Paisley Playsuit-By Land & By Sea

Here’s my entry for the New to Me Contest over at The Monthly Stitch for Week 2 of Indie Pattern Month.  I went with Salme Patterns after seeing Kat’s inspiration post here showing a sweet little sundress.  I’ve never used a pattern from Salme but had seen quite a few that I liked on pinterest and love that this was a PDF so I could get started right away! I wanted a quick and easy summer make that wouldn’t use too much fabric. I had this  lovely orange and blue (my fav colors) paisley curtain in my stash that I got on clearance for like $8 over at World Market. It’s almost sheer but not quite, a lovely soft cotton. This playsuit fit the bill, even though my husband hates rompers with a passion! My compromise was that this would be a beach look :)

• Pattern: Salme 113 Playsuit
• Fabric:  World Market Paisley Curtain
• Notions: 4 cream and brown buttons from my stash(Joann’s) and non roll elastic for waistband

I took these pictures this weekend beachside at Barefoot Beach with the family. My husband’s sis and the kids are in town on vacation so we all headed out!   It’s also our favorite beach, we were married there a little over 8 years ago :)  I forgot my tripod (I had to resort to the cooler for my prop) and needed more close-ups so the next batch were taken at Golden Gate park early this morning with the kids.  OMG it is so hot here already so this make was lovely to wear at the playground too!

The PDF itself is nice and compact layout-wise and is wonderfully easy to piece together with nice markers for lining everything up.  I cut this pattern in a size 12 based on my waist and hip and didn’t size down on the top-my measurements put me in the 10- to keep it a bit more blousy.  I also added an inch to the shorts length and did a small fold over hem which added about another inch in length.  I really prefer a longer short and like the longer proportion this gave me with the looser top.

This was a quick make until I got to the pockets which gave me no end of grief.  The instructions for this PDF pattern are quite sparse, if I was a beginner I would have had a really hard time with this.  The pockets are cut into 4 pieces.  I assume so you can just use a different interior lining without it showing.  Since I was using all one fabric I found them a bit over designed and a pain in the a@s!  Next time I’ll just draft my own or leave them off.  The bodice instructions were quite good but once you get to the shorts the instructions get less clear, to the point that it doesn’t even mention how to attach the bodice to the actual shorts. I think if this had a structured waistband the pocket design would work, but with a gathered elastic waist it sadly ruins the effect.

I chose to make a contrast waistband out of another curtain, also from World Market, a remnant from my Grainline tank, and used the same material for my bodice facing.  I also left off the belt loops on my version since this is meant to be more of a beach cover up or lounge outfit for at home so i won’t be wearing a belt.  Truthfully I’d be happy never wearing a belt, they’re just uncomfortable.  I really love the shape of the bodice and the sleeves and may make another version just as a blouse.  The pattern calls for snaps but I went with buttons instead. I have a slowly dwindling collection since my daughter loves to play with them so much. Since the material is quite light I didn’t want to worry about them tearing the fabric as well. Because my blouse was a little larger I was able to have a bit more of a crossover on the front, and the buttons are perfect for breastfeeding access!  My oldest is weaned now but my youngest still nurses quite a bit so this was a must for the beach.  Especially since Ami always nurses at nap time and takes about a 2 hour snooze every time we hit the beach :)  I love that little break!

This is a really comfortable wear and I’m happily impressed with the final piece.  I had my doubts when I was making it and almost gave up on it at one point. But now I’m thinking a version in a soft jersey sized down would make lovely sleepwear! I’m sure you’ll be seeing that soon :) For now I’m only planning on posting once a week for the summer since I’ll have both kids at home.  Already got our schedule up to keep us busy and keep mommy sane!  Happy Summer!

P.S.: If you haven’t already voted head on over here to vote for the Indie dresses contest!  My entry is the Lemon Drop Maxi :)  You have until midnight (UTC) on June 13th to vote!