Summer Romper for Kids by Purl Soho – Pattern Review
Purl Soho – Multiple Free Sewing Patterns!
If you haven’t been to Purl Soho’s website yet you need to check them out. They are a brick and mortar store, but they also have an impressive amount of FREE sewing, knitting, and crochet patterns on their website. I’ve made their City Gym Shorts several times now. They are a TNT pattern for me! I absolutely loved their Summer Romper for Kids pattern as well!
Summer Romper for Kids Sewing Pattern
The pattern I used for this project is the Purl Soho Summer Romper for Kids. It is a FREE pattern that has seven sizes (2-11 years). I think two years is the perfect size to start because before then they have frequent diaper changes and a romper can make those a little difficult.
It features an adorable elastic waistband that gives the romper some shape, but is still comfortable for the little ones. The ties at the top also make it easy for the garment to grow with the child.
The pattern does have some fabric and elastic that you need to cut that aren’t their own pattern pieces. I wrote these cuts down on one of the pattern pieces so I have easy access to it next time. This is also a great place to write down the seam allowance!
Purl Soho used linen and lawn fabric for their rompers. I wanted to use up some of this gorgeous linen and rayon blend fabric, Brussels Washer in Heliotrope. It is from scraps from the Scout Tee from Grainline Studio that I made earlier in the year! As long as you use a fabric with good drape, you should be fine.
Hemming Tip (seriously, you need this in your life)
I do have one tip that makes this garment (and most garments) so much easier to sew.
Have you ever tried to iron a hem on a sleeve or a small little leg hole on a child’s garment? There is so much turning and twisting and small little sections of ironing. It can be so tedious and the end result is never great.
Instead of ironing the hem after you sew the side seams, iron it before when the garment can still lay flat!
You simply just iron the hems and put in a few pins. When you go to sew the side seams, just unroll the hem in that area so you can sew down the entire seam. Once the side seam is complete, you should be able to easily finger press the hem back into place and pin!
My Project: Summer Romper for Kids by Purl Soho
This romper was a really quick sew. The pattern notes are detailed and the pictures really help. The ¼ inch seam allowance is small, but you could grade out a bit if you wanted to do French Seams or if you just wanted more fabric to work with.
I finished my seams with a contrasting light blue thread that I had in my stash. I don’t have a serger (yet!) so I just used the overcast stitch on my sewing machine. So far, it’s holding up!
I loved their tip about adding a ribbon to the back. The backside of the garment is designed to have more room, so it is important to put it on the correct way.
I also love the look of the elastic in the chest and back area. The ties are a great way to easily size the garment!
So far I’ve only sewn my daughter Geranium Dresses from Made-by-Rae, which will continue to be a favorite. I wanted to switch things up a bit. This was a perfect addition to my pattern stash!
At the moment my daughter is 19 months and naturally refuses to wear anything that I make her. (I didn’t think that started until like middle school?) So I unfortunately don’t have any cute pictures of her running around in the garden with this adorable and comfortable romper that I made her. If she ever decides to humor me for ten minutes and wear it, I will try my best to take photos!