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| Almost there ... almost there ... |
Now the moment you've been waiting for (if you actually waited, that is)!
Put on your jumpsuit, position your shoulder pads comfortably, and pin or baste into place. (It helps to have a partner for this.)
As you may recall, the screen-used ENT jumpsuits' shoulder pads were fastened to the underside of the body via hook-and-loop tape ("Velcro"), but we like to actually hand-sew ours to the body.
However, should you wish to use the screen-accurate method, some shoulder pads actually come with lengths of hook-and-loop tape already attached, which will save you a little time and hand-sewing.
Either way, whether hand-sewing the hook-and-loop tape or the shoulder pad itself, do so carefully and only stitch through the shoulder seam allowances and/or jumpsuit body, not through the shoulder reinforcement, so the stitches will not be visible on the outside of the jumpsuit!
Also note that the necessary loft of the shoulder pads will depend on the physique of the wearer.
Once you've attached your shoulder pads, it's time to establish a good fit at the waist!
If you followed our advice by basting the elastic on one side, leaving a little for fitting adjustment, and basting the side seam closed, good for you!
In my case, the jumpsuit was a little too loose around the waist, and I needed to take in the elastic about 2" to achieve a comfortable fit.
Once you've gotten a good fit, sew the elastic to the back seam allowance, sew the side closed again (pulling the waist straps out of the way!), cut the elastic down to size, and press the seam allowances open again.
TIP: Pulling the elastic through one end as demonstrated above can cause the fabric to gather more heavily on one side of the jumpsuit than the other. To compensate, after you've closed the side again, hold the jumpsuit firmly at the sides, then stretch out the back elastic several times to evenly allocate the gathering.
Letting the lower waist straps rest naturally (with their lower edges flush with the lower edge of the back elastic waistband), note and mark the position of the buttonholes.
Angle the upper waist straps downward ever-so-slightly and note those positions as well.
Attach your ½" black buttons through all layers where appropriate, with the "wrong" side of the button facing upward/outward!
A special (and grateful) shout-out goes to Michael Cowart for observing and sharing this particular trick!
NOTE: Although all logic seems to suggest that these black buttons were ½" in diameter - including the probability that they were the same buttons used on the corresponding ENT undershirt - for some reason we can't quite put our finger on, we think that ⅝" buttons look more like those on the screen-used ...
Lastly, remove all your tailor-basting and give your ENT jumpsuit a good pressing/steaming!
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