How to make a jumpsuit

1. Materials & tools

Materials (one jumpsuit, size M)

• Main fabric (linen, lightweight denim or cotton) — about 110 cm wide × 260 cm (43 × 102 in)
• Flat elastic, 2.5 cm — your waist measurement × 0.8, plus 5 cm
• Fabric for bias binding — about 50 × 6 cm × 3
• Sewing thread

Tools

• Sewing machine (or needle and thread)
• Fabric marker or pencil
• Ruler and scissors
• Iron
• Pins or clips

2. Make the pattern (auto-generated in Katagami)

With the Katagami pattern tool, you just enter the finished size and it drafts a seam-allowance-included pattern, tiled to print at actual size on Letter or A4.

1. Open the tool
   Open the pattern tool and choose “Adult clothes” → “Jumpsuit” from the tabs at the top.
2. Enter the size
   Enter the chest, hip, bodice length, rise, inseam, neckline width and ease. Presets cover S, M, L and a wide version.
3. Set the seam allowance
   Use the slider at the bottom (beginners: 1.0–1.5 cm / about 3/8–5/8 in).
4. Print
   Press “Print (actual size)”, then in the print dialog set Scale = 100% and turn “Fit to page” OFF. Check the 50 mm calibration box on the first guide sheet with a ruler.

3. Cutting the fabric

1. Trace the pattern
   Lay the pattern on the wrong side and trace both lines. The bodice's center line is the fold.
2. Cut the pieces
   Bodice: front on the fold, back on the fold. Trousers: 2 fronts and 2 backs, 4 in all.
3. Transfer the notches
   Mark the armholes on the bodice and the crotch notch on the trousers.
4. Finish the edges
   Zigzag or overlock the allowances.

4. Sewing

4-1. Sew the bodice

1. Place front and back right sides together and sew both shoulders.
2. Carry on and sew both side seams.
3. Bind the neckline and both armholes with bias tape.

4-2. Sew the trousers

1. Place the two fronts right sides together and sew the crotch curve. Same for the backs.
2. Place front and back right sides together and sew both sides.
3. Then sew the inseam in one run, hem to hem.

4-3. Join bodice to trousers

1. Turn the bodice right side out, leave the trousers wrong side out, and drop the bodice inside the trousers — right sides together.
2. Match side seam to side seam and center to center, then sew right round the waist.
3. Press the allowance up into the bodice and topstitch it down. That allowance becomes the elastic casing.

4-4. Elastic and hems

1. Leave 3 cm of that topstitching unsewn and thread the elastic through.
2. Cut it to 80% of your waist, overlap the ends by 2 cm and stitch.
3. Close the gap and hem both legs.

✏️ When you join bodice to trousers, match the side seams first. If they are out, the whole thing twists on the body and the side seam runs at an angle. Pin the four points — both sides, center front, center back — and fill in between them.

5. Tips & variations

• Wide elastic: 2.5 cm or more keeps the waist from bunching.
• Layer it: sleeveless by design, meant to go over a T-shirt or blouse.
• Go wider: increase the ease for a proper workwear silhouette.