Tutorial: Romper to Dress

TUTORIAL: Turn an old romper (or onesie or t-shirt) into a DRESS

Since it's super hot down here in South Louisiana it's the most perfect time to pull out those summer dresses. My daughter, Catherine, seems to be outgrowing her clothes faster than I can sew them, so I decided she needed a "new" dress. I found an old green romper that she had outgrown and decided to make use of it once again.

Materials: old romper (onesie or t-shirt) , 3/8 inch elastic (cut 5 inches shorter than your child's waist), material for dress skirt (I used 3/8 of a yard)

1. Cut off the romper at 8 inches (to give it an empire waist) and save the remaining material for craft projects (and a ruffle embellishment for the dress).

 2. Lay out your fabric. I cut a piece that was 2 times her waist measurement and 12 inches long. So it was 40 inches wide by 12 inches long.

 3. Fold up your bottom hem an inch, press with an iron and fold up another inch. Press with an iron and pin.

 4. Sew along this hem and remove pins as you sew.

 5. Lay out your dress piece with the hem facing down along the bottom. The unhemmed part will be facing the top. Lay your piece of 3/8 inch elastic across the top. Pin the ends of the elastic to the ends of the fabric and pin the middle of the elastic to the middle of the fabric. (It will bunch up and that's okay.)

 6. Here is the pinned elastic.

 7. Using a straight stitch sew along the elastic pulling it gently as you sew.

 8. Lay the fabric wrong side down. Take one short end and make it meet the other end. Pin in place.

 9. Sew these ends with a straight stitch. Zig-zag stitch when done to keep the ends from fraying.

 10. Lay your skirt fabric inside out. Shove the dress top inside of it. Line up the end of the romper with the end of the skirt fabric. Pin all around.

 11. Sew all around the pinned fabric. Flip the dress right side up. Now you have your dress!

 12. Make a rosette or just gather your scraps to embellish. Pin in place and sew down.

 13. Admire the dress you just made!

 Catherine started saying, "It's pretty. Mommy made it."

And my heart just melted obviously!

 I couldn't get a smile, but at least she stood still.

I will sew for this sweet baby girl any day!

Have fun! Send me a picture if you make one!