Dye a Romper

 Hello Readers. I thought this floral romper had potential. I just wasn't sure about the white color background. The white background seemed to contrast too much with the floral pattern. But I could do something about that. I got a bottle of dye and got to work.

Rit Dye to the rescue.

I liked the fit of the romper but maybe the shorts were too long? I would address that later. 

I cut out the shoulder pads first. I didn't like the way they looked. and my shoulders are big enough already for me.

 

I put the romper in my washing machine with this blue dye as directed. This roper was a cotton/polyester blend so I used some dye for synthetics. 

 

The dye worked well. I thought it created a sort of denim blue color. I washed and dried the romper as directed.

 

I turned the hem of the shorts under and sewed a new hem to make the shorts a bit shorter. 

 

I ironed the new hem so it was smooth.  

 

The new color was great for me. The floral design is still visible but I like how the new colors all work together. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.

 

***Year End Update***- I really liked the blue dye on this romper. Dye is so fun. 

 

 

 

The Most Colorful Jumpsuit I Have Ever Seen

 Hello Readers. I found this colorful striped jumpsuit when I was out thrifting and the colors were so fun. 

 

Before and after.

 

Look at all the colors!

The top fit perfectly but the crotch was a little low on me. That's OK. I can work with this. 

 

I cut the legs shorter. I wanted this to be a summer romper for hot weather.

 

I folded it in half and cut the crotch so it would be shorter. 

 

I used my serger to sew the crotch back together. 

 

I used those legs to make straps. Strapless is OK but I feel more secure with straps.

 

I cut 4 long pieces and made some shoulder straps.

 

 These stripes were so fun. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.

 

 ***Year End Update- It was impossible to be down when wearing this cheerful jumpsuit. I love it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jumpsuit to Romper

Hello Readers. How are you? It is hot, humid and filled with cicadas where I live. I can't do anything about the swarms of insects but I can try to dress for the weather. 

 

I found this jumpsuit at a clothes swap and loved the very light weight chambray fabric. I thought I might refashion it into a pair pants. I was not in love with the top of the jumpsuit. It had a high neckline that I liked but it also had large keyhole opening at the bustline that was so revealing that I couldn't even model it. I did like placement of the ruffle. It was above the bust and not on the bust. I thought it was pretty without adding bulk. I gave it some thought.

The first thing I did was stitch that keyhole opening shut. It was easy to close up. I just turned the edges in and stitched the edges together.

From the front most of this new seam is mostly hidden under the ruffle. I noticed these 2 tiny pin holes. What were they from? I was not sure but I guessed there must have been some kind of embellishment that went in the keyhole opening. The ruffle hid the holes so I decided to ignore them. 

The ruffle poked out in a funny way because I closed the keyhole opening. I did not want the ruffle sticking out like this.

It was easy to sew it down at the neckline. It made a nice detail at the high neckline. 

I decided to cut the legs off so it would be a romper. It seemed like it would be lightweight and comfortable for summer. 

I did not realize until the middle of this refashion that the ruffle extended out and off the shoulder. I thought the ruffles went under the arms somewhere. I can be oblivious to things and I totally missed these arm sleeve ruffles until I was trying to lay the romper out for pictures. Duh!! 

I took the sides in a bit to help the elastic waist fit better.

My new romper was finished. Turning a jumpsuit into a romper is an easy way to boost your summer wardrobe. You can add a sweater if you get chilly in the evening.

Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself. 

***Chickie's Year End Review-The fit of this little romper turned out really well. I still like it.

Romper Re-Do

Hello Readers. How are you doing? It feels like a busy time but maybe it is just a trick of the mind because so much is going on in the world. Are you reading this to get a little distraction? OK, let's talk sewing.

Can we talk about statement sleeves?  I usually don't like them very much to be honest. Well, I don't like them on me. They look great on other people. People with full grown adult length arms. These sleeves are always too long on me and I feel ridiculous.  Do I need all this sleeve? Am I casting a spell? How can I function in this romper without this fabric getting in the way? If I cook at the stove I am definitely setting myself on fire. I know it.

The solution was obvious! You can probably guess what I did. I cut those sleeves right off. It is hotter than a ball of fire out there, why would I want long sleeves? I stitched the raw edge under and I was good to go.

This romper was done. The short sleeves were much better for summer and I could use my arms again. That is a win-win.

Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.

The Hawaiian Romper

Hello Readers. This blue floral dress really caught my eye. Not the dress itself but the beautiful shades of blue in it. I thought it was so pretty. The dress was a simple sheath shape. I thought I could definitely do something fun with it.

