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As evidenced by Penelope's porcelain skin, she hasn't been out as much this summer as she was last. I can't believe it's finally drawing to a close! Now I'm craving sewing time so I can make a couple of special clothes for the school year.
I don't often make clothes for the kids because they grow out of them or destroy them so quickly, but this was a fun little number to whip up from extra fabric I had lying around after I made a dress (coming soon!). So yes! We're totally matching. I have a few mother-daughter looks queued up.
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I didn't use a pattern, I grabbed some shorts and a shirt and started cutting. Next time I make her a romper, I have a few ideas to make it a little more balanced between top/bottom (the bottoms came out tighter and the top looser than expected).
In fact, I ended up cutting the bottoms too small entirely. I got clever and grabbed some white fabric with tiny red anchors on them and made stripes to add width to the bottoms. Hindsight, I should have added more. But she owns them.
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Here's what I did:
- I traced a pair of shorts and sewed them up. Seeing that they were snug, I added the racing stripe by cutting down the sides and adding the strip.
- I topstitched the strip to make it look more finished.
- Next, I found a loose fitting shirt and cut out a pentagram shape. Leaving the top part a little longer so I could make a loop.
- I cut the back taller than the front.
- To assemble the top and bottom, I sewed up each of them separately, attached elastic to the shorts, then put right sides together and added the top (two rows of stitching at the waistline).
- I hemmed the shorts, the arms and the neckline. I cut a tube of extra fabric and threaded it around the loops at the top and tied it in a bow.
- Fini!
Penelope knows how to tie bows, so getting in and out of the romper isn't a big deal for her. It would be a little more complicated for a younger child.
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Sometimes I wonder how she got so old and grown up, then I get her a My Little Pony and I realize she's still in the throws of her childhood. I sigh in relief.
She'll be starting second grade any day now. Am I the only one that loves back-to-school season? I love getting supplies, I love the new clothes, organizing everything and a fresh start with new teachers, new classmates and new things to learn.
Outfit details:
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