Right after finishing my first Givre dress, I jumped head-first into my next stretchy project, which was completely different. At first when I saw this pattern released, I figured it could wait, but I kept seeing pictures of it show up in my Instagram feed, and I gave in. The same day I bought the floral fabric for the Givre dress at Elfriede’s, I bought some gorgeous bamboo jersey knit for the Sirocco Jumpsuit.

I worried that the jersey would be too thin, but after completing the outfit, my fears were gone. This thing is literally like wearing a PJ onesie, except it’s socially acceptable and it gets TONS of compliments.

Like the other patterns of Deer & Doe I’ve sewn, the directions made sense to me and the pieces fit together like I thought they should. The biggest challenge for me was due to the fabric - making sure I was always clear of the inside and the outside of the garment. I could not (and still cannot) for the life of me tell what the right and wrong sides of this fabric are. I even had my husband try to tell, and he couldn’t. So, when sewing the pieces together, I made sure that my seams always faced the same way, double checking anything I pinned before actually making any stitches. This pattern includes a few pleats and a set of darts, but other than that, it’s just sewing together pattern pieces and finishing hems. The pockets include some clear elastic, and this is the first time I’ve used this, but now after a few times, I feel pretty good about it. I was a little worried about it lying flat along the top of the pocket, but putting it on it’s something that isn’t really noticeable, and I’ve found that not using pins and just going slowly and holding it in place works well.

I brought this amazing outfit on our 2019 European adventure - not only was it cute, but it was great for long days in the car!

The instructions didn’t come with anything super clear about how to finish/hem the sleeves or legs, but because of the waistband and neckband pieces, I decided to create “cuffs” to give the whole piece a more structured look. I also tapered the legs in a bit, as they were way too long for my short self, so were a bit wider than I wanted when I chopped off 8 inches.

I made this mid-June of 2019, and had no plans to make it again soon - while I love it, it’s a bit more involved than the Givre or the Zéphyr. However, the next month I was picking up fabric for a photo backdrop for my Mother-In-Law’s surprise birthday party, and stumbled upon a beautiful floral double-brushed polyester at Joann’s and bought 6 yards for the backdrop. I knew I’d have to make something for her with it, but I also knew that I had PLENTY to make something for myself, too. My Instagram feed had featured many cute floral versions of the Sirocco Jumpsuit, so I decided I needed one. In August I made the romper version and boy is it PERFECT. So perfect, in fact, that I insisted my mother-in-law and sister-in-law needed matching ones. I made the longer version for MIL and the romper version for SIL. They’re slightly different shapes than I am, and I graded a pattern between sizes for the first time for them, too! Also, rather than cuffs on the sleeves and legs, I just did a normal hem, giving it a more casual look.

We have yet to get a group picture in them, but it will happen someday… Plus I think I even have enough to squeeze one out for my sister, too.

Below pictures are, from left to right, me at Meow Wolf, my MIL in Portugal, and me at Meow Wolf.

I’m not sure when I’ll make my next one, but I’m sure it’ll come sooner than I plan. While it does have many pieces, it’s a totally do-able project. Especially if you’ve made several of the exact same one a few times in a row. 😂

A jumpsuit feels like a statement piece, so I think I’ll wait to make my next one until the perfect idea strikes me, or until the right fabric pops out at me. This could be a fun one to color-block (there could be some INCREDIBLE Disneybound opportunities with this 😉)