DIY Project: The F21 Romper

The chronicles of a tall girl who loves Forever 21 includes many moments in a dressing room with skirts and dresses that are a little too short. Because of that, sometimes modifications must be made. When it is completely unacceptable to part ways with a store, you have to get crafty! 

I knew when I went into the store in early March that I wanted to buy a romper. I used to completely reject the idea of one, but it had grown on me and I wanted to have one for spring break. Because my spring break was in Charleston during the second week of March, it was too cold to wear it and so it was not until late April that I realized I had bought a size small, instead of the medium I had tried on.

The romper was already a little short on me, but the small meant my butt was basically being flashed for all of the world to see. I am a 5'8" girl with a really long torso, so a romper was already going to be a flashy purchase.
Sans receipt and with new clothes on the racks, I needed to make sure my $15.80 (which is a steal, by the way!) did not go to waste. So, what do I do? Something my mom came up with last summer once she found a dress I loved to be too short by her standards. I went to JoAnn Fabrics and bought a lace trim––I was looking for black, but found this great aqua-blue instead! Not only does it make the blue in the predominantly pink romper pop, it added about an inch and a half of length while making this outfit one-of-a-kind!

This is the project that taught me how to sew. No, I did not know how to beforehand and because my mother was not going to slave away doing this for me (Why should she?), she taught me how and left me to my task. It turned out to be so much fun! Yes, it was exhausting and yes my shoulder was sore the next day, but it was definitely worth it. It's going to be such a fun outfit for the summer!

So, I sewed the trim on the inside of the leg––starting at the inner seams (underneath the crotch) so that once both pieces met, they wouldn't need to be sewn together in a super visible part of the outfit. 

**Keep in mind that the ends will fall apart because this is lace, so: 
1) put a piece of tape where you are planning to cut the lace trim
2) cut in the middle of the piece of tape so that both ends have a tape end
3) sew the ends of the trim to prevent any future breakage before starting to sew trim onto dress/romper/skirt, etc.

(This task is significantly easier with a sewing machine, so power to you if you know how to use one. I don't, so I am telling you from experience that it is possible to do this completely by hand.)

Until the next project! Arrivederci, amici! <3