Beth's Blanca Flight Suit

Beth's Blanca Flight Suit

I was super excited to be chosen as a blogger for Jenny Stitches, a wonderful fabric shop based in Barrow (and also online!) near the Lake District.

I decided that I would like to make the Blanca Flight Suit by Closet Core Patterns, an all-in-one vintage-workwear-inspired suit that I have long admired, and looked like something I could really sink my sewing teeth into.

The suit can be made with long or short sleeves, a full-length or cropped leg with various additional tapered, tabbed, zipped, and belted options!  I chose to go for the short sleeves and cropped leg version with a tie belt, although being, ahem, vertically challenged, the cropped leg is full length on me.  I was going to shorten the length, but then decided that I quite like having the versatility of being able to wear it as it is, or rolling it up for a cropped look!  I also like that I can layer the suit with a top underneath to make it more versatile depending on our changeable British weather.

I visited Jenny’s lovely shop in person so that I could choose just the right fabric for my project, and decided to go with a classic 8oz blue denim.  The fabric was a joy to work with – being a midweight denim meant that it was soft and not too heavy to sew with, but not too light that it didn’t hold its shape which lent itself really well to the Blanca with its crisp pintucks on the back, statement pockets (including two hip pockets which double up as belt loops) and shirt style collar. 

I made my first ever toile for the Blanca – something which is recommended in the pattern, and I found this part of the process to be invaluable.  After a bit of tweaking, I eventually got the right fit in my toile, but discovered that once it was on, I struggled to actually remove my arms from the sleeves without assistance which wasn’t really going to be practical!  I emailed Closet Core Patterns for advice, who were really helpful, and decided to grade between my current size based on the pattern’s measurements, and the next size up for the top half of the suit.

When it came to sewing the Blanca from my denim fabric, I found it to be such a satisfying project.  The instructions are great, both in the pattern booklet and in an online sew-along.  There are so many wonderful features in the Blanca, and I thoroughly enjoyed sewing all of them (even the collar, usually a bug bear for me!) and I loved sewing the zip in from underneath the basted front, something which I’d never done before and, whilst slightly nail-biting at times, looked amazing when it was finished.

If you’re not a fan of topstitching, this might not be the project for you, but I loved doing it and found it so satisfying because it really brought the garment to life.  Jenny and I looked at topstitching threads together, but the colour I wanted was only available as a standard Gutermann thread and so, upon Jenny’s advice, I sewed with double threads in the needle (using both thread holders on my sewing machine) and this worked brilliantly.  Having chosen a vibrant lime green thread, I really wanted the colour to pop and having two threads really made it stand out.

I am absolutely thrilled with how my flight suit has turned out and, truth be told, quite chuffed with myself for making it.  Excuse me whilst I run off to my nearest airport, as I am flight ready…

Jenny Says...

Wow! I'm sure you'll agree with me that Beth's flight suit is simply stunning! I'm so pleased that she took the plunge and made something a little out of her comfort zone, she really stretched her skills to new levels with this make. I'm a particular fan of the contrast top stitching she's chosen, the zingy lime shade is a fresh change from the traditional gold and denim combination.

Inspired to make your own version? Here's what you'll need:

Pattern : Closet Core Patterns Blanca Flight Suit

Fabric : 8oz Denim - Mid Wash

Zipper : 22" Navy Closed End

Thread: Gutermann Sew All 100m Shade 068

For the top stitching : Gutermann Sew All 100m Shade 334 

Disclosure:

Beth was provided with the pattern and materials for her project free of charge and received a gift voucher in recognition of the time spent on her project.

 

 

 

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2 comments

well done on your first blog Beth. love your outfit it’s gorgeous and really suits you and you did a fantastic job with the topstitching

Judy Chandler

Really enjoyed your first blog Jenny : lovely fabric and pattern ; it’s lovely to see your fabrics made into garments for inspiration .well done Beth ,all the hard work and effort you have put into making your flight suit has paid off ,it looks gorgeous well done👏👏👏

Carol matheson

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