Saturday 11 June 2016

Romping around the city


Hello folks!

I'm very happy to be writing from my vibrant & comfy room in London. No more Scandi-white walls and Ikea furniture! It's great to be home, and I've been enjoying the summer weather - which feels very well-deserved after what felt like an interminable winter in Stockholm. (Did I mention that the lakes were still frozen in April?!) As I write, we are in the middle of a summer storm after a week of sun. I've been shuttling around the city between home, two different workplaces, uni and my partner's flat, and have spent most of the week in this romper suit. 




I'm a pretty recent convert to onesies/rompers/jumpsuits, and admit that it took the online sewing community to adopt them on mass until I became convinced. I tend to find them quite impractical for quite basic things like going to the loo. However, when it's the summer and there's no need to layer up, they're really the perfect lazy way to make an effortless and fun outfit. Just pull it on and you're dressed. Underwear optional.

I used a vintage 1970s pattern that I found in a charity shop years ago and had been hanging onto. I'd originally planned on changing the pattern to create a more fitted look, minus the elasticated waist and with glamorous wide-legged trousers. However, in the end I was lazy and kept it as it was. I was determined to still get the tap-pants effect though, so I married up my self-drafted tap shorts with the pattern block. I love the fact that the pattern included pockets with cut-on pocket facings. Brilliant! 

The fabric is a cotton-viscose blend from my stash, with a big floral print that I feel looks quite 70s or 80s. It has the perfect amount of drape for the style, and I just managed to squeeze the pattern blocks onto 1m of fabric.





The result is pretty breezy, and if I were to make them again, I think I'd stick to the narrower leg. I would also take some fabric out of the bodice side seams, so that my figure can be seen a little more nicely. I'd love to knock up a stripy romper, as I have longed for an Edwardian-era bathing suit for years! Alas, no striped cotton-viscose in my stash so this dream will be unrealised for a while longer.



Romper, clogs, bargain £5 Panama hat from a charity shop, and getting some sun on my tattooed pins. Hurrah for all things summer!

Project details:
Summer romper
Pattern: 
Style 3139, pattern from a charity shop
Fabric: 1m cotton viscose from my stash
Cost: £0

-Anushka