Check Out How I Made a DIY Jumpsuit From Scratch in This Tutorial

Jessica Shaw
by Jessica Shaw
13 Materials
$15
3 Hours
Medium

I don’t know about you, but I love a good jumpsuit. The one I made in this tutorial, though, really takes the cake. It’s so unique in its angles and versatility and is really just so gorgeous. In this tutorial, I’ll take you through the different steps I took to create this jumpsuit from scratch, starting from drafting the pattern. The end result was so worth the effort!

Tools and materials:

  • Fabric
  • Jumpsuit or flowy pants
  • Paper
  • Marker
  • Ruler
  • Knitting needle
  • Curved ruler
  • Sewing pins
  • Sewing machine
  • Scissors
  • Iron
  • Serger
  • Elastic
DIY jumpsuit

Draft the pattern

The first thing I had to do was draft the pattern. So I grabbed some pattern paper and laid a jumpsuit I already had onto it. This can also be done with a flowy pair of pants. I folded it in half with the backside of the pants facing up and I traced it all around. Then, using a curved ruler, I made curves at the top and at the hip. Then I added ½” seam allowance all around. I marked it with a B for back and cut it out. 

DIY jumpsuit sewing pattern

Draft the front

Once I finished tracing the back, I folded the jumpsuit so that the front was facing up and traced all around it. I then straightened my lines and added seam allowance. This time I marked it with an F for, you guessed it, front, and cut it out. 

DIY jumpsuit tutorial

Add a strip of paper

I cut a strip of paper 4” wide and the length of my pants. I then made a slit going all the way up the back of my pants and put the strip of paper there, tapering it all the way down. This makes it so that there’s enough room in the pants to put them on since I wasn’t going to put in a zipper.

Easy DIY jumpsuit

Trace the bodice

To draft the pattern for the bodice, I took a tank top that fits me well and put it on some paper, folded over. I then traced it all around and, again, straightened my lines and added the curves. I then used my ruler to mark where the waist is, then drew a straight line, and cut the bodice out at that line. 

Sew a jumpsuit

Modify the bodice piece

I took the bodice piece and put it on my dress form so that I could visualize how much I needed to add to the bodice to get a slanted edge under the arm. I traced my original pattern again and used my ruler to make that slanted edge, having already factored in the seam allowance. Then I added darts to the pattern using the slash and thread method. I cut a second line to avoid bunching when spreading the paper. Taping down the overlap, I added a line in the center of the dart and traced all around the edges. Lastly for this part, I added a dart leg on the right and cut out the bodice piece.

How to sew a jumpsuit

Cut out the fabric

For the fabric, I used a little more than 2.5 yards of 46” wide fabric. I laid it out and placed my pattern pieces on the fabric, then cut them out. I cut out one bodice piece on the fold, a second bodice piece for lining, two pieces for the back of the pants, and two pieces for the front of the pants. 

How to make a jumpsuit

Make neck straps and waistband

The next thing I had to do was make the neck-straps. I cut out four strips of fabric that were 3” wide and 55” long. For the waistband, I measured the back of my pants and doubled the measurement, making sure to include seam allowance. I then did the same thing for the front of the pants. 

Make your own jumpsuit

Sew the darts

Before I started sewing, I overlocked the edges of the fabric pieces. I then took the bodice piece and placed my pattern onto it, tracing under it to mark my darts. I did the same thing for the lining, then I pinned my darts and sewed them. 

Make a jumpsuit from scratch

Sew the neck straps

I took my four neck straps and doubled them up, right sides facing each other, and pinned them together along the edges. I then sewed down the long sides and closed off one of the ends. Then, to flip them right side out, I took a knitting needle and pushed it through the opening until the straps were facing the right direction. 

How to make a jumpsuit from scratch

Make the loops

Now it was time to make the loops at the sides of the jumpsuit for the straps to go through. I cut out two little strips of fabrics and rolled each one up by folding one side to the center, ironing the fold, and then folding in and ironing the other side. Then I folded it in half and ironed it again, and went over to my sewing machine to sew it down. 

How to DIY a jumpsuit

Sew the bodice

The next thing I did was use one seam to connect the bodice lining to the outside of the bodice, to the strap, and to attach the loop. I did this by laying my straps down on one of the bodice pieces, ½” away from the edge, then pinning them in place. I then grabbed the loop strips and placed them ½” away from the sides in a loop. Next, I grabbed the second bodice piece and laid it on top of the first piece, placing pins all around the edges, and sewed along the sides, up the armpit, and across. 

Homemade jumpsuit

Sew the pants

Moving on to the pants, I laid out the back side of the pants on top of the front side, matching up the side seams and the inseam, and pinned all the way around. I repeated this for the second leg, then went ahead and sewed them both down the side seam and down the inseam. I then took it over to my serger and serged the edges of the stitches I had just sewn for a clean finish. 

Homemade jumpsuit DIY

Connect the pant legs

I flipped one of the pant legs right side out and put it inside the inside out pant leg. I then matched them up along the center seam and sewed all around. I serged the seam and the bottom of the pants. With the bottom edges serged, I folded them up by about ½”, then did a topstitch all around, giving me a clean hem. 

Jumpsuit with pattern

Attach the waistband

I took the shorter waistbands and laid each one on top of the longer waistbands. Then I pinned together both ends and sewed them along the sides. I used my iron to press them open and put the waistband around the bottom of the bodice, right sides together. I matched them up at the center and pinned them. Then I took the waistband lining and put it on the inside, so that the bodice was sandwiched between the waistband pieces, and pinned all around. I sewed along the bottom, then unfolded the waistband, and pressed it. 

How to make a jumpsuit pattern

Attach the bodice to the pants

I put the bodice around the pants, right sides together, and folded up the waistband lining away from the waistband. Then I pinned the waistband to the pants, all the way around, and sewed. Then I flipped it around to the back and folded the waistband down and folded it under by ½” and topstitched it down, starting at the side seam and ending at the other side seam. 

How to draft a jumpsuit pattern

Insert the elastic

The final step was to insert the elastic in the back of the pants. I cut an elastic down to my waist measurement divided by two and fastened a safety pin to the end of it. I then put the elastic in through the front side of the pants which I had left open. I fed it through until both sides of the elastic were out, making sure that the elastic was sticking out past the side seam by about ½” and pinned it down. Then I folded the front waistband lining down and topstitched it down, making sure to also get the elastic so that it’ll stay in place. I went up the side seam, all the way across, and back up the other side seam.  

Completed DIY jumpsuit


Jumpsuit with cross ties


You guys, this is literally my favorite thing I have ever made. EVER. It’s so cute and so comfortable, and I’m obsessed. I can tie it in the back, or bring it around and tie it in front instead. It’s perfect for my indecisiveness. I’m just so happy about this project and how it came out. I highly recommend you make it for yourself and be sure to leave me a picture of yours in the comments! 

Suggested materials:
  • Fabric
  • Jumpsuit/flowy pants
  • Paper
See all materials

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 1 comment
  • LorriLJ LorriLJ on Mar 03, 2021

    So comfortable and dressy looking at the same time! Beautiful job. If I could design a hidden trapdoor for it I would be all over it...

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