Fast and Easy! Sometimes that’s what I’m in the mood for when deciding what to sew. Not all the time, but sometimes I just need one of those palette cleansing projects that I can throw together in an hour or so. Something I don’t have to even think about or look at the instruction in order to put together. That’s exactly why I was drawn to the Butterick 5652 sewing pattern. 

Pattern Details….

It’s so satisfying, to have a comfy little outfit to throw on after spending very little time sewing it together. Butterick 5652 says it’s “Fast and Easy” plus it’s giving me major 80s vibes so of course it’s a yes for me! The pattern has a couple different views: Shirt, Dress, Caftan, Jumpsuit, and Pants. Fabric Suggestions are: Lightweight broadcloth, Crepe de chine, and Jersey. It warns against using “obvious diagonals.” Notions for the various views are: One package of ½ inch single fold bias tape, one 22 inch zipper, hooks and eyes, and 1 ½ yards of ¾ inch elastic.

All views have very simple lines and look like they require minimum pattern pieces. The jumpsuit is what caught my eye. I had seen a somewhat similar one on a Boutique website but I didn’t like the colors it came in, plus I knew I could make one I would like better. And it only had 3 pattern pieces to cut out: front, back and pockets!!!

Some Minor Changes….

So the jumpsuit pattern has bias tape around the v-neck so it has to have a zipper down the back for getting it off and on. Makes sense, but I don’t roll that way. Like I mentioned above, I like Fast and Easy and I don’t want to think about it. Which is all relative. I definitely didn’t want to have to use a zipper to get in and out of this jumpsuit so I went with this nice French terry knit. That way I could do a knit neckband that would stretch over my hips. 

To make the v-neck band was pretty simple. I just measured the neck opening after I sewed the jumpsuit together and subtracted 15% from the measurement. I cut a little v into the ends of the neck band and sewed it together, then folded it in half to make this cute little v-neck band. 

I stay stitched the front part of the neck at the V and then attached the band on with a zig zag stitch. After it was attached I stitched the seam allowance down with a twin needle so it would still have stretch. I think it looks nice too. 

Oops, One More Change….

So…. after I wore it a few times I realized the sleeve opening was too wide and I needed to fix them. So I grabbed my favorite free pattern, the Hemlock tee from Grainline Studio. I like using the Hemlock sleeve on patterns that have a “grown on” dolman patterns like this jumpsuit. The sleeve doesn’t have a front or back so it’s super easy to install.

I had just enough fabric to use for the sleeves so it was perfect.  I cut the hem of the sleeve off and straightened out the side. Then I left a big enough opening to insert the Hemlock Sleeve and hem it. Super easy. I did this little alteration in about 15 minutes.

I like the sleeves much better now and don’t feel self conscious about flashing everyone through my armholes! Start to finish this took 1 hr and 30 minutes to put together. That’s including the sleeve alteration. This is definitely a “Fast and Easy” pattern. I love it and will most likely make all the views at some point. 

Let’s be friends!

If you are looking for a pattern suitable for more than one occasion, hopefully this post helps you figure out what will work best with your wardrobe needs. Let’s be friends on all the socials! Come follow along on Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook so we can chat about all our sewing projects!