Game Day Ruffle Romper

Let me start out this post with a great big Wa-a-r-r-r Eagle!  Hey!

For those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about, I'm an Auburn Tigers fan.  Auburn University, that is!  A beautiful college in the heart of the south in Auburn, Alabama.  The place where I, as well as the rest of my family except for my husband (a University of Alabama grad), earned my college degree.

That said, since I have a beautiful daughter who tends to favor her mother's alma mater, I knew she needed to have an outfit or two to wear to show my her support come football season!  What I came up with is the Game Day Ruffle Romper!

Again, I found my inspiration for a new outfit from the Kelly's Kids catalog, specifically the Play Date Romper on page 32.  I love rompers, and this one is so adorable in plaid with the ruffle neckline.

Kelly's Kids Play Date Romper

A month or so ago, I bought a piece of cotton plaid fabric with Auburn colors (orange and blue) with no specific project in mind.  I figured I would make some shorts out of it or maybe combine it with another coordinating fabric to make a dress.  However, once I figured out how to make this romper (I didn't have a pattern specifically for it), I knew the Auburn plaid would be perfect! Luckily, I had just enough fabric (3/4 of a yard) to make this size 4T romper right by matching the plaids. 

The only thing I haven't added (yet) to this Game Day Ruffle Romper is the elastic waistband.  I debated whether or not to put in a casing and run 1/4" elastic through it or try and shir the waistband.  I'm still having trouble with my shirring method, and I forgot to buy a different brand of elastic thread when I went to the fabric store earlier this week.  So, since Ella insisted on wearing her new outfit right away, I whipped up a wide orange with white polka dotted sash.  I like it, and so did she.  

I can't wait to make another one of these rompers.  It was pretty simple to make once I found a couple of "go-by" pattern pieces to use.  For the main part of the romper, I used Simplicity 1903 View C, but I chose to cut the top front and back out on the fold to make matching the plaids up easier.  I then decided I wanted the finished ruffle to be at least 3" wide, so I cut out a 3-3/4" piece by the width of the fabric (roughly 42") and then sewed the two short ends together.  I then used my serger to make a rolled hemmed edge on the ruffle.  Next, I sewed the ruffle onto the neck line by matching the right side of the ruffle to the wrong side of the bodice.  Then, I flipped the ruffle to the outside of the romper and stitched a casing for a 1/4" piece of elastic.  

I know, I know.  I really need to start taking pictures of these steps to go along with my description.  I promise I'll try to when I make the next one (which I hope won't be too long since I already have the fabric picked out)!

Now that she has the right outfit, I hope we can attend one of the Auburn football games this fall.  We'll see! Go Tigers!