When Seamwork came out with their Kari Pattern for May, I immediately chose the bonus dress pattern not the Romper. I love jumpsuits and rompers, but my body shape doesn't, at least for RTW versions. After seeing several Rompers on Instagram #seamworkkari and reading about how comfortable they were, I decided to try it.
The fabric I used is from a newly discovered fabric company GK Fashion Fabrics, based out of Ontario, Canada. They have a great selection of fabrics that are very reasonably priced, especially for those of you from the US because of the exchange on the dollar! I am really happy to find a family run business based out of Canada. They definitely have quality fabrics at an affordable price. This particular fabric is 100% print viscose. I loved the contemporary design and styling and oh my goodness is it soft! The weight of the fabric gives it a perfect drape for a make like this and you can wear it all day and it hardly wrinkles! I will definitely be looking for more viscose prints from GK Fabrics.
I cut out the same size as the Kari Dress that I made and graded it down to a size 8 through the hip. The Romper has an extensive leg opening and it would have been too much fabrics if I had cut out a size 14. I simply drew a straight line from the bottom of the arm syce, as I had done with the dress and extended this all the way to the hem line. I added 2" to the length of the inseam to accommodate for my height and to make sure the Romper was long enough to be able to wear it to work. The fun part about the Romper is that it has relaxed fit so it is cool and you don't have to w0rry about getting a perfect fit through the body. That is my kind of romper!
The pattern sews together really nicely. As in most Seamwork patterns, you can have a finished garment in a few hours. I would suggest using a loop turner for the ties, it makes it much less fiddly and they slide through really easily. Other than that, it is a straight forward, enjoyable sew, great for beginners or for a quick summer sew. I originally included side pockets as I love pockets, but found that they created a bulge across the hip because of how they hung, so I re-pinned the side seam and cut them off. I am much happier with the sleeker look of the Romper now.
You can have fun with choosing different lengths for this pattern. I would like to make it in a full length version to create a jumpsuit look. I think that adding little ties to pull it in at the waist would work well for a more classic line. There are many ways to have fun with this pattern and so many fabric choices to choose from, after all... there is Sew Much To Design.
Happy Sewing,
Lou Sheffer
Comments