What I was worried about? 🤷♀️
If you follow me on social media you may already know some of this story. Last year my mother-in-law (and sewing buddy) Kelly lost her fight with cancer. And as a tribute to her I decided to take on her unfinished sewing projects. The Penny Romper was one of these projects.
I remember Kelly showing me the Penny Romper pattern and this beautiful fabric. She planned to make it for my niece Jemila. So when Anton and Zahra asked if I could make the romper for Jemila I couldn’t say no. Since I consider myself a beginner when it comes to making clothes – to say I was nervous would be an understatement.
The last thing I wanted to do was make a mistake with this project. Particularly because it was for Jemila. But also because I had just enough fabric to make the one romper. No extra in case I made a mistake. Kelly originally purchased this fabric in the UK somewhere – but no idea where?
The first step to worry about was cutting out the pattern pieces correctly. This step seems simple but mistakes are easy to make. Plus being for a toddler you need to be more precise with your cutting. (The pattern pieces are smaller)
Once I started sewing I also realised just how thin (and soft) this fabric was. It also likes to fray around the raw edges. Both these qualities meant that unpicking mistakes wouldn’t be an option. So slow and steady was the plan.
The Penny Romper is designed by Dhurata Davies Patterns. Dhurata has a really lovely collection of patterns – including clothes for women and children. Many of them are available in both paper and digital sewing patterns.
The Penny Romper pattern isn’t too complex. I think it could easily be tackled by beginner sewers. The instructions are clear and well written. With enough drawn diagrams to help you through the steps.
The one step that may trip someone up is the last one. This is where you add the snap fasteners to the finished romper. Luckily I have a lot of experience with attaching snaps to bags. Plus I have a hand-press, so it made this final step easier for me.
I’m absolutely thrilled with how Jemila’s Penny Romper turned out! The fabric is just so soft and beautiful. And because I had some fabric left over I made a matching drawstring bag. I’m sure Kelly would have done the same.
Thankfully I had the time to make this project slowly. It was so important to me to make this Penny Romper as perfect as possible. For Jemila and for Kelly. I hope I’ve done her proud ❤️