The material was in good shape but the dress didn't hang quite right. I knew it was a great beginning of a refashion. I wanted it to be a romper for summer. Or better yet, maybe a fake romper.

I used an actual pattern to get the shorts cut out correctly. When I spread the dress out it all seemed even so I just cut out the shorts and sewed them together.

The pattern called for a simple elastic waistband. I made the casing, threaded the elastic through, and connected the ends.

 I had some shorts that would be perfect for Hawaii.

The top half was very easy. I kept the tank style the dress already had. I just took the sides in a little and made sure the arm holes were high enough so I didn't expose anything that I didn't want to expose.

The rayon material will breathe in summer but it won't stretch at all. I kept the loose fit so I could get it on and off and be comfortable. It looks like a one piece romper when the top and bottom are put together, but it is easier to wear and use the bathroom like a normal human. I try to avoid one piece clothing that makes you completely strip down when you want to use the restroom. It can be annoying.

I was really happy and comfortable in this outfit, but my teen son said he had never seen so many shades of blue, on one person, at one time, in his whole life. Oh, well. You can't please everyone.

Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.

 And use as much blue as you want.

 *Year end update- I wore this a lot this summer. It is still a winner.

A Disco Jumpsuit to A Modern Romper

Hello Readers. I found a vintage 70's knit jumpsuit at a clothes swap. Check it out.

I can't lie, I was feeling groovy. Someone made this themselves. I could tell from the inside seams. I love finding homemade clothes. They are so special. In a world of fast throw-away fashion, someone spent a lot of time putting this together. It was so drastically out of style and unflattering on me. It had the standard zipper up the front that all jumpsuits seem to have and wide leg trousers. It was in great shape, this poly-knit material really held up well through the years.

It had a belt too, I was not able to find it until later.

 The jumpsuit is able to show every bump and roll perfectly.

I thought maybe I could make a romper out of it. I thought that would update it and make it more wearable and modern. I wasn't sure, but I thought it might work. I used a pair of shorts as a guide for how much of the pants to cut off.

I hemmed the shorts and I found the little matching belt. (It was in a pile of fabric scraps.) I decided to remove the sleeves. I thought that it would be more comfortable for warm weather if it was sleeveless. This fabric doesn't breathe very much. Why was it so popular again?

I cut off the sleeves and left 1/4 inch of the sleeve as a seam allowance. I tucked the extra sleeve fabric under and into the armhole and stitched it down.  It was very easy to manipulate and sew through this material. Is that why it was so popular?

Here is my more modern romper. This was a big improvement but I think it fit my dress form a lot better than it did me. So, while I liked the romper idea, I kept working on this. Check back next time to see what this romper turned into.

Here is a look at my sewing closet. This is a before and after cleaning. You can see why I lost the belt for a while.

Thanks for reading this post, now go make something fun for yourself.

*Year end update- I think this jumpsuit is my favorite vintage find. I altered it again in the next post.

My closet didn't stay clean for long.

Maxed Out Four

Hello Readers. Today is the 4th and last of the maxi-skirt/dress series. I found this plaid rayon skirt quite a while ago. I thought the long plaid skirt was OK, but I didn't love it. It just seemed dowdy. I thought it would be a challenge to make it into something more fun. 

This just OK skirt was actually a fake wrap skirt. That gave me some extra fabric to play with. It was also in great condition and made of good quality fabric. It had a lot going for it, it just needed help coming out of it's shell a little.

I started by spreading out the skirt and I had enough fabric to make some loose fitting shorts. I thought shorts would be a fun way to use this plaid print. I used a lot of the fabric from the bottom of the skirt but that left the top of the skirt untouched.

I used the top of the skirt to make a matching top. I also made two shoulder straps and stitched them in place. You can see in the picture below the waistband with the button still intact. I used it as my new top but decided sew the wrap part closed. It was not a real wrap skirt so it wouldn't fly open but it needed to lay flat to be a top. 

This was an easy outfit to make because it had such a loose relaxed fit. I wanted it to look like a fun little romper but I didn't have a pattern for that. I also don't like to remove ALL of my clothes to use the bathroom the way you need to with a romper. It is just a little inconvenient to completely undress so many times through the day. 

I love this outfit. I wish I had made this outfit ages ago, it is as comfortable as pajamas. It turned out very chilly this morning so I had to winterize it with some tights and a sweater but I still love it.

Thanks for reading, now go make something fun for yourself.