Could I Interest You in a Romper?

Curves and baby clothes— dressing your inner tot-ness

I have several dear friends who are celebrating summer with a new baby... two of whom gave birth this past week! —An extraordinary constellation.

I've made outfits for every single one of these new babies, my first foray into infantile dressmaking. 

Three rompers on the line

What I've learned about baby fashion is that while I have zero interest in I am delighted to make clothes for the roly-poly’s. While I cannot suckle or soothe your infants, I can clothe them!

I haven’t made clothes for anyone but myself in my past years of sewing madness; a few exceptions that only prove the rule. I've been consumed with how to make attractive designs for myself, and crack the code for how to force fabric to wrap itself attractively around difficult things like “breasts.”

Some people think that the fashion industry only makes clothes for flat-chested models because they are misogynist bastards. Not so! The reason for Flatsie-Patsy designs on the runway is because sewing for geometric curves is like trying to squeeze a round peg in a square hole. It's a fabric-wrestling nightmare.

This is why couture dressmaking focuses on B-cups, and even then, requires every bit of dexterity and optical illusion.

When you see a well-fitting dress or blouse on a full-bosomed woman, you need to walk up and congratulate her and ask her for every detail on how she obtained it.  Curvy models spend a fortune on tailoring.

Of course, fabric with lycra has been a major revolution in this quest for well-fitting clothes. But stretch fabrics require a special $100 feet for your sewing machine, plus a superb sewing machine, so you don't lose your mind trying to control your yardage. 

I see many beginner sewers in the fabric shop, snapping up the groovy stretch velvets. I know that they’re going to be in hot tears within hours of trying to cut the yardage out, let alone sew it.

Someone needs to tell them they need to take out a loan for the equipment they need to get involved with knits, if they are ever to be satisfied.

The point about difficult adult garment-making is this: sewing baby clothes is the perfect reprieve after battling full bust adjustments.

First of all, you'll be buying cotton for babies, a fabric that was meant to be cut, ripped, needled, and pressed. It doesn’t “fight” you, like stretch fabrics do.

Second, there is no shape to worry about. Who cares how big the baby’s diaper is? The biggest concern is what exquisite little button you're going to sew to the front, at the end. It is so easy to make a romper— maybe the first time I giggled my way through a sewing project.

I stopped every few minutes at my machine to gasp, "This is so cute I can't stand it!" I don't usually do that.

Here are my baby pattern recommendations:

If you are pressed for time, do not get any pattern with a ruffle.

Yes, babygirl clothes are all about ruffles. But you don't need to do it the hard way!

Instead, get a plain triangle dress or romper pattern, and then buy some ready-made ruffle trim. Speed-sew that sucker on, at the end.

This trick is how I did my assortment of rumba panties, by just slapping on the lace after I was finished with everything else.

Furthermore, it turns out ROMPER patterns are easier to make than a dress. In the future, I am making all rompers when I am in mass production. It's unisex! 

I had thought the romper would be difficult, because it has snaps in the inner legs, for easy diapering.

That was before I realized that SNAP TAPE (a cotton bias tape with snaps) is the easy answer to romper designs.

The snaps are pre-sewn into a long piece of twill tape, which you buy by the yard. It's as easy as sewing on rick-rack.

The important thing with baby clothes, like all clothes for that matter, is the part that is center, high, and front. The bib, the part on their chest, is the focus. 

Who cares if your thread gets snarled up on the inner legs? No one sees it. 

Remember to use interfacing where the pattern asks for it; don't skimp. You need reinforcement at the stress points. You know how rambunctious an angry baby can get!

Remember to buy fabrics that will please the parent, since the baby doesn't care. It's like you're buying for the adult's inner child.

If you made an adult a romper in a fetching design, they would look like a miserable clown. They can only live vicariously, and they will, with your help.

I made this mommy very happy.

What I love about these baby clothes is that you can come up with the most cunning, sentimental, cornball of an idea, and it looks FANTASTIC.  I could never wear fluorescent pink and white pom-poms on my chest . . . but it looks great on a baby.

Regarding my top photo:

The "Roy Rogers Romper" on the right is a print of old Hollywood Roy Rogers and Dale Evans posters.

The "Day of the Dead Romper" on the left is part of a  lot of prints these days that are evocative of surreal Mexican folk traditions... the Virgin de Guadalupe, Frida Kahlo, skeletons, romantic tattoos, etc. 

The "I Love Paris" smock and rumba panty is an Eiffel Tower design that comes in many colors and is one of the most popular at our local shop.

I got all the fabrics at Hart's, which carries a lot of Retro, Hawaiian, and Vintage-revival cotton prints.

The pattern I used is Kwik Sew 3035. Yes, their pattern envelopes feature the world's dorkiest illustrations, but their sewing instructions and designs are superb.

My sewing teacher, Jill Sanders gave me a lot of baby sewing tips, including this one:  when the instructions tell you to “grade and clip the seams,” because the area is so tiny, use a pinking shears! 

What a timesaver that was.

My own tip: Skip the understitching they call for— again, it's too tiny a margin to be concerned. 

Everything with baby clothes is tiny; you get in a It's a Small World After All mood. Eventually, you will take a break to do something LARGE and ADULT.

I went to watch an horse race and drank Mint Juleps.

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