Matinee + Jumpsuit = Love (a pattern mashup)

Every once in a while a new sewing pattern will be released that becomes an instant "must-sew" and for me, the new Matinee Dress by A Jennuine Life is one such pattern.
I fell in love with the picture you see below of a gorgeous green and white dress Jenn made. When she released it as a pattern I new I HAD to make it for my girls! I also knew I had to share it with you!! (I loved it so much I am highly recommending it and have included affiliate links in this post. I only become affiliates for patterns I know you'll love too!)

The pattern includes a dress option as well as a sweet peplum top. The directions are so great and I could have made either of those but I wanted to switch it up a bit...and needed to figure out a way to not sew buttonholes since that function of my machine is still broken. (I'm patiently saving my pennies for a new machine and in the meantime learning to be creative to avoid buttonholes altogether.)

I modified several things in the pattern. I made some skinny fabric ties for the back instead of the fabric strap that can go all the way around the bodice. I lowered the scoop of the front neckline and also used a stretchy bottomweight fabric so the lower back buttons weren't needed. The outfit is stretchy enough to pull on and off even with the back being completely sewn shut.

Because of the stretchy fabric, I cut the bodice one size smaller than I would have in a woven fabric. This top is a size 4, with a size 6 length so I could attach it to the pants easily. I lined the bodice as directed in the pattern, although I cut the lining a bit longer than the size 7 pattern piece since I planned to use the lining as the waistband elastic casing on the inside.

Here's the pattern mashup part: the jumpsuit pants are the Ash Jumpsuit by Petit a Petit and Family for Willow & Co. This is also a phenomenal pattern. I made a size 5 in the pants and made sure the width of the front and back pattern pieces lined up for the bodice and pants. Then I crossed my fingers that I'd like the results and sewed them together. It looked great!

The waistband elastic casing worked out differently than I originally intended. I ended up using a zig zag stitch and attaching the elastic on the inside of the waist seam. Then I took the extra length of lining and stitched in the ditch all the way around the waistband, tacking the lining down to cover the elastic so the inside would be comfortable against my daughter's skin.

I purchased this fabric (at Joann Fabrics) to make a pair of Kudzu Cargos with (you'll soon see those when I unveil a new pattern coming soon...yippee) and I didn't have quite enough fabric leftover for a long jumpsuit. So I cut the length of the pants just below the knee and then added a knit band to the bottom. I am in love with how it turned out!

My girl loves it too and thinks this whole outfit is as comfy as pajamas!

If you're looking for a versatile pattern for a little girl, the Matinee Dress and Peplum Top is perfect. (get it right now and you save 20% on this pattern using code matineetour20) You can do so many fun things with this pattern...even turning it into a jumpsuit. The back detail in this pattern is my favorite part and you have to check out the amazing versions made by the other bloggers in the Matinee Tour!