined the top and pants in the pattern. Remove the waistband and seam allowances from the top edge of the pants pattern, and align that with the waist points you just marked. Cut the top pattern down the center, front and back. You'll move the seam allowances from the sides to the middle.
Tape the front pants to the front top, and the back pants to the back top pattern, lining up the waist seams and grainlines as closely as you can. Now measure up from the inseam to the neckline on both front and back, and add them together. This should be about the same as your GIRTH, minus how low you want the neckline to fall below the junction of your neck and shoulder.
See where this is going? Instead of having the seams go up the sides, we have the center seam that you usually see on pants go on the top as well. The straight edge of each pattern is the folded side. Now all you have to do is trace around the taped-together patterns to make the single pattern piece.
This is a great pattern to use for coveralls like mechanics wear -- that are meant to go over regular clothes and be pretty much the same front to back. Also great for small kids who don't have much shape, just straight up and down.
Note that if you have a good-sized booty (or need room for a diaper), your back and front on the pants will differ a lot. The blue line is the front, drawn onto the back for comparison.
In this case, it is better to make your pattern piece flat and not on a fold, marking front and back. The one-piece pants pattern is already like that, so join the half-front of the top to the front of the pants, and the back to the back, and blend the lines. It will look like this. This is for a romper/shorts, but you can see the difference between front (on the left in the pic) and back (on the right).
Mark your waist points and draw a line across -- for all but the most pole-built of us, it will be slightly higher in the back than in the front, just like the original pants pattern. Don't worry if it looks much larger than your actual waist.
You'll still need the sleeves, and a waist strip the length of that line (3 inches wide for adults, 2 to 2-1/2 inches for kids) as above. Cut all the pieces (2 body pieces, 2 sleeves, 2 pockets) from the fabric in mirror, and one strip. Make sure to transfer the markings for the waistline, and pocket placement.
NOTE: On split sleeves: Cut the sleeve pattern piece apart down the middle. Tape the edges of the sleeve together (seam allowances should remain the same) so the seam will run along the top of the arm instead of the underarm, like so:
Mark 1 inch (2.5cm) joins separating the open sections, spacing evenly so the sleeve will be seamed at the top and bottom edges (makes inserting the elastic so much easier.)
Wow! We got all that done, and next post is the sewing!
Reeni, thank you for inviting me to come visit this post. Your jumpsuits/rompers turned out wonderful! I love the photo of you and your daughter wearing your rompers together. So glad my ancient tutorial was of some help.
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