Sew A Rompers From An Old Sweater

I sewed another pair of clothes for my daughter and this time it is a romper with ribbon shoulder straps. The main material of these rompers is from my old knitted sweater, my once favorite clothes before it shows some signs of wear on the neck’s ribbing. Instead of donating it away to the needed¹, I think it is better that I recycle the material into something wearable for my daughter.

The approach on how to sew this romper out of an old sweater is pretty straight forward. The top of the rompers is the body of the sweater. The shorts of the rompers are made from the sleeves. Just add some ribbons and elastic bands to complete the rompers.

Rompers, the one-piece garment for kids and adults, has been in trend for recent years. Be wearing it as it is for the hot weather or add a cardigan and a stocking or tights during the colder weather.

Sew A Rompers From An Old Sweater

Material:
1. Woman Knitted Sweater
2. Ribbons, 4 yards
3. Fabric scraps for waistband and chest band lining, 2″ wide, 2 x sweater width plus some allowances.
4. Elastic band 1″, waist + chest-length + some allowance.
5. Elastic band 1/4″, short length for shorts side seams.

Tools:
1. Sewing Machine
2. Over-locking serger
3. Matching color sewing threads
4. Carbon and tracing wheel
5. Pins and needles.
6. Safety Pin

Measurement needed:
1. Low waistline
2. Upper chest at underarm level.

I found this burgundy-purple machine-knitted sweater in my wardrobe which I haven’t been wearing for quite some time.

Lay the sweater on a flat table, adjust and smooth out according to seam lines and hem.
Cut across chest line at the underarm level.

Cut out sleeves and slit open their inseams with a pair of scissors. We only need the sleeves and body parts of the sweater.
Keep the rest for other projects. I think the knitted rib on the neckline should be nice for making a rosette brooch.

Trace a shorts pattern from a pair of pants or shorts, or download a 7-year-old & 3-year-old shorts’ pattern from this post and this post respectively.
Lower the waist-line 3″ below the shorts pattern. Shorten the shorts length to your like or able to fit in the sleeve area. Mine is about 1 1/2″ from the crotch point. Adjust the width of the shorts to fit the sweater width.
Pin paper pattern and cut the shortened low waist shorts pattern from the sleeves with 1/2″ seam allowance.
Trace seam lines with carbon and tracing wheel.
Remove pins.

Sew front and back of the shorts at the side seams, neaten the raw edges with 4-thread over-lock stitch.

Insert right-side pair into the wrong-side pair of the shorts, sew and serge the center seam and inseam.

Sew and attach ribbons to the hems of the shorts. Leave enough length for tying a bow at the side.
It is fine if the shorts are slightly bigger or smaller than the width of the body since it is a knitted material, you can stretch a little to get them fit together.

Insert shorts into the body, with right side facing each other. Pin and sew together with the waistband lining, with 3/8″ seam allowance.
Leave a side opening on the waistband lining for elastic band entry.

Fold the waistband lining up and fold the raw edge in at the level of the ribbed edge. Sew.

Measure the wearer’s under the waist and add about 2″ for loose fit low-waist rompers.
Insert the elastic band by using a safety pin, through the lining opening, into the pocket and come out from another opening. Zig-zag sew the elastic ends by overlapping them 1″.
Close the opening.
Sew some short vertical lines on the elastic band to set it in place so that it won’t fold inside the pocket.

Sew the chest lining to the chest line of the rompers, add a pair of ribbons about 7″ apart at the center of the front rompers and 6″ apart at the back.

Turn the lining to the wrong side of the rompers, fold in the raw edge, and sew about 1″ wide of pocket for the elastic band installation.
Leave a side opening for elastic band entry.
Measure the wearer’s upper chest at underarm level, add 1″ for elastic band joining.
Insert the elastic band into the pocket, join and sew as you did for the waistband.

Cut 2 short lengths of 1/4″ elastic bands, around 1/2 the length of your shorts side seam.
Pin them on each side of the shorts’ seam lines with ends align to the top and lowest point of the shorts seam.

Stretch the elastic to match the side seam length. Sew it on the seam to create a gathered effect on the shorts’ sides.
~DONE~