I’m so excited to introduce you to the Durban Jumpsuit and Romper sewing pattern! This pattern is named after the town where I was born, and is inspired by two rompers my mom wore when i was a little toddler. I have so many memories of my mom wearing them, and have always loved how they managed to look both comfy and stylish. At the beginning of last year I asked my mom if I could steal them from her wardrobe – only find out she had finally done a massive wardrobe cleanout and donated them. Of course there was only one solution to this problem – make my own! Throughout the process I got quite excited and I ended up adding so many elements that this has turned into the ultimate modular mix and match jumpsuit set!
Design Details
I wanted to make it possible for you to make as many combos as possible with this pattern. We’ve included long sleeves, short sleeves and sleeveless options. There is a v neckline and a round neckline depending on your preference. When it comes to the bottom half there is a tapered leg, wide leg and shorts options. You know how much I love pockets so of course we needed all the pockets in this pattern! We’ve included inseam pockets, front patch pockets and back patch pockets. They’re deep and roomy and you can pick and choose which you prefer! And of course we included cute belts. This pattern has two, a tie front chevron tip belt, and a D ring chevron tip belt. Phew I need to take a breath haha we included a lot in this pattern!
The neckline, placket and sleeveless versions are finished with beautiful facings to enclose all those raw edges. If you’ve got some pretty buttons you’ve been saving – this is the pattern for you! There are lots of opportunities for topstitching if that is your thing, but you can also leave things quite clean if you prefer.
All The Tutorials!
As always we’ve got a wonderful and really comprehensive sewalong planned for you. We’ll guide you through every single step of sewing your dream jumpsuit, along with fitting and hack advice.
We’ll be spending the next month focusing on the Hovea quilt coat sewalong, and the Durban sewalong will begin in October.
Choosing Fabric
This pattern is drafted for light to medium weight fabrics and can look and feel quite differently based on fabric choice. For our samples we used light and medium weight linen, seersucker, cotton chambray, denim and tencel. Some of testers made their jumpsuits from wool or corduroy for more of a winter option and also for layering like overalls.
All The Variations!
Ok. So I did start with less variations, but I couldn’t help myself, I wanted to give you all the options! This pattern includes 5 and to be honest, you can create many more by mixing and matching the pattern pieces and creating your own look! Let’s have a look at the included variations.
View A Short Sleeve V Neck Tapered Leg Jumpsuit
This view is your easy pick if you’re not sure what to make. It has a bit of everything, works for so many occasions and is just darn cute. It includes inseam pockets as well as back patch pockets, a V neckline and short sleeves. We made this view in antique wash linen for our samples, and it’s so drapey and light. The pant length has been left full length to allow you to choose if you’d like to cuff it, wear it long or even shorten it.
View B Sleeveless V Neck Wide Leg Jumpsuit
This view includes slightly cropped wide leg pants and front patch pockets. This a really fun warm weather option in a lightweight fabric, but in something heavier like denim or corduroy it also makes a great layering piece! We made our Curve sample from denim with the intention of layering it with a Rowan bodysuit for a winter look- and then completely forgot at the photoshoot! Cry! Please someone try this because i know it’ll be gorgeous.
View C Short Sleeve Round Neck Romper with Belt
This view includes a lot of great details! It includes inseam pockets, back patch pockets, a round neckline, short sleeves and a belt. This pattern includes two belts; A D-ring belt and a tie belt. For one romper sample we used a D-ring and for the other the tie belt. It’s really up to you! You can also exclude the belt completely if it’s not your thing. If you choose to make your jumpsuit or romper in a striped fabric it’s really fun to play with the direction of the stripes on the patch pockets and belt!
View D Sleeveless Round Neck Romper
If you are wanting something light and summery or to try this pattern out with a small amount of fabric, this is a great view for you! This view is sleeveless with a round neckline and front patch pockets. It’s the closest view to the original inspiration for this pattern, and as a result it is really close to my heart. It’s a quick and satisfying sew that’s perfect for throwing on to go to the beach or just hanging out on a hot day. I think it would be really fun to try this view out with double gauze or towelling or something very beachy.
View E Round Neck Boiler Suit with belt
We couldn’t make a jumpsuit pattern without going full boiler suit on you! This view includes long sleeves which can be worn cuffed for a utilitarian look, a round neckline, patch pockets, a belt and tapered leg pants. We had so much fun with this view and made one sample from antique wash linen and the other from dark chambray. Much like View C, the belt choice is up to you – for one sample we used a tie belt and the other the D ring belt just to show you the options!
How Does it Fit?
Durban is designed with a loose and comfortable casual fit. This pattern is not overly fitted and is designed to be easy to fit into your daily life! The wide leg version inseam is a bit cropped to ankle height, but we’ve left the tapered leg a bit closer to full length to leave you the option of cuffing it if you like. If you want it a bit more of a cinched waist that is really easy with the inclusion of two belt options! The sleeves are roomy and the sleeve heads are low and wide. The crotch has just the right amount of drop to it for comfort, and to make it easy for you to get your jumpsuit on and off ;) We’ve got some great tips for how to get a good fit for this pattern which are covered in the instructions and the upcoming sewalong.
All the sizes – plus two more!
As with all our patterns Durban is available in sizes 0-20 and Curve sizes 14-34. Did we mention that our Curve range has been extended and now includes two more sizes? Durban is one of our first patterns to go up to size 34 and i’m so excited!
Choosing Your Size Range
If you find yourself in the crossover 14-20 sizes and are struggling to choose between the Durban and Durban Curve patterns we will have a comprehensive post coming detailing how to choose the pattern that’s best for you.
I hope you love this pattern as much as we loved working on it for you! If you have any questions please let me know in the blog comments!
We can’t wait to see what you create with the Durban jumpsuit and romper pattern! Don’t forget to tag your makes #MNdurban and @megannielsenpatterns because we love seeing what you make!
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