Every garment I make I pretty much full in love with these days but this one is extra special. The Seaweed color Lara Linen from Potter & Co is next level beautiful. It was the perfect washed back blue hue that I had been dreaming of.
I had been eyeing off the Intrepid Boilersuit by Alice & Co Patterns for sometime and it was a done deal for me once I spotted Gyasti version of it on good old Instagram. It was the soft neutral tone of her suit that inspired me.
My measurements were close to the size 6 and this is what I proceeded with for my toile. I made my toile in the brightest Purple plain weave linen from The Fabric Store. I also made my toile with a button front tab and elastic casing through the back and side front.
On review of my toile I made the following adjustments.
The thigh and seat area felt a little tight in comparison to the rest of the suit. I decided to add 1cm to each side seam through the hip along with 1cm through the inleg but only at crotch point for about 12cm down the leg. I also remove some of the hook from the back rise shaping as it felt like it was going up my butt a little. Below are images of the pattern alterations I made.
I also felt it was pulling up at the back waist so I add 1cm into the back rise. Again pictures below of this adjustment.
I decided not to add the waist casing and instead 7 belt loops and a self fabric belt.
The hardest decision for me was the front closure. I thought I wanted a concealed button front but after further consideration I opted for a lap front zipper opening. This decision was based on ease of wear. It so much easier to unzip a onesie than unbutton a million buttons when needing to use the loo!
I also knew I didn’t want the zipper to be a feature as an exposed metal zipper so I used a dress zipper and the lapped zipper technique. And I am so happy with the outcome.
I think I was so caught up in the front closure and pant adjustment that I overlooked the front chest pocket positions. I think they are a little to high and not quite positioned right. Next time I will take greater care to review all features.
I love the way I can style my Boilersuit with sneakers for a daytime look and heels for an evening look. I am genuinely really happy with this make and I will be using this beautiful washed linen from Potter & Co on another project in the not to distant future.
Wow, elegance AND utility! So beautiful.
Thank you! It’s one of my favorite makes and I get compliments on it all the time! It’s a great pattern that I can definitely recommend.
Hi there I was really inspired by your finished garment and how polished the lapped zip looks. I know it t was such a long time ago since you made it but can I ask you if you had to add more to the seam allowance to add the lapped zip? The seam allowance in this part of the pattern is only 1cm or ⅜ inch and all the tutorials I’ve seen seem to recommend at least a ⅝ inch seam allowance for this technique? Thanks so much!
Sorry for my very late reply. I added some extra SA to the zipper area. 5/8″ would be perfect.