Shopkins Summer Romper

I am so proud of this girl. She wanted a romper, but we were behind the trend so by the time we went shopping for one, they were hard to find. We finally found two options at Justice but they didn't fit the best and her favorite of the two was still $20 on clearance. That was her entire budget for a Back to School (or Homeschool in our case) outfit. I told her that if she wanted, I would find a pattern and she could choose the fabric then we could make her a romper. You see before you her choice. She found a $10 (super-comfy-wish-it-came-in-my-size) dress at Old Navy, $7 for fabric at Jo-Ann's, and a FREE pattern from Purl Soho - under budget!

I was so excited to find the FREE Summer Romper for Kids pattern from Purl Soho so I could fulfill her request. Personally, I wouldn't have picked a novelty Shopkins fabric, but this was her romper so I left it up to her. The medium-weight woven cotton felt a little stiff for all the gathers and the width, but it worked out fine. I think the pattern would work up better in something with more drape and it would look more like the rompers she found in the store that she really liked.

Starting alterations: Lengthen the inseam on the shorts. Like A LOT - 3.5" actually. My girl is used to wearing Bermuda length shorts so I used her shorts as a guide. Next time around I will probably only lengthen it by 2' though and use a much lighter weight fabric so it appears more like a skirted romper than shorts. She has requested that I narrow the shorts on this romper, which will probably work out better with the fabric choice.

During alterations: the elastic measurements. We made a 6-7 size for her waist measurement but the elastic length given for that size was way too long for her actual waist. I had her try it on and we adjusted the elastic length specific to her size - always a good idea. Same for the chest/back elastic. She's a petite girl and we used the elastic length for a full size smaller.

Future alternations: The arm holes weren't quite deep enough for her arms once I folded over so much of the top for the elastic casing. I haven't decided yet if I will change the hem for the casing or just lengthen the top to allow for this adjustment. My daughter likes her neckline pretty high up, if your child isn't too picky about where the neckline hits then it may not be an issue.

My humble opinion: It's a GREAT pattern, especially for FREE. Easy to follow, and for me, it was a great re-introduction to sewing clothing. There are a few non-beginner tasks included though so I would not recommend it as a first project.