Turning a romper into a blouse is a great way to get more wear out of your clothing as the weather starts to get colder. It’s also a good way to show off your creative side.
How to turn a romper into a blouse? You can remove the crotch of the shorts and hem the bottom to turn it into a peplum top. If you’d like to make a crop top, you can cut above the waistline and hem the bottom to get a cropped look.
In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to make a simple blouse from a romper. You’ll need some basic sewing skills, but the results are definitely worth it!
How To Turn A Romper Into A Blouse
This tutorial will turn your romper into a peplum blouse, which means the shorts at the bottom will work as the flare at the bottom of the blouse. This works best if you have a short romper or if your romper has a zipper at the back or on the side that you don’t want to remove.
You will need the following:
- Fabric scissors
- A fabric marker and ruler
- Seam ripper
- Sewing machine and matching threads
- Or fusible hem tape and iron (if you don’t have a sewing machine)
- Sewing pins
Step 1:
Turn your romper inside out and use a seam ripper to remove the stitches at the crotch seam to open up the bottom.
If you don’t have a seam ripper, you can use your fabric scissors to cut open the crotch seam.
Step 2:
Lay the romper flat and draw a straight line at the bottom of the romper; this will be your new hemline. Then, cut both the front and back layers of the fabric, making sure the hemline is as straight as possible.
If the romper is too long, you can try it on and mark how long you want the blouse to be. When you cut the hem, make sure to leave about half an inch of fabric for seam allowance.
Step 3: Hem
There are two ways that you can hem the bottom of the blouse: using a sewing machine or using hem tape.
If you have a sewing machine, you can start by sewing a zigzag stitch over the bottom of the hem to prevent the fabric from fraying. If you have a knit fabric, you can skip this step since the fabric is less likely to fray.
Then, fold the hem inside and use pins to pin all the way around the hem, making sure that the hemline is straight and even.
On the right side, sew a straight stitch all the way around the new hemline, removing the pins as you go.
If you don’t have a sewing machine, you can hem the bottom using fusible hem tape. This is a great no-sew option for a clean hem that won’t fray.
First, line the hem of the blouse with the fusible hem tape, making sure that the rough side is facing the fabric and the smooth side is facing upwards.
Then, iron over the hem tape using the highest heat setting, going over each area for 5 to 8 seconds to activate the adhesive and allow the tape to stick to the fabric.
Remove the tape’s paper backing to reveal another side of the adhesive, then fold the fabric over one more time so that the tape is enclosed between two layers of fabric, wrong sides together.
Iron over the hem one more time, similar to before, so that the hem tape is secured. Your hem should look neatly folded without having to sew a single stitch!
However, the hem tape will loosen up over time, especially after washing, so it will need to be replaced once the adhesive becomes loose.
And you’re done! Your romper is now a new peplum top that you can wear in all seasons.
How To Turn A Romper Into A Crop Top
This tutorial will turn your romper into a fitted crop top, where the entire bottom of the romper will be removed. Since we will be cutting the romper at the waist, this tutorial will work best if the romper doesn’t have a zipper.
You will need the following:
- Fabric scissors
- Sewing machine and matching threads
- Or fusible hem tape and iron (if you don’t have a sewing machine)
- Sewing pins
- Optional: an elastic band if you would like the bottom hem to look fitted.
Step 1: Cut along the waistline of the romper
Cut a straight line along the waistline of the romper to separate the top and the bottom. If your romper has elastic, you can cut below the elastic to make the top more tapered at the bottom.
Step 2: Serge
Sew a zigzag stitch all around the hem of the top to prevent it from fraying. This step is optional if you have a knit fabric since knit is less likely to fray compared to woven fabric.
If you don’t have a sewing machine, you can hand sew a blanket stitch around the hem at the bottom to enclose the frayed edges to prevent it from fraying.
Step 3: Hem the bottom
If your top already has an elastic waist: Fold the hem inside so that the elastic is enclosed inside the hem and sew a straight stitch to secure the hem.
If your top doesn’t have an elastic waist: Follow the steps similar to those above to hem the bottom of your top, either by sewing or using fusible hem tape. Note that if you would like to add elastic to the bottom hem, you will need to sew the hem instead of using fusible hem tape.
Step 4 (Optional): Add an elastic band
If you would like the top to become a bit more fitted at the bottom, you can also add a small elastic band to the bottom hem.
If you would like to add an elastic band, make sure the hem is bigger than the width of the elastic band so that it can hold the elastic comfortably. Leave a small opening at the hem so that you can insert the elastic.
Measure the length of the elastic that comfortably fits your waist, adding half an inch for seam allowance.
Pin a safety pin on one end of the elastic and use the safety pin as an anchor to insert the elastic through the opening of the hem, looping all the way around the hem to the other side of the opening while making sure that the other end of the elastic stays in place.
Then, sew the two sides of the elastic together to complete the loop, and sew the opening of the hem shut to enclose the elastic band.
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