Fancy Pants Summer Romper

There is always a little niggle in the back of my mind when I make something for the first time. Much as I love pattern hacking I mostly avoid major pattern tweaks on a first try.  I follow the rules of the pattern on my initial attempt. I do this mostly so I can discern whether an un-altered pattern will fit me as-is and to be certain the pattern makes sense.  It’s very logical but it means I forgo any alterations I want to make.  That can make me eager to stitch up a second option soon after the first. Most of the time, this doesn’t make a ton of practical sense.  Why have two different colors of the same shirt when I really only need one? You know. But, it bothers me, hence the niggle. I have these fun alteration ideas and have to walk away from that particular brain wormhole, leaving behind all these adaptations that never come to be.  The urge was too strong with the Sanibel Romper, though. I was compelled to try out a summer-y version; I couldn’t resist the wormhole so down I went. Enter, the fancy pants summer romper.  (There is also a dress version disaster but I’ll share that later because oof..of course, if you follow me on IG you may have some idea). 

I strayed from my handmade summer wardrobe plan (already!) but I’m glad I did it. I mean, this is cute and still wearable.

In Liberty of London fabric no less! Who do I think I am? I happened to have just the right amount and was even able to match the lines created with the peacock feathers.  It was harder than it looks to match everything up given how the feathers change size!

I’ve had this beautiful fabric for such a long time, though, and it felt great to finally use it.  My husband bought it for me on a trip to London.  He actually went inside Liberty of London to get it.  Oh man, I’m still so jealous he has been there and not me.  It is the kind of luscious fabric I am prone to hang on to and I kind of had to take a deep breath and very carefully cut it up.  There were definitely times I realized I was holding my breath, worried I would mess it all up.

But, here it is a new fancy pants romper! To tweak the pattern, I mostly only altered the top with one exception from my previous version.  Whereas before I drew the top from a medium to a large and made the shorts size large, this time I kept the top a straight M and phased the shorts from medium to large at the hips. It’s a much better fit.  My juicy bottom has the space it needs without over-crowding at the elastic waist.

As for the top, I eliminated the collar and sleeves adding a subtle scoop neck in the process, and added straps to hold it all up. On the romper back, I designed it straight across with elastic, to add some ease and extra comfort.  One of the benefits of designing this myself was I was able to place the straps right over my bra strap. It doesn’t hide everything but at least looks intentional.

Just like the other Sanibel, I stitched with french seams wherever possible and enclosed all my seams to make it as easy as possible to wash and wear.  Well, at least wash and wear without fraying…it remains to be seen if it will require ironing.

For some reason, it came out shorter than my original Sanibel, I guess by making the top a medium I reduced some of the length.  I don’t exactly mind but it makes it a wee bit less of a mom-wear romper than my first version.

That’s ok. I feel special and accomplished in my new romper.  Might fancy pants if I do say so. And, I finished it in time to bring it with me on our anniversary trip to Asbury Park on the Jersey Shore.  (It’s more artsy-music-y Jersey Shore than Jersey Jersey Shore, for the record.)