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DIY Couture: Create Your Own Fashion Collection by Rosie Martin
The romper builds on the trousers with a shaped bodice to create a flattering one-piece. The bodice is made with a front piece, a back piece and two strips of fabric to form a facing through which elastic can be threaded. It can be made with or without straps.

The Acid Candy romper is made with a floppy synthetic fabric. The trousers are full-length and tapered at the ankle. They have two tucks on each side at the front, each using about 4cm (1½in) of fabric. The bodice is a fairly long 43cm (17in) and flops over at the bottom. The romper is brought in at the waist by a band of elastic 3.5cm (13?8in) deep. The facing at the top of the bodice is cut 5cm (2in) deep, and has been sewn to form a channel 3cm (1¼in) deep, through which a thin piece of elastic is threaded. The romper has two thick straps. Each finished strap measures 6cm (2½in) across.

To begin with, you need to cut and join the trouser pieces in exactly same way as in the trouser instructions (see pages 172–180). Stop your trouser-making process before folding the waist edge over. Zigzag-stitch the waist edge.

You now need to cut the bodice pieces for your romper. You are going to use the trouser part you have just made and a close-fitting vest top to mark the shape.



From the book DIY Couture by Rosie Martin, published by Laurence King.

Posted by Laurence King Published See Laurence King's 26 projects » © 2024 Rosie Martin / Laurence King · Reproduced with permission.
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  • How to sew a romper. The Romper - Step 1
    Step 1

    Determine how long the bodice part of your romper will be. The one shown in these instructions is fairly long, causing fabric to hang over at the waist. To make a long bodice, lay your vest top next to, and sitting above the bottom edge of, your fabric. Put a pin in your fabric (or make a chalk mark) level with the armpit point of your vest. This is shown with a purple pin on the illustrations.
    You can make an even deeper top, with a bigger overhang, by pushing your vest top further up. If on the other hand you want a tighter-fitting bodice that clings to your chest and reveals your waist, position your vest top so that the bottom sits below the bottom edge of your fabric. The variations on pages 188–189 will help you decide.

  • How to sew a romper. The Romper - Step 2
    Step 2

    Measure the width of your vest top from armpit point to armpit point. Divide the measurement in half and write it down. You are going to make your bodice piece this much wider than your vest top. Half of the measurement you have just written down will go each side of your vest top, so halve the number again and write that down. We’ll call this your extra width measurement.

  • How to sew a romper. The Romper - Step 3
    Step 3

    Measure your extra width measurement inwards from the side of your fabric and put a pin in here.

  • How to sew a romper. The Romper - Step 4
    Step 4

    Lay the armpit point of your vest top level with this pin.

  • How to sew a romper. The Romper - Step 5
    Step 5

    Now measure your extra width measurement across from your right ?armpit point and put a pin in here.

  • How to sew a romper. The Romper - Step 6
    Step 6

    Put pins into your fabric where the straps of your vest top meet the main body.

  • How to sew a romper. The Romper - Step 7
    Step 7

    Now draw lines between your pins with tailor’s chalk.

  • How to sew a romper. The Romper - Step 8
    Step 8

    You need to make the bottom edge of your bodice piece exactly the same width as the waist edge of your trousers. To do this accurately, fold your vest top in half where it lies. This will allow you to find the centre of your bodice piece. Put a pin in here.

  • How to sew a romper. The Romper - Step 9
    Step 9

    Remove the vest top. With your trousers turned inside out, lay them out below your fabric with the central seam directly below the central pin on your fabric. Put a pin in your fabric level with the sides of your trouser piece at both sides.

  • How to sew a romper. The Romper - Step 10
    Step 10

    Mark a sloping chalk line upwards from your left side pin to the top side of your bodice piece.

  • How to sew a romper. The Romper - Step 11
    Step 11

    Cut along this line, then cut halfway across the top of your bodice piece.

  • Step 12

    Take this cut half and fold it across to the opposite side. You are going to use your first half as a guide so that your bodice piece is perfectly symmetrical. The most important points to match up are the bottom ones. Make sure the corner of the folded side sits touching the bottom pin.

  • How to sew a romper. The Romper - Step 13
    Step 13

    Cut around this second half.

  • How to sew a romper. The Romper - Step 14
    Step 14

    You have made the front of your bodice.

  • How to sew a romper. The Romper - Step 15
    Step 15

    Use your front bodice piece as a guide to mark and cut your back bodice piece.

    Lay your front bodice piece out on your fabric and use it as a guide to mark the two sloping vertical sides.

  • How to sew a romper. The Romper - Step 16
    Step 16

    Your back piece is going to curve downwards instead of upwards across the top. Fold your front piece in half to find the centre and mark this central axis on your fabric with chalk.

    Measure the depth of your back piece from the armpit point down to the bottom edge.

  • How to sew a romper. The Romper - Step 17
    Step 17

    Now move your tape measure to ?the central axis you have marked and measure that depth minus about 6cm (21?2in) up from the bottom of your fabric. Put a pin into your fabric to ?mark this shorter depth.

  • How to sew a romper. The Romper - Step 18
    Step 18

    Now draw a line that slopes from the taller, outer edge to that pin. This should make a line that slopes gently downwards to the centre of your piece.

  • How to sew a romper. The Romper - Step 19
    Step 19

    Cut one half of your back piece, then fold it over to the other side so that your piece has an identical slope on each side.

