KCW Day 1: Monogrammed Ruffle Bum Romper & Baby Shoes

My husband's cousin is pregnant with her first child, and I received an invite to her baby shower this weekend.  She's having a girl, so I had no problem deciding what to give her.  I'd simply sew up something cute and adorable!

I am an affiliate for Peek-a-Boo Pattern Shop, but all the opinions in this post are 100% my own.

I decided to try out the Ruffle Bum Romper by Peek-a-Boo Pattern Shop and the Mary Jane Shoes by Little Shoes.  Besides a few doll clothes, I've never made clothes this small before, so I knew this would be fun.

This baby outfit is also my Kid's Clothes Week Day 1 sewing project.  Both items were easy to sew together, even with the added monogramming.

First of all, every little baby girl needs a ruffle bottom romper.  This type of outfit is just perfect for showcasing chunky baby legs and arms, and the ruffles on the bum make it look even cuter.  To make my version of the Ruffle Bum Romper even more adorable on the new baby girl, I opted to add a single letter monogram to the front bodice.  I used the Adams Accent Monogram from Embroitque.

The Ruffle Bum Romper pattern is absolutely perfect for adding a monogram or other embroidery/applique design to the front, especially since the front bodice is lined--conveniently covering up the stabilizer and stitching on the back of the bodice.

I hooped the front bodice using Pellon 40 stabilizer and floated a piece of tear away stabilizer under that for extra stability.  I could have used solvy on top, but to be honest, I forgot!  I think the stitching turned out great though.

This is the first Embroitque design I have used, and I was very please with how the 3" design stitched out. In fact, I think this was my fastest embroidery project ever!  It took literally no more than 2 minutes to stitch out the A and the flourishes on the sides.

I almost always have a difficult time deciding what color thread to use on these types of embroidery projects.  My first thought was to use red since the ruffles on the bottom are red, but that reminded me too much of the Scarlet Letter!  I'm so glad I just went with a slightly darker shade of teal than the fabric. I think it's perfect!  Don't you?

Ok.  Back to the romper.  To make this romper, you'll have to know how to make a buttonhole to thread the ties through.  Don't be scared!  I know I used to be, but practice, practice, practice and you will get better at it!  I did.

For the smaller sizes, you'll also have to know how to install snaps.  I have never put snaps on before, but for some reason, I already owned the pliers and a box of snaps!  I just followed the instructions on the plier package and did a pretty good job.  I did have to pry one off and try again because I somehow put it in the wrong place, but luckily, I didn't tear the fabric when I removed it. I forgot to wash off my mark, but it was made using disappearing ink, so it should just wash out.

The pattern is full of detailed photos and written descriptions on how to assemble every part of the Ruffle Bum Romper.  When I first read through the instructions, I was pleasantly surprised at how simple and easy it was to make one.  I did do one thing slightly different than the pattern specified.  I used my serger to give the ruffles a rolled edge hem instead of folding and pressing the fabric to form the hem.  That was just faster for me, plus I like the look on this outfit.

Now, for the next time I make a Ruffle Bum Romper, I will definitely add a small piece of interfacing in between the bodice and bodice lining at the location of the buttonholes as well as add interfacing in the hem before I attach the snaps.  The pattern didn't call for any interfacing, but I think it would help the buttonholes hold up longer and keep the snaps from possibly damaging the fabric after a lot of repeated use.

After I finished the romper, I remembered winning some baby shoe patterns from Little Shoes a few months back.  I never thought I'd get to use these patterns for anything but doll shoes, but they are the perfect addition to the Ruffle Bum Romper.  I even monogrammed the same, but smaller 2" size, Adams Accent Monogram to the top of each little shoe.  Why do we find things in miniature so stinkin' cute?!

Since I only have a 5x7 hoop for my Brother PE770 embroidery machine, I traced the two shoe pattern pieces using disappearing ink onto the fabric, hooped them with the same stabilizers I used for the romper, and then stitched out the monogram on each shoe piece.  I had drawn mine toe to toe, so I had to flip the design file 180 degrees for the second shoe.  Wish I had taken a picture of it in the hoop, but I always forget to do that while I'm working!

These 3-6 month shoes took about an hour to sew together.  They were surprisingly easy to make.  The Little Shoes Mary Jane Pattern pictures were great in showing where to stitch and how to put the pieces together.  However, the written descriptions, although thorough, threw me off a little at times because of their grammar.  The pattern provides sizes 0-3 months up to 18 months, and I'll definitely be using this pattern again in the future for more baby gifts!

Well, I better run!  The baby shower is this weekend, and I have to get this gift in the mail!

Come back tomorrow to see my Kid's Clothes Week Day 2 project!