Friday Pattern Company Elysian Bodysuit

Friday Pattern Company — Elysian Bodysuit

Friday's are the best night of the week for sewing, according to Friday Pattern Company founder, Chelsea Gurnoe, and we'd tend to agree! Chelsea started Friday Pattern Company way back in 2015 which quickly became a household name in the home sewing community. Passionate about giving back, 5% of all patterns sales go to a good cause — sales from the Elysian Bodysuit give back to the ACLU (the American Civil Liberties Union).

This pattern comes in sizes XS/0 to 7X/32 (32”/81cm -60”/152cm chest). We chose size XXL (sizing up from XL) for Zosia and added 2 cm to the crotch to accommodate for the lack of lengthways stretch in our fabric choice. The project took 1.4m of our ZQ Premium Merino - River and 4 spools of matching Gütermann Sew-All Thread as we overlocked our seams, this matched Friday Pattern Company's recommended yardage.

The printed instruction manual was very easy to follow, with clear, well-written steps and guiding illustrations, this pattern also comes with mobile-friendly instructions — hallelujah! With only 4 main pattern pieces (a double layered front upper bodice, lower front piece, back, and sleeves) it all came together very quickly. We used an overlocker/serger on all seams and we also added the optional double topstitching along the binding edges of the scoop back neckline and leg bindings.

We love the double-layered bodice and the curved under-bust seam, allowing extra support and the ability to bag out the front neckline and inner shoulder seams, making for a nice clean finish inside and out!

The Elysian Bodysuit is currently available for download in PDF format, from Friday Pattern Company's website here. Use the code ELYSIAN at the checkout for 25% off this pattern before the 8th of August.

The Friday Pattern Company has designed this bodysuit specifically for knits with 50% 4-way stretch, this means your fabric ideally stretches both lengthwise and across the grain. Within the instruction booklet, there is a handy 'stretch percentage guide' to help you make the right choice.

Our ZQ Premium Merino - River has the correct stretch percentage across the fabric but minimal lengthwise stretch, making it technically not a suitable choice for this pattern. For this reason, we made a toile out of merino offcuts from other projects and sized up (from XL to XXL) and we added 2cm to the crotch to accommodate the lack of lengthways stretch. This worked out well and we made no further adjustments. If like us, you decide to use a 2-way stretch fabric like our merino we highly recommend making up a toile in a fabric with the same amount of stretch as your final fabric to make sure the fit is perfectly snug but not too tight!

Below are our top fabric picks that pass the stretch percentage test in the Elysian Bodysuit pattern booklet. From top to bottom — Modal Blend Ponte - Spiced Tea, Cotton Blend 4x4 Rib - Camel, Ponte Knit - Twig, Swimwear Double Jersey - Russet, and Stretch Tencel 3x2 Rib - Oxblood.