My first homemade onesie - Mccalls 6331 Romper!

As I hinted in my previous post before Easter, there was a playsuit/romper in the pipeline. Now that I have worn it in the beautiful Maui, on the Road to Hana, I am ready to share this project with you. 

Isn't this the biggest papaya that you have ever seen? Um well, no actually... You see, this one that I picked up from a roadside stand (with a "piggy bank" next to it) was $2, and the biggest cost $5 (and it was more than twice the size!) I didn't want to be too ambitious, so picked up a "relatively small" one instead... and it was the best papaya that I have ever tasted in my life! 

OK, back to the dress romper. I spotted this little number on the envelope of Mccalls 6331, and was immediately wondering where I had been and why I hadn't seen it before then. The best thing about it is that different patterns are offered for different cup sizes -  I love patterns like this, as although I don't mind doing a SBA, sometimes it is just nice to not have to worry about alterations too much. I also liked the other views of the pattern, and am not writing it off my list to make in the future. 

I made a view A in size 4, with a contrasting facing. I used a vintage looking fabric in cream, with a small floral pattern. It took me a while to track down the facing fabric, as the only thing that I could find was this quilter's cotton in "Turkey red" from John Lewis. It was quite stiff to touch, so I handwashed it for a while and soaked it in some fabric softener. It seemed to have done the trick. 

I liked the pattern, and thought it was pretty easy to follow. I liked the cute design, and the close fitting. The only alteration that I needed was to let out the side seems by 0.5cm on each side so that I can sit down comfortably. I never thought that I had a big bum/hip, so this had come as a bit of a shock... 

I have therefore made two observations from my experience of this pattern:

1) the pattern is probably not going to be long enough for any tall ladies. I am 5'3 and would usually shorten the bodice on any dresses/tops. I have not shortened the shorts either, so would imagine these to be a bit short on taller ladies - I suppose that will depend on what look you are going for ;)

2) The pattern includes a rather tight fitting, especially around the hip area! If you have anything other than a very small hip, be warned! The top is not loose either - to demonstrate this point, I can reluctantly confirm that a little tropical bug managed to fall into the romper from the neckline somehow, and I had to unzip (in public!) (thankfully nobody was around) to get it out!! Don't say that I didn't warn you...

I had to rush this a bit to get this little number, amongst other things, ready for the honeymoon, but thankfully this turned out to be quite an easy project. I would almost go as far as recommending this to beginners. The only thing that is holding me back slightly is the number of pattern pieces - as there are patterns with a lot fewer pieces out there. 

It is probably time now to admit that I had only tried the playsuit look once previous as an adult, and it didn't quite work out... But I was excited to try again. And before you ask, yes, it is a little bit more trouble going to the "restrooms" with these on (compared with non-onesies), especially if you are wearing a jacket or hoodie that is covering the zipper! Other than that, they are pretty convenient little outfits!