Grey Blanca flight suit

A woman with short hair wearing a grey jumpsuit and yellow trainers reclines on concrete steps

Quite a lot has happened here since I last posted. I had Covid, fortunately a mild dose, I’ve been on holiday, and the normally cool and wet UK is having a record-breaking heatwave. While it’s been a couple of weeks since the peak it’s still very hot indeed where I live.

I finished my 80s wardrobe but wearing any of the pieces is unbearable, even just for photos. So they’re sitting in the wardrobe and I moved on to making a (checks notes) denim jumpsuit. Maybe not the ideal choice. But I’ve been doing a bit of wardrobe tracking and the garment I wear the most in normal times is my Closet Core Blanca flight suit. It’s comfortable, practical, and I think it reads as quite put together, at least when I put on lipstick. And it was great for wearing on holiday in Ireland and Northern Ireland, where it was a lot cooler than England.

Here’s the line drawing. As before I made view A, with the long sleeves and legs and the zip pockets. This time I went up a size from the recommended one as I used a less stretchy fabric than before and wanted a more casual fit. I always have to lengthen bodice, arms, and legs on patterns by 5cm, and for this version I added an extra 2cm to the legs and 1cm to the bodice on top of that.

Line art for front and back views of two jumpsuits. View A has long sleeves, view B has short sleeves and cropped legs. Both have zip fronts and patch pockets on hips, back, and chest.
Line art for Closet Core Blanca flightsuit, closetcorepatterns.com

The Blanca has some thoughtful features that help in getting the desired fit without necessarily making a toile or doing a lot of unpicking. I found the back was a bit baggy at the waist this time around, but the hips felt too tight due to the lack of stretch in my fabric. The side seams are sewn last and the back waistband is constructed in such a way that it’s easy to run elastic through it to pull it in. I unpicked the side seams, added the waistband elastic, and resewed taking a smaller seam allowance below the waist.

A woman with short hair wearing a grey jumpsuit stands on a rocky beach with her back to the viewer

I added a patch on the arm. Why a TV test card? I like the colours with the grey denim, and the technical vibe of the design.

A woman with short hair wearing a grey jumpsuit stands side on with her face turned away. There is a colourful patch on the arm of the jumpsuit.

The extra 1cm in the bodice turned out not to be needed and isn’t easy to remove once the garment is in a state to be tried on, so I left it, but I’m glad I added to the legs.

A woman with short hair wearing a grey jumpsuit and yellow trainers walks across gently sloping basalt columns

The fabric is a denim from Fabric Godmother. I originally wanted a stretchy denim and sent off for a few samples from that category, of which this fabric was one. Compared to the other samples I got it barely stretches at all, and I notice it’s described as a cotton and spandex mix but no percentage for the spandex is given. I liked the colour and weight so much I bought it anyway. I also happened to have regular, overlocker, and top-stitching thread to match the grey, which was handy.

For comparison here’s my black version of this pattern, in much stretchier fabric and one size smaller.

Now I’m impatiently waiting for the temperature to go down so I can wear both of them some more. I’m not done with the pattern yet either…I have some more stretch denim lined up for it. Thanks to my husband for the photos.

A woman with short hair wearing a grey jumpsuit and yellow trainers stands on a beach

21 thoughts on “Grey Blanca flight suit”

  1. That looks great! I suspect the extra 1cm in the bodice plays a role in making it more comfortable to sit in. Something about CC patterns makes me want to make them multiple times.

    1. Thanks! It’s certainly comfortable to wear. This was a spendy pattern for me – I’m used to Burda – but well worth it. Good instructions too.

    1. Thanks! The pair with the black jumpsuit with white soles were Adidas Gazelles; the pair with the darker soles were something else but I’m not sure it was Samba, sorry!

  4. HI Catherine, you should have told me that you were coming to NI – we could have met!
    I’ve been following your 80s wardrobe with interest as that’s MY era.

    1. That would have been lovely – maybe we can do something next time! I’m glad bits of the 80s are coming back, I’m enjoying the strong shoulders.

  7. What a great jumpsuit. It looks wonderful on you. The test patch makes you look like you’re part of an interstellar space squad. Love it.

  8. Such fun! I keep thinking I want to make a jumpsuit, but in my mind it’s the 70s Edith Head one. Still can’t figure out the fabric. I am glad you and yours are better.

  10. Both versions look fab on you! Your construction is beautiful & precise. Really like the patch!

  11. Oof! I’m glad your Covid was mild and didn’t interfere with the holiday, especially if it meant escaping the heat. Hopefully it will be chilly damp business as usual soon and you can wear this beautiful new flight suit at home (love the contrast when the cuffs are folded up, by the way). The patch is the very cool icing on the very cool cake.

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