Baby Romper

A dear friend of ours is having a baby soon and I wanted to make her something special as we celebrate his imminent arrival. Enter the Shwin baby romper. It was a good sew but I could have done with a few more pointers like a pattern piece to trace for the front and some instructions on box pleats. These were my first box pleats (see under the front panel) but after much faffing, I think they came out ok.

Also, in the back of my mind was the concern that Shauna made this pattern for her unborn baby and I kept thinking, is this going to fit ok, did she make modifications once her baby tried it on??!! Of which I am still in the dark until baby bubbles makes his entrance and tries on his romper! The anxiety led me and fellow Thursday night crafter to look up newborn chest size charts! Mind you, the overalls were almost complete at this stage, there was no turning back!

Similarly, without a little model where does one place the shoulder buttons?! I’ll tell you where: at midnight when you’ve made a hash of the button holes and are completely freaking out with the baby shower looming the following day, you revert to press studs hidden by fake buttons! Eeep, don’t look too close at that one.

On press studs, I loved the interface piece that is added at the crotch. It means the ‘back side’ of the press studs are hidden which I love.

It couldn’t be a baby gift from me without a pair of baby shoes to go with. Do you realise the amount of gear required for these tiny charmers?

I’ve said it before, but I love making these shoes. Tried and tested by my own cherubs, they’re cute, functional, washable and I can sew them without thinking anymore! (If they look big next to the romper, yes, ahem, they are 6 month size. Newborn would be ultra-fiddly!)