Simplicity 8789: Black & White bodysuit

Are you a fan of slow sewing? Honestly, I'm not. I like to start a project and have it wrapped up within a few days. However, life has a way of slowing everyone down at one time or another, and I'm no exception to that. This bodysuit is a certified slow sew project, taking about 9 days to complete.

Simplicity 8789 has been in my sewing queue for months, and I'm happy I finally got to it. I went with a white satin back crepe from JoAnn. I cut the size small and added an inch to the top panty. I also lengthened the crotch area. My modifications are minor, but I think both were great decisions. First, I added piping to the front bodice and cuffs. I wanted the blouse to have a pop of color, and the black really suits my current wardrobe color palette.

My major change was the finish of the bodysuit panty. I decided to finish it with stretch lace that has been sitting in my stash for years (I had grand plans to sew panties, hasn't happened yet), so I put it to use. If you finish your leg openings similarly, you will need to reduce width in the leg opening, depending on the width of your lace. Mine is 7/8 inch wide, so I removed about 5/8 inch from each side of the leg opening. Then using a zig-zag stitch, I sewed the lace to the leg edge, stretching the lace slightly as I went around the curve. I finished the snap crotch area with twill tap for stability before adding the snaps. Guess what that means, seamless panty, which means no panty line! A definite win and I think I'll be finishing all my bodysuits using this method. The bodysuit is styled with black slacks from WHBM and black and white Calvin Klein pumps. So there you have it, until next time creatives.