Why hallo again people. I’m back with yet another Closet Core Patterns design….the Blanca Flight Suit.

My first iteration of the Blanca Flight Suit, seen here, sees its fair share of wear. The vintage rail worker vibe meshes surprisingly well with my everyday life. Sure…I do my fair share of TV surfing from an inclined couch position but I also spend some very happy hours DIYing my way around the house. We’re talking furniture upcycling, painting, gardening and general mucking about. My coveralls and overalls are actually extremely practical garments. And…oh my gosh….this is all taking me back to my early blogging days. For those of you that have been around since then…do you remember ALL the dresses? Seriously…I love those dresses. But they so do NOT match my lifestyle.

Anyways….my second Blanca Flight Suit. This time, I zeroed in on a RTW jumpsuit that I’ve admired from afar for a while. Overall, the silhouette is more fitted than my previous make. Basically, this one fits true to the intended fit of the Blanca pattern. I sewed a size 8 top, easing to a size 6 bottom and shortened everything to better match my 5’1″ frame.

Front Modifications:

The biggest changes were to the front of the garment.

I switched the collar to a camp style using Helens Closet Gilbert Top. I’ve sewn the Gilbert Top once before…yet to be blogged…and I find the lie of the of collar very complimentary. Bonus….there was minimal redrafting of the neckline required.

Visually, working downwards…I changed the front zipper opening to a hidden button placket. GAH….now that was a tricky bit to figure out; particularly figuring when to topstitch.

The upper breast pocket is the Jenny Overalls back pocket printed at 80%. Yes sewists, we can do these kind of things!

The lower pockets are Blanca Pockets, but tweaked. The pockets are wider and deeper. I also redrafted the pocket top to eliminate the integrated belt loop. I was going for a big ‘ol pocket and I’m giving myself an A++ on this one.

Back modifications:

The back view is almost all Blanca. The only changes I made were to switch out the pockets with Jenny Overall pockets.

I omitted the belt loops, opting to add button tabs at the sides for some waist definition. I don’t have a detail shot, but the tabs are attached two inches beyond the side seam towards the front of the garment.

Sleeve modifications:

I used the Blanca short sleeve pattern piece, but I extended, and tapered, the sleeve to cuff length. My cuff is based off of the Grainline Studio Archer Button Up Shirt…the placket is double the length as I wanted to be sure that I could roll up my sleeves with ease. The cuff is narrower and has one pleat rather than two.

Legs modification:

I tapered the legs and finished them off with a deep hem. This way I can wear the pants uncuffed…two photos up…or cuffed as in photo above.

Whew, I’m calling this hack a major win. It turned out just as I’d hoped. Yes, it took me some time, but I’m all mostly about the slow sew right now, so it’s not just a win, it’s a win-win!

And? The fun news? I have some pink linen/cotton blend fabric that I’m optimistic will be enough to make another….probably with short sleeves…but no other changes, LOL.

Okay, in closing, I’m going to turn off the comments on this post. Just as a trial. I’m finding that my blog is in a bit of an odd spot right now. I think people are still reading, but the comments have dropped off the edge of the earth. So why not just shut down the comments section and take away the pressure from us all. You can always reach me by email.

Wearing : :

Blanca Flight Suit : :  Closet Core Patterns

Hemlock Tee  : : Grainline Studio