Seamingly Smitten: Tutorial: Adding Ruffles to The Rory Romper

Does your little one need some ruffles on her ROMPER? Of course she does! Let's GET SEWING!

One of my most recent sewing patterns is The Rory Bubble Romper for Girls. It's made from 2 pieces, sews together in under an hour and slips on and off easily. My little girl has been wearing hers twice a week for the past 3 weeks so I decided it was time to spice it up a little! (Because girls love clothes right? And this Mommy LOVES SEWING for her little girl! It's a win-win situation in this house!)

I love taking a pattern that I have (or one I've bought) and tweaking it to make it look more custom made. I'm going to show you how to add a ruffle trim to The Rory Bubble Romper sewing pattern to make this precious outfit:

The happy lady is showing off and smiling!

"Look at my smile, Mommy. I forgot how to smile. Is it like this?" Um...no that looks like a mean face, baby girl! Try again.

Can't you just see your little girl in this ruffled romper? Adorable!

TUTORIAL:

How to add RUFFLES to The Rory Romper Sewing Pattern

Materials:

The Rory Romper Sewing Pattern (Instant download here: www.seaminglysmitten.com)

1/2 yard of fabric

thread, sewing machine, scissors, pins, straight edge

1. Follow instructions on the pattern for cutting out your romper pattern.

2. Cut out 4 strips of fabric that are 5 inches long x the width of your romper pattern piece.

(You need 2 ruffle strips for each romper piece.)

3. Lay your ruffle strips right sides together and sew along one short end. Open it up and press your seam. This gives you ONE LONG ruffle strip. Repeat for the other two ruffle strips. Now you have TWO LONG ruffle strips.
4. Lay your ruffle strip right side down. Fold it in half, matching the long ends and press with an iron. Now the right side of the long ruffle strip will face you. Repeat for the other ruffle strip.

5. Sew a basting stitch along the raw edge of your ruffle strips using a 1/4 inch seam allowance. Leave a 6 inch tail of fabric at the beginning of your ruffle strip and at the end of your ruffle strip. Do NOT backstitch. Repeat for the other ruffle strip.

6. Holding on to the bobbin thread ruffle your strip (slide the fabric along the bobbin thread gently) until it is the same width as your romper pattern piece. Repeat for other ruffle strip / other pattern piece.

7. Lay your pattern pieces right side up. Match the raw edges of your pattern piece and your ruffle. Pin your ruffle in place.

8. Sew along the pinned edge using a 1/2 inch seam allowance. Remove pins as you sew. Repeat for other romper piece.
9. Serge or zig-zag stitch the raw edges. I make sure my needle goes on then off the fabric with each stitch.

10. Fold ruffle down and press with an iron for each romper piece.

11. Topstitch using a 1/8 inch seam allowance above your ruffle (or as close to the sewn edge as you can get). Repeat for other pattern piece.

12. Sew the romper together just as the pattern suggests, but leave off the elastic in each leg. No worrying about hemming when you add a ruffle, either! It will save you a step!

Enjoy your new Rory Ruffled Romper!

I hope you LOVE it and your little one wears it ALL SUMMER LONG!

You will smile everytime your little girl wears it because she loves it and you know you made it!

Below is the original Rory Romper with the elastic in the legs for you to see. Don't you love creating variations from sewing patterns? Use your imagination and go with it! You might even surprise yourself.