Brindille & Twig - Harem/Bummies Hack

Holy cuteness! This is probably my new favorite hack of the moment because it’s super easy and so cute. I typically skip hacking, probably because I’m being lazy and would rather just have the pattern already ready for me to trace and cut. BUT this is super simple. I did a test run to see how it goes before I would make more. Guess what? I think it worked out great! It looks a tad big, but that is totally fine because Max will be able to wear them through the summer! Winning! (If you want to make them reversible, check out my post here!)

First things first, you need the patterns. You can check out all of the patterns at Brindille and Twig HERE. You can find the harem romper HERE and the free bummies pattern HERE. You can probably use any bummies pattern, but this one is already free so, might as well, right?

Let’s start off with Max. He measures…C- 19.5, W- 19.5, H- 19. He falls under size 9-12m (he’s pretty skinny for an almost 2 year old). So with this hack you want to SIZE DOWN the harem romper and SIZE UP the bummies. I could have gotten away with the next size down on the romper since i technically didn’t size it down (oops!), but I’ll stick with what I have since it will literally last Max probably until it starts getting cold in October.

Start out by tracing or cutting out the size of your bummies pattern. For the Harem Romper, I hate taping/gluing patterns together and I have a large format printer, so I converted my pattern to a copy shop file. (You can check out how to convert your patterns HERE.)

So I started out with the FRONT. Line up your bummies with the crotch of your harem romper and slide your bummies until the side seam of the bummies matches the side seam of the romper. If you properly size down your romper and size up your bummies, the fold line will basically match up. If you do not size down your romper like I did here, the crotch will be slightly wider when you line up the side seam. I think it’s easier to use a ruler and draw a straight line from the bottom of the armscye down to the leg opening of your bummies so the seam is straight. *Make note of how long this seam is. I like to use tracing paper but you can use whichever method you like to trace your pattern.

The BACK. The bummies will actually be a little bigger than the romper. (If you did not size down your romper, you will need to also move your back bummies the same distance to the left as you did your front so the crotch seams will match. You will do basically the same thing you did with the front. However long your front side seam was, you will need to make sure your back side seam is the same by moving the bummies down. You will need to move your bummies down probably close to 1/2” or more. Draw a line from the bottom of the armscye to the bummies leg opening. You can kind of see what i did on the pictures on the right. (Click to enlarge).

I used double brushed poly for my lining, so I ended up topstitching the top to keep it down and used scraps of quilting cotton for stabilizers for the snaps instead of interfacing.

Here’s the test fit! What do you think? If I actually went a size down in the romper, it would have been a little more fitted and would have been shorter on his legs. But like I said before, he will be able to get a lot of use out of this. Winning! I’m going to need to make a few of these a handful of sizes smaller for the new baby coming in August! Now to make a bunch more! Gotta get ready for summer! Once I have a few done, we will be sure to have a little photoshoot! <3