  • How to sew a romper. The Romper - Step 20
    Step 20

    Cut out your piece.

  • How to sew a romper. The Romper - Step 21
    Step 21

    You need to make a strip of facing for the top of each of your bodice pieces. This is going to form a tunnel through which you will thread elastic. It needs to be about 3cm (1¼in) deeper than the elastic you plan to use.

    Pin the top edge of your front piece to your fabric and use the edge of it as a guide to cut your facing.

  • How to sew a romper. The Romper - Step 22
    Step 22

    Trim the bottom edge so the line runs parallel with the top edge of your facing and so that the facing is as deep as you need it to be.

  • How to sew a romper. The Romper - Step 23
    Step 23

    Repeat this process with your back piece.

  • How to sew a romper. The Romper - Step 24
    Step 24

    Now you need to join the back and front bodice pieces together down both sides.

  • How to sew a romper. The Romper - Step 25
    Step 25

    With right sides together, pin and sew your two pieces of facing together at one side, then iron the seam open.

  • How to sew a romper. The Romper - Step 26
    Step 26

    Lay out your front piece with the right side facing upwards and lay your back piece on top of it, with the right side facing down.

  • How to sew a romper. The Romper - Step 27
    Step 27

    Match up the top edges and pin together down each side.

  • How to sew a romper. The Romper - Step 28
    Step 28

    Sew together with straight stitch and iron the seams open.

  • How to sew a romper. The Romper - Step 29
    Step 29

    Zigzag-stitch down each of these ?raw edges.

  • How to sew a romper. The Romper - Step 30
    Step 30

    Next you need to attach your facing to your bodice piece.

    Turn your bodice piece the right way ?out so that you are looking at the right side of the fabric, and the back of your bodice. Lay your facing out so that it matches the top edge of your back piece. You should be looking at the wrong side of your facing.

  • How to sew a romper. The Romper - Step 31
    Step 31

    Pin the facing to the top edge of the bodice all the way round.

  • How to sew a romper. The Romper - Step 32
    Step 32

    Sew the two together with straight stitch, leaving a few centimetres unsewn at each unjoined end of your facing.

  • How to sew a romper. The Romper - Step 33
    Step 33

    Nip these short edges together so that they fit your bodice piece perfectly. Sew the ends together with straight stitch.

  • How to sew a romper. The Romper - Step 34
    Step 34

    Flip the facing over to the wrong side of your bodice and iron it so that it sits just a millimetre or so below the top edge of your bodice.

  • How to sew a romper. The Romper - Step 35
    Step 35

    Turn inside out, pin the facing down well and sew it almost all the way round.

  • How to sew a romper. The Romper - Step 36
    Step 36

    Leave 4 or 5cm (1½–2in) unsewn so that you can push your elastic in later on.

  • How to sew a romper. The Romper - Step 37
    Step 37

    Next, you need to attach your bodice to your trousers.

    With your bodice inside out and upside down, insert your trousers (the right way round and the right way up) into it. Remember to match back to back and front to front. Your bodice forms a tube. Push your trouser piece up into it so that
    the waist edge of your trousers meets the ?waist edge of your top. They should be the same width. If one is a little bit bigger, sew a line further in from the edge to make it smaller. When the two are exactly the same size, pull the trousers up even further.

  • How to sew a romper. The Romper - Step 38
    Step 38

    You want your bodice piece to be sitting a few centimetres below the waist edge of your trousers. The amount depends on the width of the elastic you are going to insert at the waist of your romper. If you are inserting a piece of elastic that is 3cm (1¼in) wide, you need to leave an extra
    4.5cm (1¾in) of fabric. This allows ?1.5cm (5?8in) to make a seam. Pin the ?top and trousers together all the way ?around this edge, then sew them together ?all the way around this pinned line.

  • How to sew a romper. The Romper - Step 39
    Step 39

    Turn your romper so you are looking ?at the wrong side of the fabric all over ?and flip the waist flap you have just ?made upwards.

  • How to sew a romper. The Romper - Step 40
    Step 40

    Pin it into position and sew it down almost all the way around.

  • How to sew a romper. The Romper - Step 41
    Step 41

    Make sure you leave a gap so that you will be able to push your elastic in.

  • How to sew a romper. The Romper - Step 42
    Step 42

    Use a safety pin to work your elastic through the tunnel you have made.

  • How to sew a romper. The Romper - Step 43
    Step 43

    When the end of your elastic emerges again, pin the two ends together and join them with straight stitch.

  • How to sew a romper. The Romper - Step 44
    Step 44

    Sew a short row of straight stitch to seal the gap you left open for your elastic.

  • How to sew a romper. The Romper - Step 45
    Step 45

    Repeat this process with your bust elastic. Tie the ends together with plenty of extra elastic and try your romper on. Tighten or loosen the bust elastic while you are wearing it until you have the tension that you want. If you are not adding straps you need the elastic to be tight enough to hold your romper up securely.

  • How to sew a romper. The Romper - Step 46
    Step 46

    You have a Romper!

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Comments

Juliet Vickio
Juliet Vickio · Houston, Texas, US · 6 projects
So simple Happy! I like!
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Demonymphetamine
Demonymphetamine · Turmero, Aragua, VE · 49 projects
thanks for the tutorial, i must do this!
Reply
shalonda.cobb
shalonda.cobb · Edinburg, Texas, US
wOW! Thank you for the awesome tuturial. You made it look so easy!!
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