This romper was almost a sewing fail. It took me nearly twice as long to finish as it should have because I mistakenly made two right pants legs and spent hours unpicking seams. The right and wrong sides of this fabric are identical, so I should have marked the wrong side with water-soluble pen. I used chalk on this light-colored fabric, but it wore off too soon.
The fabric came from Indie Sew, and it is a lightweight rayon chambray. It had a few imperfections scattered throughout the yardage (some of which I accidentally included in my romper). The fabric is very soft and drapey, which is typical of rayon fabrics, but this fabric is particularly shift-y. I had trouble matching some of the stripes because of this. I think this pattern design benefits from a fabric that drapes well to eliminate bulk around the gathered waist, but maybe I should have chosen a thicker rayon challis or tencel fabric.
I used Very Easy Vogue 9260 to make this romper, but I think I would rate this pattern’s difficulty as “easy” instead of “very easy”. There was A LOT of narrow hemming required to make this, so don’t expect to complete this as quickly as other very easy vogue patterns. The neckline and the cold shoulder cut-outs in the sleeves are all finished with a narrow hem as opposed to facings which do require a little more patience, but they give a more professional appearance.
I made a size 8 even though I am usually a 10 in Vogue patterns. I read other reviews that this style ran big and they were right! The finished measurements listed on the pattern indicated the 10 would have been massive.
I chose to modify the front lace up closure and use grommets instead of fabric loops. I thought the grommets would take less time and look less handmade. I also topstitched the fabric to the facing to keep the facing from shifting, and used a thread chain for the back button loop.
It is still quite warm here in Charleston, and I have a few other summer projects lined up before I start making my fall wardrobe! What is on your fall “must sew” list?
Megan Francine 