sewing

Cali Faye Fenix Romper – Summer into Fall

Hi friends! Happy September! I can’t wait to get myself to a fabric store to buy some luscious sweater knits for Autumn, but at the same time I’m not quite ready to give up on fast and fun summer makes. So here’s a summery romper that can be styled various ways to go straight into Fall.

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This is the Fenix Romper by Cali Faye, a flowy one-piece that has the appearance of a dress but actually has wide legs and a very low drop crotch.

I made it with “Magic Tulips” rayon by Cotton and Steel. I am IN LOVE with this fabric. As soon as I finished the romper, I ordered 3 more yards of the fabric because I couldn’t bear the thought of not having some in my stash. Non-sewists would think I’m crazy but I know y’all can relate! (Speaking of which, we need a more interesting name for non-sewists…you know, like Muggles in Harry Potter who are the non-wizards. Newists? Pronounced no-ists, of course. MOOSHers, i.e. Missing Out On Sewing Happiness? Or maybe just The Uninitiated? Accepting suggestions in the comments!)

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As you can see from the pics the romper is drafted with the front straps a little too close together — sadly it doesn’t cover my bra straps. If I made it again I would definitely re-draft the neckline to adjust that. Other than that, I think the pattern is good. There are no closures because it is loose enough to step into, and it includes pockets and an option for doing adjustable straps. I went with non-adjustable straps, but had to rip them out and redo them after making them too short. The pattern warns you that you’ll have to account for seam allowance when measuring out your strap length but it doesn’t go into detail about how to do that exactly, which would be a nice addition for beginner sewists (or more “experienced” idiots like me).

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I’ve styled the romper a number of ways below with various belts, under-layers, and over-layers which shows that it has potential as a multi-season garment.

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Here it is with my Blackwood Cardigan (see pattern by Helen’s Closet here). This mustard yellow knit has turned out to be surprisingly versatile, and it especially sets off all the shades of blue I have in my wardrobe.

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Here’s a bit of a 90s look…wearing a spaghetti-strap dress with a plain t-shirt underneath was all the rage in the early 90s.

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Below you get a better idea of the shape of the garment. The pattern doesn’t include line drawings so it’s hard to tell what exactly you’re getting into.

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Below I’ve topped it off with a royal blue cardigan I bought at Zara. With full-length black tights this could take me into late Fall.

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But I’m getting ahead of myself! Let’s just enjoy the remaining warm days of summer, shall we?

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Thanks so much for stopping by!

— Lori

20 thoughts on “Cali Faye Fenix Romper – Summer into Fall”

  1. It looks very pretty…but…how on earth do you go to the loo in it if you wear it with a cardigan over and tights under? COmplete undressing would make that a total no-no for me! It looks cute, and the fabric is gorgeous- I can understand why you ordered more

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  2. Love the romper. I loved the way you styled it to bring it into Fall, especially with the mustard cardigan. Yes, bathroom breaks might be a bit difficult but who cares when you look adorable.
    Happy to see other crazy sewers will buy more of the fabric they used because they have to have more in their stash.

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  3. My questions, exactly. Does it have a zipper in the back? How do you get in and out of that thing? It looks great on you in all its iterations. I also love your blue cardigan and the black shoes. Those straps!
    I don’t have a good name – yet – for those of us who go back and buy more of the same fabric we have loved and previously used. Stash anxious? Stanxious? The worry that I’ll never see anything as gorgeous again! Yup. I’ll go with Stanxious! That describes me anyway.

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    1. Stanxious! I love it! You’re brilliant, Barbara.
      BTW, I’ve had those black shoes for over ten years…bought them in Hamburg, Germany and they have turned out to be absolute classics.

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  6. Really liking the mustard combo!! But anything with that low a crotch would drive me bonkers, I can’t do harem pants or the like, I need to feel a bit more ‘enveloped’.
    To avoid stanxiety, but also feeling stupid, I might buy the same fabric in different colours.
    How about a good old acronym, like NSP (non sewing people)?

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  7. I favour “newists” for non-sewists because it suggests they have the potential to be “turned” 🙂 Love your romper a lot. I’ve been eyeing this pattern often but I haven’t taken the plunge due to a number of issues that keep cropping up for me including the bathroom wrestle in a small mall cubicle and just whether it would suit me. Love it on you though!

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    1. Thanks, Kathleen. The design is definitely a little unusual. It’s not something I would normally gravitate to but this fabric actually commanded me to make a Cali Faye romper, so I couldn’t refuse. I like that being able to sew allows me to try things that I normally wouldn’t buy, if only for the fun of sewing it. Often it turns out that I actually like the thing that I wasn’t sure of at first.

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  8. I like the idea of just calling them muggles lol. Sewing is its own kind of magic, right? Beautiful romper, I just made a dress out of the same fabric 🙂

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