Ellie and Mac South Shore Romper | Sewing Pattern Review

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I never really thought of myself much as a romper person, but they seem to be really on-trend right now and who can resist a trend? I found the perfect sewing pattern for this romper craze – the Ellie and Mac South Shore Romper pattern.

Ellie and Mac is an online sewing pattern company with really cute and easy-to-follow patterns. I’ve made a number of their patterns including the Be Captivating Dress, the Tulip Dress and the Twist it Up Top. Be sure to check out their site every Wednesday for Wacky Wednesday – where they put up patterns for $1!

What is a Romper?

A romper is basically a top attached to pants, making it one piece. Like many of you, I wore rompers as a child. They are quite popular with children. But adults can wear rompers too!

The nice thing about a romper is that it creates a nice, streamlined appearance. It’s like having your shirt tucked in all the time so it’s very sleek and neat and tidy. It makes choosing an outfit easy – it’s just one piece! Rompers can be casual, or dressed up – it all depends on the fabric choice, as well as the style.

Rompers make a nice alternative to dresses. They are more comfortable than dresses and offer more range of motion. As an educator, I can bend down and sit on the floor with a student – something I would not be able to do in a dress. Yet, you can still feel stylish and put together in a romper.

Okay, the one drawback, if you want to call it that, is the fact that it is one piece. In other words, when you need to use the washroom, you literally have to take the whole romper off. Once you can wrap your head around that, it’s okay, but this took me a bit to get over.

The Ellie and Mac South Shore Romper Pattern

The South Shore Romper pattern is a versatile pattern that checks all the boxes for me.

Fabric Choices for the South Shore Romper

This sewing pattern is designed for knit fabrics with 50% stretch – making it easy to wear and get on and off. You’ll want something that is not too sheer and clingy. You want a fabric with good 4-way stretch and the right amount of drape.

South Shore Romper – Pattern Review

As with all my Ellie and Mac patterns, this was easy to put together. I feel like you don’t need to be a tailor with high skills to sew this up. It can be sewn with a regular sewing machine or with a serger.

The bodice and the bottom are constructed separately and then attached. There is also a pattern piece for a sash which adds a nice finishing touch.

Here are a few of the South Shore Rompers I’ve made.

Here I’ve made the romper with short sleeves and shorts. This is a super comfy outfit. It’s made from DBP from SoSewEnglish.

Here’s another I made – this time, sleeveless with shorts. It makes a great summer staple. This is made from ITY from SoSewEnglish.

I wanted to make a couple of dressier ones, so opted for a capri length. Since I’m petite, the optimum capri length for me is just below the knee. These will make great transition pieces for spring or fall when paired with a cardigan, blazer or jean jacket.

I made both of these out of cupro. Cupro is a lovely fabric that breathes and has wonderful drape. It has a silk-like finish giving it a luxurious feel to it. I feel that it really steps up the South Shore Romper into a dressier category. Cupro is available from a variety of online fabric retailers including Boho Fabrics (where I purchased the raspberry colour) and SoSewEnglish (where I got the charcoal-coloured fabric).

Then I wanted a full-length black one. I like how this one is a bit more dressy. I made this one out of charcoal cupro fabric. It has quite a different look, doesn’t it?

While originally I had my reservations about a romper, I must say that these versions are some of the outfits that I receive the most compliments on.

I own a few Ellie and Mac sewing patterns. They are always easy to follow and can be worked up with a reasonable amount of sewing skills.

Want to remember these versions and my thoughts on the Ellie and Mac South Shore Romper pattern? Be sure to save this to your favourite Pinterest board.