Qualicum Jumpsuit Separates Tutorial

I am back with another tutorial for the Qualicum jumpsuit and this one is a fun two for one tutorial. With a few steps you are left with two separate garments that are fun to wear together or even mixed and matched with other garments in your closet.

When sewing this tutorial I went for the long pants and sleeveless top but the tutorial works for any of the views, in fact I already have a pair of shorts with inseam pockets planned. The possibilities are endless.

I love everything about the Qualicum jumpsuit pattern as designed but I also love some of the different elements of the pattern that make for fun individual garments which is really what inspired this post.

The button front placket is one of my favourite parts and I just knew it would make a great cropped top to pair with my high waist Ash jeans, but also cute with some shorts in the summer.

When thinking about the pants I decided to model them after a pair of shorts I have that are in constant rotation through the summer by adding a shirred waistband. I love the comfort of the shirred waistband especially as the temperatures get warmer, it feels more relaxed than an elastic waistband. Paired with a Greenwood tank and you are good to go. I can talk from experience these pants get a lot of attention when out, I got many compliments while wearing them around town the other day.

The following tutorials will walk you through how to achieve the look of these separates.

Shirred Pants

Start by cutting the back pattern piece along the lengthen/shorten line.

2. Since the front pieces are already separate you will only need to modify the front bottom slightly. The original pattern piece has a notch in the center front to allow room for the placket. Simply extend the center front up to the new top of the piece and connect that line across the top. Lastly, measure the width of the pant piece across the top and subtract 5/8″. To create the waistband piece, draw a rectangle that is 6″ tall by the the measurement you just figured out in length. Mark this new piece to be cut on the fold at the short end. You will cut 4 on the fold in fabric and 2 on the fold in interfacing. Apply interfacing to the wrong side of two pieces.

3. With the right sides together, sew the two non-interfaced waistbands together along the short ends. Press the seam allowance open. Repeat with the two interfaced waistband pieces, this is now the waistband facing. Press the bottom edge of the waistband facing 1/4″ towards the wrong side. With right sides together, sew the waistband and facing pieces together along the top edge.

4. With right sides together, sew the front and back pant legs along the side seam and inseam. Finish the seam allowance and repeat with the second set of pant legs.

5. With the right sides together, slip one pant leg into the other matching up the center front, crotch point, and center back. Sew the pant legs together along the front and back rise of the pants.

6. With the pants turned right side out and the waistband wrong sides out, slip the waistband over the top edge of the pants and pin in place. With the waistband facing hanging down towards the bottom of the pants, sew the waistband to the top edge of the pants.

7. Press the seam allowance towards the facing and then fold the facing towards the inside of the pants. The folded edge will cover the stitch line from the previous step. Press everything well and then sew the facing down 1/8″ from the inside folded edge.

8. The waistband is shirred which is the process of sewing rows of stitches 1/2” apart using elastic thread in the bobbin and regular thread in the needle. Wind the bobbin by hand with elastic thread, try not to pull the elastic too tight while winding it. After inserting the bobbin in the machine, change the stitch length of the machine to 4. If your machine has an automatic thread cutter, do not use that feature when shirring as it will not work well with the elastic thread.

Sew the first row of stitches 1/2″ down from the top edge of the waistband. Backstitch at the beginning and ending of each row, this will hold the elastic in place. Continue sewing straight lines around the waistband every 1/2” until reaching the bottom of the waistband. This process doesn’t have to be exact, just do your best. The fabric will begin to gather as you move down the rows, just make sure to pull the fabric taught as you sew each row.

9. Hover a steam iron 1″ above the shirring and steam the fabric well. This will bring all the elastic thread back to shape and make the gatherings even tighter.

Last thing to do is hem the pants according to the original pattern instructions.

Cropped Button Front Top

To create the top, there are on a few steps that differ from the original pattern and that is in regards to sewing the placket.

With right sides together sew the back pieces together along the center back seam. With right sides together sew the front pieces to the back along the shoulder seams and side seams. Follow step 8 in the original pattern for preparing the placket pieces.
With the right side of the placket towards the wrong side of the front piece, line up the non interfaced raw edge of the placket with the inside raw edge of the top. Sew the placket to the top with a 3/8″ seam allowance. Trim the placket to the length of the front. Repeat with the other placket.

3. Press the placket in half, and bring the folded edge towards the front of the top. The folded edge will cover the seam line from the previous step. Topstitch the folded edge of the placket to the top 1/8″ from the inside folded edge. Press well and repeat with the second placket.