THE MUSE BODYSUIT by Handmade by Karly caught my eye because along with printed instructions, Karly has a YouTube tutorial. And, each size can be printed separately.
A bodysuit is more of a “at home” outfit for me since it’s snug and very low cut. It works for an outing because I can layer a jacket over for a quick errand.
A tucked-in top and a matching scarf make me feel put together. No one wants to be in lounge wear or pajamas all day. At least, not me!
I also like that the Muse Bodysuit pattern doesn’t have snaps. It made sewing this bodysuit pattern more approachable for me.
I made 3 fabric variations this week: Power Mesh, ITY Jersey, and cotton jersey.
For reference, I’m 5’3 and 105 lbs and sewed a size 2. This size is a perfect fit. Although, with thicker fabrics, size 4 would be a tiny bit more comfortable, because I have 3 kids and my body is still recovering! 😅
It’s double layered so in my opinion, this naturally gives a compression effect. I would also potentially size up if you have broader shoulders (like me). This is no fault to the pattern, but generally, I wear XS while my upper body is more size Small. After wearing all three throughout the week, I would add more ease on the pattern to accommodate this.
Piecing the printed pattern pieces together was the usual tricky situation. I don’t know, for me, the printer always prints some pages off alignment and some pattern lines are off. I do always follow the pattern recommendations for printing (borderless, actual size, etc). But it drives me crazy when taping the pages it’s always a tiny bit off.
Here’s a video of how I set up print at home patterns so I can match seams accurately:
I tiled the entire pattern and taped. I cut out the back bodysuit piece first, and laid it on top of the front piece to make sure I was matching the seams correctly. It can be so frustrating to print a pattern at home, cut it out, and realize while sewing the seams don’t match! Anyway, that’s a quick tip for matching seams on printed patterns.
Camel Power Mesh
I had 2 yards of Camel Power Mesh leftover from an alteration project. I purchased this from Fabric Wholesale Direct. It’s affordable ($6/yard!) and a great color. I love the look of the bodysuit in power mesh. A bit of #skims inspo!
I sewed with a zig zag stitch at 2.5 length and width on my regular machine. I actually don’t recommend this stitch, the fabric is very delicate and the mesh tears easily. I think a lace stitch on the serger will be best!
I love this fabric variation! 😍
Peach ITY Knit Stretch Jersey
This is Peach ITY Knit Stretch Jersey. It’s 95% polyester and 5% spandex. I tamed my serger to make this one! I have a Brother BabyLock serger machine. I spent several minutes funding the perfect tension setting. I ended up with the upper and lower looper tension set at 6 and needle tensions set at 4. The differential feed was 2.0; stitch length at 3, and width at 5. Hope that helps!
I love the bodysuit in this fabrication! Very sleek and comfortable. I would suggest potentially sizing up. A double layer of poly spandex fabric gives a compression fit.
Khaki Cotton Jersey
This fabric variation is the most comfortable! It’s khaki cotton jersey and the fabric tends to curl up after it’s cut! This fabric doesn’t have the same elasticity as the Peach ITY. I almost cut a size 4 because of this. I only printed size 2, so I stuck with it.
It fits great at my usual size and I think I would make more in this fabric! I was surprised that it feels more comfortable compared to the Peach ITY. It must be the cotton!
I kept my serger settings the same as the Peach ITY. I only wish Fabric Wholesale Direct had more pretty colors in this fabric. In person, this color has more greige undertones (greige is my enemy, if you recall from this post).
I’m so glad I sewed this pattern, I do feel more comfortable with knits after this and I can see using the Muse Bodysuit as a base for some other designs. Have you made this pattern? Let me know your thoughts, or any questions. Thanks for reading! 😊
– Ammara @ammaraza.sews
ammaraza.sews 
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