The front and back assemblies are attached along the shoulder/outer sleeve edges first (with the side seams and inseams closed later in the construction process).
Identify the top of the sleeve zipper opening (indicated on the printed pattern - this is 7 ⅝" above the hemmed sleeve, or 10 ¼" above the bottom of the raw edge of the un-hemmed sleeve).
Chalk mark the top of the opening onto the wrong side of the sleeves.
Pin the front and back assemblies (but NOT the front facing!) together along the shoulder and outer sleeve seams, matching shoulder reinforcement, division stripe, and sleeve zipper openings exactly.
TIP: Before sewing the front to back, baste across the division stripes and check to ensure accurate alignment.
Once satisfied of their proper alignment, sew the front and back assemblies (but NOT the front facing!) together along the shoulder/outer sleeve seams from the neckline to the top of the sleeve zipper opening. Note that there is a slight amount of ease in the back shoulders.
Press the shoulder/outer sleeve allowances open using a tailor's ham.
Hand-sew the front shoulder seam allowances to the front body between the upper and outer division stripe edges, being careful to only stitch through the innermost jumpsuit body layer, not through the shoulder reinforcement!
Fold the uppermost portion of the front facing back up so its upper edge is flush with the raw edge of the back shoulder seam allowance.
Sew the front facing to the back shoulder seam allowance about ¼" from their edges.
Hand-sew the back shoulder seam allowances to the back body between the upper and outer division stripe edges as done previously with the front, being careful to only stitch through the innermost jumpsuit body layer, not through the shoulder reinforcement!
Join the front facing to the front body along the neckline by stay-stitching again through both layers over the previous stitch line.
The sleeve zipper opening technique is the same as that used previously on the center front of the jumpsuit, but we'll quickly walk you through it here in the interest of thoroughness.
First make a mark ⅞" from and parallel to the center front edge near the sleeve zipper top (where you began/ended your stitch line).
Next, diagonally clip the seam allowances above the previous stitch line to the point at which the two marked lines intersect.
Press these "triangles" upward/under.
Press the center front edges (above the diagonal clip) under ⅞".
The top of your sleeve zipper opening should look like this:
TIP: Those little "triangles" can be a little fussy, so you may wish to baste or sew them into place by hand. Alternatively, you can pin them into place for the time being. The sleeve zipper opening will need to remain stable for a while until the sleeve zipper is installed several steps later.
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| Just don't fiddle with it. |
Your finished sleeve zipper opening should now look like this:
Repeat for the other side.
NOTE: It is much, MUCH easier to install the sleeve zippers and sleeve gussets (piece S) now, as opposed to later as demonstrated in this tutorial. It also prevents some inevitable "wear-and-tear" on the corners of the sleeve zipper opening between now and when the zipper is installed. We are presenting the steps in this order solely because it appears to be the order in which the screen-used originals were constructed.
However, you can save yourself some frustration by "cheating" and installing the sleeve zippers and sleeve gussets now as described in step 18. Just position your sleeve zipper so its bottom edge is 2 ¾" from the bottom of the un-hemmed sleeve, attach the sleeve gusset, and hem the sleeve after the jumpsuit's sides and sleeves are closed.
The only difference will be that the sleeve zipper/gusset seam allowance will be sandwiched between the sleeve and the sleeve's hem allowance, as opposed to the hem allowance being sandwiched between the sleeve and sleeve zipper/gusset seam allowance. (Seriously, it is highly unlikely that anybody will notice, especially if you don't turn your sleeve inside-out for an expert to inspect!)
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