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How to DIY Your Own Hot Summer Romper

Kelly Bryden

Kelly Bryden, an east coast native, is stoked to be a part of the Brit + Co team. Design, DIY, and fashion are her passions. If she isn't crafting you can catch her on the dance floor or wrapped up in aerial silks.

Full Bio

Jul 10, 2020

Let's face it, fashion is something that is always going to be an addiction. The colors, patterns, styles, fabric… come on, who wouldn't be addicted. But sometimes stores just don't have exactly what we are looking for and that's when we DIY. Listen up because this romper is PATTERN FREE. That's right. No confusing patterns about pinning filled in circles or dashed lines together. This romper is made from a basic tank and basic cotton shorts. What we love most is that you can customize it to your skill level. If you are a beginner follow along for the first four steps. If you are a more advanced sewer, continue on and add embellishments to make this romper unique and truly you.

Materials:

– cotton tank top

– cotton shorts

– ribbon

– trim and ribbon embellishments (optional)

– jersey material

– thread

Tools:

– sewing machine

– scissors

– needle

– pins

Instructions:

When buying your cotton shorts and tank buy them one to two sizes bigger than normal. I wear a size small and I purchased a medium tank and large bottoms. You can find cotton basics at Forever21, American Apparel, Target, or Kohl's. Cut off the elastic waist from your cotton shorts. This will make the waist seem really large but don't worry, we will shrink it down to your waist size later.

Turn the shorts and tank inside out and pin together. Start by matching the side seams and then pin together. Find the middle of the tank and pin to the middle seam of the shorts. Finish pinning around the waist line and then sew together.

Turn your romper right side out. It looks a bit frumpy now, but just wait.

For the waist band you will want a ribbon that is about 1.5 – 2 inches in width. We fell in love with this aztec patterned ribbon but it wasn’t thick enough! Simple solution – sew to a piece of ribbon that is thick enough!

Pin your ribbon to the waistband of your romper. Sew both sides to create a pocket for your drawstring. *Tip – Don’t sew the ribbon vertical or you will cut off the loop for your drawstring.

Almost there, but let’s make it cuter.

Snip two holes in the center of the ribbon for the drawstring. Cut the jersey fabric in a thin strip for it to resemble a thin rope. Use a safety pin to snake the jersey fabric through the ribbon.

We can’t get over this aztec ribbon! Such a fun touch for a summer romper.

When we laid our eyes on this chevron gold beading we just knew that it was perfect for this romper. Pin the beading in place and hand sew onto the collar of your tank. We used the beads to turn our scoop neck into a v-neck. Trim away the extra fabric. We suggest skipping this step if you are a beginner because it is very tedious.