If you are a busy mama and have had enough trying to find matching tops to bottoms for your little kiddo, a romper is what you need. A romper is a one-piece garment that is a mix of a shirt and shorts.
And your 2 year old who is busy crawling, walking, or attempting a small climb, will be happier to not having any dress or top flapping around, restricting his or her constant movements. And you can layer tem up with tights or a sweater for winter, or go solo in the summer.
If you are convinced on why you need a romper for your toddler, here is a sewing pattern and tutorial to make one easily.
Sewing pattern to make a baby romper for toddlers
Mark the pattern on your fabric
Cut out 2 fabric pieces of dimension 21 inches length and 16 inches wide. These are the main fabric pieces you need to sew the romper.
Fold each of these two pieces seperately by the middle and mark front pattern on one and back pattern on the other.
Front pattern for Romper
Back pattern for Romper
Cut out the binding (and casing for elastic) and straps. For the binding, Cut out 2 inches wide fabric pieces. For the front pattern piece of the romper, cut out 5 such pieces for the armholes, top edge and the legs.
You also need elastic strips of 1/4 inch width. And elastic thread.
Binding strips for front pattern
6 inch by 2 inches – 2 pieces for amhole
4.5 inches by 2 inches piece for top edge and
8.5 inches by 2 inches – 2 pieces for legs
Binding strips for back pattern
For the back pattern cut out 3 such pieces of 2 inch width – for the top edge and the legs.
8 inches by 2 inches piece for top edge and
8.5 inches by 2 inches – 2 pieces for legs
Cut out the fabric pieces for the binding by the bias if possible.
Cut out strap pieces
Cut out 2 fabric pieces – 11 inches long and 2 inches wide.
Prepare the binding strips
Fold 1/4 inches of all the binding strips to the inside, one by one and sew in place.Do this for all the binding strips.
Sewing the romper
Start sewing the fabric strips for binding on all edges. Start with the back pattern.
Place the back pattern right side up infront of you. Keep the binding piece rightside down with the cut edges on the edge of the back pattern top edge. Sew in place.
Do this for the leg edges
Sew the binding pieces on the front pattern piece legs and the armholes as well. (Do not sew the binding on the top edge of the front pattern now)
Turn the binding strips that you have sewn to the back of the fabric. (Turn them so that a small lip of 1/4 inches is there in the front.)
Bring the binding to the back and sew in place at the edge. Sew another row of stitch 1/4 inch above this – this makes a casing for inserting elastic.
Insert elastic on all the edges that you have sewn. Use a small safety pin or your bodkin to insert 1/4 inch elastic through the casings you have made at the top edge and the armhole.
On the legs, you can either insert elastic or sew with thin elastic thread on the bobbin. I would sew this before turning the binding to the back as I do not want elastic thread to touch baby skin. After sewing with the elastic thread, you can turn the binding to the back and sew in place.
After this, sew the binding for the upper edge of the front pattern. Remember to turn inside the edges on either sides.
Turn the edges on both sides.
Sew the binding in place as earlier.
Insert the elastic through the casing. Sew it shut.
Make the strap
Fold the edges of the fabric strip you have cut for the fabric straps. 1/4 inches first and then by the middle. Press. This will give you a nice folded 1 inch strap.
You can add a trim inside the straps if you want at the point.
Sew the strap edges. At this point you can add a trim to the strap. Cut elastic measuring 9 inches.
Insert elastic to the strap.
Sew the strap to the romper
Pin the straps in place on the front and back and make cross stitches to sew the straps strongly in place.
Sew the sides and bottom edges
This is the last step.
The bottom edges here are simply sewn shut. You may want to add snaps here. For this you will have to add another curved reinforcement placket piece. You can mirror the edges and make a simple pattern for this. For a toddler who is more upright than always lying down, you can do without the snaps too.
