romping.

i'll admit it, i don't understand the popularity of rompers on grown people. however, on small people, they're irresistibly adorable.

i've been itching to sew one for margot for awhile, and finally got around to it on sunday afternoon, while there were far more productive things i should have been doing, like laundry, which i'm currently still neglecting while writing this post...

i'll call this a semi-self-drafted pattern. for the bottom, i used the box pleat shorts pattern that i've sewn once before. i thought the gathered and cuffed legs would look super cute on a romper (and i do believe i was correct).

i removed the faux fly from the pattern and the waistband, since i didn't need either of these for the romper. i added pockets, and used some bright yellow piping to line them, for a fun pop of color that i think plays down the old-lady-ness of the floral, making it more toddler appropriate.

the floral seems old-lady-like because it was, in fact, from a thrifted old lady dress. it's a super light weight woven cotton, perfect for summer. and it only cost me one dollar! after drafting the pattern for the top from one of margot's tank tops, i was pretty excited to realize that i could use the neckline and button band from the original dress. hooray for upcycling and time saving.

any time that i may have saved sewing the top, i definitely lost in bringing the top piece and the shorts together. i drafted the pattern while margot was napping, so the trial fit was hilarious. i had about two too many inches in length on the top, so the shorts were super low riding. after much ripping, cutting and re-sewing, that issue was resolved. now she's no longer at risk of tripping over her romper shorts.

the back also took two takes. at first, the straps were too far apart, so margot kept having an off the shoulder number. i'm pretty proud that i actually went back and fixed it, because i was pretty close to just calling it good enough after all of the rework woes i had already gone through. i bit the bullet, ripped it up yet again, and while i was at it i also took an inch or two out of the elastic so that the overall fit is much better. learning.

after all of that, i'm really pleased with this one. sewing it was satisfyingly challenging, and the finished product is super cute, even if it's not the most practical thing to wear. i was pretty proud of jon the other day, successfully changing her diaper while she was wearing it. and he didn't even complain once. such a winner.

margot likes that it has pockets. she also likes that the pockets contained fruit loops during this photo shoot. sometimes, parenting = bribing.

i expect this to be in the regular rotation this summer. margot cuteness + romper cuteness = overload. gah.

go and check out lots of other summer creations at the sew and show link party over at the straight grain blog.