How to Sew a Basic Knit Jumper

Use your favorite pair of shorts and a tape measure as a pattern for this romper.

A knit jumper or romper is very much in style for this spring and summer. A romper is a one-piece top and short combination seamed at the waistline or dropped waistline. The waist often has elastic or a drawstring to cinch the measurement in. The nature of a romper makes it a difficult piece to fit everyone, and if you have a longer torso, longer legs or prefer a higher placed waistline, making your own romper is a good option. This project creates a tube top romper and a pattern can be can made with a tape measure and your favorite pair of shorts.

Things You'll Need

• 3 yards knit fabric
• 2 yards 1/2-inch elastic
• Pair of shorts
• Tape measure
• Chalk
• Sewing machine
• Thread

Instructions

Make the Pattern

1. Fold the fabric in half widthwise, right sides together, and lay it on a table.

2. Put the shorts on.

3. Measure the distance between your overbust and the top of the shorts. Add three inches to this length.

4. Mark the length with dots from step three along the fabric fold edge, at the top of the fabric using the chalk.

5. Measure the circumference of your overbust at the point where a tube top would fall. Add an additional 1/4 of the total measurement to the number. Divide the total measurement by 4.

6. Mark a horizontal line the length of the measurement from step five at the top dot marked in step four.

7. Measure your waist at the point that the shorts hit and add 1/4 of the total measurement to the first measurement.

8. Mark the measurement with a horizontal line at the bottom dot from step three.

9. Connect the outside edge of the top horizontal line with the outside edge of the bottom horizontal line with a diagonal straight line.

10. Take off your shorts and put one short leg inside the other. Fold the shorts on the side and inseams, exposing the j-shaped hook of the crotch. Expose the front only, folding the back carefully behind the front. The front is the smaller side, the back the bigger.

11. Place the short on the fabric.

Cut and Sew

1. Cut the square-shaped top out on the fold.

2. Cut around the front only of the short, 1/2-inch from the edge.

3. Re-position the short, folding the front behind the back and cut the back only out.

4. Re-position the top square on the fold and cut another one out.

5. Sew the short together by first joining the left front inseam to the left back inseam using a machine straight stitch 1/2-inch from the edge. Sew the right inseams together. Sew the j-shaped crotch seam from front to back, joining the left and right sides of the short. Sew the side seams of the short together, creating a circle.

6. Sew the top together by sewing the side seams of the front to the side seams of the back, using a machine straight stitch 1/2-inch from the fabric edge.

7. Cut a piece of elastic 1-inch shorter than the circumference of your overbust. Overlap the ends of the elastic by 1/2-inch and sew in the middle of the overlap using a zig-zag stitch.

8. Sew the elastic to the outside of the top, matching the top edge of the elastic to the top edge of the fabric at the neckline. Sew the elastic using a zig zag or 3-step zig zag. Pull the elastic as you sew, making it the same length as the fabric.

9. Turn the elastic and fabric 1/2-inch toward the inside of the garment and sew again using the 3-step zig zag or zig zag stitch1/4-inch from the fold edge. Stretch the elastic and fabric together as you sew.

10. Sew the bottom of the top to the top of the shorts using a machine straight stitch, right sides together.

11. Cut a piece of elastic to be 1-inch shorter than the circumference of your waist.

12. Push the seam allowance of the waist down toward the short.

13. Sew the elastic to the inside of the waistline, centered over the seam allowance, pushed under the seam using the zig zag or 3-step zig zag machine. Stretch the elastic as you sew.

14. Bend the hem of the short back 1/2-inch and sew using a straight stitch 1/4-inch from the fold edge, creating the hem. Repeat with the other leg of the short.