Pattern and Tutorial: Unisex Bubble Romper, Size 0-6 months

I love bubble rompers on babies -- boy or girl. There's something so southern about them.  On their own, they're nice and breezy for hot weather, and they look dressy and darling when worn over a shirt. When I was waiting on C's arrival, I wanted to make him a few classic bubble rompers for the summer, but I couldn't find a pattern I liked for a boyish bubble in anything smaller than 6-9 months. (I'm sure such a thing exists, but I couldn't find it.) So after he was born I used him as a model, and measurements of a few of his ready-made clothes, to come up with a pattern of my own. After a few tries, I think I've finally got it! I'd say it's 0-6 month size. The nature of a bubble makes sizing so imprecise, but this fits him well (actually I'll probably raise the buttons or add a button to snug it up a bit). For reference, he is 7 weeks old, but he is a bigger baby and all of his 0-3 month clothes are getting too short. The Rosalina shirt he's wearing below is a 0-3 and doesn't fit around his neck. And he's worn it zero times, grrr. Anyway.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE PATTERN.

You will need:

approximately 3/4 yard main fabric and 1/4 yard facing fabric
2 10" lengths of 1/4" elastic
4 snaps
2 buttons

Tutorial

Print the pattern out at 100%. Tape the pages together right at the edges, with no overlap, in this order:

1 2 3
4 5 6


1. Cut out two front pieces and two back pieces (not on fold, but mirroring each other), then cut your pattern pieces along the "facing" line and cut two front pieces and two back pieces of your facing fabric.

2. Match your two front pieces, right sides together, and stitch down the center line. (***All seams in this project are 3/8".***) You will have a funny-looking curve at the crotch. Finish your seam by serging, pinking, or zig-zagging. Press down your seam allowance. (Don't worry about getting it perfect on the curved part.) Do the same with your back pieces.

If you are adding a monogram, appliqué, or other embellishment to the front of your romper, now would be the time to do it.

3. Do the same thing to your lining pieces.  In addition, finish the bottom of each lining piece, by serging, zigzagging, pinking, or folding under and stitching. Whatever floats your boat.

 4. Stitch each romper piece to its facing, right sides together, leaving the sides and bottom open.

5. Clip corners and notch curves.

6. Then trim seam allowances. I like to use pinking shears, although it isn't really necessary.

 7. Flip up the facing pieces and put both pieces right sides together. (Your starting point for lining up these pieces should be the point where main fabric and facing meet. Your facings may not be exactly the same length, but that doesn't matter at all. Additionally, you don't want to start matching your pieces up from the bottom because they aren't supposed to be perfectly aligned there.) Pin.

8. Stitch all the way down the sides, sewing facing to facing and main fabric to main fabric. Serge, pink, or zigzag seam allowances.

9. Flip the garment right-side out and use a pencil, knitting needle, or similar to get the points turned out nice and crisp. You're halfway done already!

10. On both long leg openings, either serge or fold under 1/4" and press down. (I serged the crotch, too, but realized later that I didn't actually need to do that because it will be folded under later.)

11. Fold leg openings under another 1/2" and stitch to make elastic casing.

12. Cut your two 10" lengths of elastic. Attach safety pins to each end.

13. Feed through casing and pin down with just the safety pin peeking out at either end.

14. One inch from either end, stitch across to close casing and catch elastic. Pull the safety pin out and snip the little end of excess elastic. (You will have 1" unelasticized at both ends of the crotch.)

15. Take the front crotch piece and turn it under 1/2" and press, then turn under again 1/2" and press. Stitch down. Do the same to the back crotch piece. These are your snap plackets.

16. Attach snaps. Or do as I do and get your husband to do it. ;-) Because he can somehow do in five minutes what would take me half an hour.

17. Optional: You might want to make just a little one-inch line of topstitching at either side seam, just to help keep the facing from riding up.

Do it right on the seam, and you can't see it from the outside at all.

18. Put buttonhole on front strap and button on back strap.

19. You're done! Admire your adorable baby!

Update 8 years later! 

Hi, guys! I have been so tickled by how far this pattern has traveled through the years, and how many people have let me know they’ve made it. This blog never exactly set the world on fire, and has not been edited in years and years, but folks are still downloading and  making this little romper all the time! It makes me really proud and happy!

Some folks have commented that they have had a hard time figuring out how the pattern pieces are supposed to be assembled. I’m sure I would do it differently now, but this is how I made it back then. It’s pieces 1, 2, and 3 across, and then 4, 5, 6 as the second row, with no overlap. If there appears to be a gap in the lines, that’s okay. It’s probably just where I had the pattern taped together and the tape didn’t show up through the image. I was a tired mom of a toddler and newborn back then and didn’t have a lot of time to make it perfect. Ha! (And not much more now that they’re big kids to go back and fix it.)

I just printed out a copy and laid it out the way it should go. I hope this helps! If I were making this today, I would just tape it in place exactly like this and cut. In fact, maybe I will make one soon for a friend! It has been awhile! ❤️

Hope this helps.