Cloning clothes you already own is a pretty popular form of sewing online right now. You are able to recreate some of your closet favorites without finding and purchasing a commercial pattern. I have found with my limited time sewing that this method of cloning clothes is very simple with children’s clothes. Children’s clothes often fit looser and don’t contour around the same curves as adult clothes. No fussy darts or contouring princess seams to worry about. And because children are always growing, you can practice sizing up while cloning some old favorites. Let’s learn how to sew a toddler romper using clothes you already own!
I will walk you through how I used a pair of my daughters overalls to make a new romper for the summer. Please note that this isn’t a full tutorial, a basic guideline on how I was able to make a romper without a pattern. I would say these are instructions for someone with some garment experience, an adventurous beginner whose already tackled some projects. For this guide you will start with existing clothing for the basic pattern shapes. We’re not pattern drafting!
Let’s Start!
I knew that I wanted to sew a romper for my daughter out of this adorable quilting fabric. While it is traditionally not recommended to sew garments with quilting fabric, the stiffness and bright print lent itself perfectly to sewing a romper.
I didn’t have a romper exactly like I wanted, but I did have a full pant length overall in size 2-3Y that I was able to use. The existing overalls had two side snaps that I was going to ignore, I knew from my daughter wearing these overalls, that it was not a necessary addition for a good fit. The other modification I made was the pant length, which I adjusted to be shorts for the romper.
What You’ll need
- 1-2 yards main fabric
- 1/4-1/2 yard lining fabric
- Fabric sheers or rotary blade
- pins, thread, basic notions etc.
- sewing machine
- Overalls to trace
- two buttons
Cutting the Fabric
For this romper I began by folding the overalls in half down the mid-line. You can first trace around your garment onto pattern paper or an unfolded paper bag, however I had enough confidence to go directly onto the fabric. I eyeballed an 5/8th seam around the perimeter of my overalls and cut according to this imaginary line with my sewing shears. To modify the length, I folded up the pant leg to my approximated shorts length. This ended up working perfectly and lands right at knee length on my daughter. If you are a little nervous to cut directly onto your fabric you can also trace a 5/8th’s line around with a water soluble marker.
With that method I cut two mirrored front panels. Then I carefully folded the overalls the opposite way to trace the back panels. Again following an imaginary 5/8th seam with my shears. That left me with two front panels and two back panels.
I then took those pieces and laid them on top of the lining fabric, which was a quilting scrap I had leftover. When cutting out the lining do not add the seam allowance because that is already included from your first cuts. At this point you should have two front panels, two back panels, two front linings and two back linings. You do not need to line the whole garment. The linings for these overalls stop about 2″ below the armpit holes.
Assembly
For ease of understanding I will number the assembly steps. To be fair, I didn’t love this assembly order because I couldn’t use a flat felled seam for every seam. I just tried the best way I knew how. If you have suggestions for a different order please feel free to share it in the comments below!
- Attach front panels together at the center. Press and finish the seams.
- Repeat this step for the back panel, front linings and back linings.
- Fold and press a 1/4 inch hem for both lining pieces. Stitch hem
- Right sides together, pin front panel to front lining. Starting at the armpit hole, sew with 5/8 seam allowance. Trim seam allowance, turn right sides out and press.
- Repeat for back panel and back lining.
- Right sides facing, attach front and back panels at the crotch, matching center seams. Finish seams
- With right sides facing, place the front onto the back. Flip up lining and sew side seams together starting at the hem of the lining and ending at the leg opening. Repeat other side and finish seams.
- Use a 1/4 inch hem for leg opening. Optional to add elastic.
- Add button holes to back straps and stitch buttons onto front straps
Modification Ideas
Fabric Suggestions Like I mentioned, its not typical to sew clothes using quilters cotton. These overalls would be adorable in denim, linen, or many other mid-weight woven fabrics
Make it a jumper dress or top! Rather than tracing the entire overall, just trace the straps and bodice and add the skirt of your choice! Rather than doing a full dress, I have also made a jumper-style tank top for the summer for my daughter! To add some flair I also used a vintage eyelet trim between the bodice and skirt.
Add Extra Button Holes You can extend the length of the strap and add extra button holes so your child can wear it for longer! I absolutely love kids clothes with extra button holes and the ability for my child to grow with her clothes.
Change Up the Hardware Rather than securing the straps with buttons you could use traditional overall buckets. You will have to modify the length of the straps to accommodate for the changes in securing the hardware.
Snap Closure! Adding a snap closure to the crotch makes toddler overalls much more friendly for our tiny guys who are still in diapers. When cutting out the pattern, add a bit more seam allowance to the crotch. Then during assembly, after step 5 you can fold and press a 1/4 inch hem to the front and back crotch. Then attach front and back panels at the sides. Finish by hand stitching 5-9 snaps evenly spaced onto the legs.
Pockets A much easier modification idea than snaps! You can do a basic rectangular kangaroo pouch or get creative. I also love the idea of adding embroidery to a front pocket.
The Finale
I hope you were able to follow along, or get inspired to cloning a different item of your child’s clothes. We are looking forward to the warmer weather months to see the new romper in action. I love that she will be able to play outside or in the sand and not get dirt and bark chips down her pants.
If you chose to follow along, please comment on your experience down below!
Happy Sewing,
Andrea