Review: McCall's 7366 | Plunging-Neckline Jumpsuit!

So I made this McCall's 7366 jumpsuit. I thought this jumpsuit was hot, sexy and super fashion-forward when I first saw it and I knew I was going to make it. I think a lot of McCall's fans -- well, the ones that don't have an aversion to having to pee in a public restroom while wearing a jumpsuit -- wanted to love this and probably did in theory. But this jumpsuit pattern has one very scary plunging neckline.

The neckline on the pattern is deep! And if you're tall like me and have to add length at the waist? It's deep-er! I'm no prude. Nor am I on #TeamModesty. Yes, someone created a hashtag to say they dress "normal". But anyway... 

It was time to think about how I was going to handle the sternum-baring plunging neckline. And this is where a lot of sewers look at this pattern and put it back. Just disregarding all of the fabulous potential! No matter the educational level of a new-ish sewer, they all seem to overthink how to modify a pattern to suit them. Sewing is treated with a difficulty higher than Engineering. And it shouldn't be. Sewing is basically operating the machine, which requires: hand, eye and foot control -- like a car. And common knowledge because we've all seen and worn clothes before. So you have a basic understanding of what fabric your clothes are made of and what may potentially work. And if you're reading this, you have the internet. I mentioned in a previous post that you must adapt a pattern to suit the proportions of your own body, taste, style and comfort level. And also how pattern pieces and the instructions that accompany them are just "suggestions". They are YOURS, you bought it! You are free to move them about, eliminate, swap around, cut off, add on and make any changes you want to make. The Sewing Gestapo is not going to come and haul you off if you don't sew precisely based on the pattern. So stop overthinking!!!

So this is what I did so I wouldn't have a belly button plunging neckline. I cut the size 12 and added an inch to the length because the bodice on patterns are never long enough for me.  In the above photo, I show you all of the places I added interfacing to in order to stabilize. For the center front, the instructions suggest where to sew to in order to have that plunging neckline. If you want it higher, then sew higher.  I sewed mine up 7" from the bottom. I wanted cleavage, but I wanted to feel like I was secure because this is NOT a bra-friendly jumpsuit. The thing that you may not know is that when you see celebrities wearing belly button-plunging garments is that they're taped into those things. Double-sided tape is holding those bodices in place. I don't want to do all of that rigging for my regular life, so my bodice would need to stay in place on its own.

My fabric is a scuba jersey knit that I've had for a while. It's very lightweight, like a ponte. The bodice is lined, so I used the same fabric to self-line mine. Here is the bodice after the collar was added.

The back of the jumpsuit is open but overlaps across the top and is closed at the collar with hooks and eyes.

The pants are tapered with front pockets, back darts and a back zipper. I added 5 inches to the length of my pants. They were super short for me. My alteration gave me a 33" inseam. The pattern suggested a center lapped zipper. That's always a no-go for me. I used an invisible zipper and attached the bodice as instructed.

I wasn't a fan of the cumberbund style belt. It was too lady-tux formalwear for me. My jumpsuit is meant to be casual wear and I love having the option of any belt I want. 

This pattern is awesome in my opinion and I plan on revisiting it and also making the View D.