Pregnancy is seeing me do things I would never normally do… like sewing with a plan. It’s refreshing to know that my loathing of shopping for clothes is ever so slightly stronger than my inclination to sew whatever I like whenever I like it. Whether or not I actually stick to the plan will be another story!
I’d love to hear from those of you that have been faced with curating a pregnancy wardrobe before – self-sewn or not – what worked? What didn’t? As I’m due in early-ish 2016, I’ll be dealing with a cold and windy Spring as it slooowly morphs into a Melbourne summer. Maybe we won’t even actually get that far? Come on, weather deities!
So, I started by pulling together patterns that make me smile.
MEGAN NEILSEN MATERNITY SURVIVAL PACK.
I feel a close affinity to Megan and her patterns, which is probably because we’re both West Australians. Ok, so she actually lives there and I merely claim that title by birthright, but still. She’s clearly the most go to pattern line for maternity clothing – I bought the survival pack and plan to sew up three of the four patterns it included – the Ruched Maternity Skirt (Erin), the Ruched Maternity Tee (Cara) and the Wrapped Maternity Top (Alissa). The pack had a leggings pattern too (Virginia) but I’m not really a leggings girl. Yet. Be prepared to get sick of me parading about in baby-con dress-hacks, tops and skirts, basically.
BURDA MATERNITY PANTS 02/2012 #125
Initially I was hesitant to add pants into the mix. But… I bought this from the online Burdastyle – two others have made them up and they look both comfortable and practical, whilst still not appearing overly ugly. I’d heard rumours around the place that maternity jeans are notorious for slipping down – I’ve since bought a pair and can confirm that this is true, you just don’t get the same huggable fit. The pair I got have a similar stretch band over the mid-section to anchor them in place, so I’m hoping these will be just as comfortable as my RTW preggo jeans are. I’m also really grateful to past-Melanie for taking all that time to get my pants block up and functional. I won’t mention the fact that she was clearly too traumatised from that experience to then actually go and sew some pants. Poor past Melanie.
MARFY 9851 COWL TOP
An oldie, but a goodie – and still available on the mccalls site here. I have a wearable muslin thrown together from probably over two years ago that I found whilst cleaning out some boxes in my sewing room. Being already 90% complete, it will become an early 2nd trimester top that will ideally then morph into a post-partum/breastfeeding top, because the cowl is fabulously stretchy. Winning.
STYLE ARC Harper Jacket
I’m delving into the world of unstructured garments here – totally uncharted territory for me. I originally had in mind the Nina Cardigan, with Harper being a runner up contender. I consulted with Lara – undoubtedly queen of the unstructured Style Arc pattern – her preference was Harper so that was that. The hope is that this knit outer layer will provide some warmth and match the majority of my co-ordinating maternity wardrobe during the early spring, and then be a staple post-partum also. I want it specifically in a pale grey (preferably marle) merino wool knit, but haven’t been able to find the exact right shade just yet.
DEUXIEME ARRONDISSEMENT Outerwear
I’ve developed a penchant for French sewing blogs in the last 9 months, and early this year stumbled across this pattern brand, which caters specifically for maternity. Whilst Megan Neilson covers all things stretch fabric in Maternity pattern land, 2nd District covers wovens for maternity. Now, I’ll admit I’m more team bodycon baby-con than team loose-and-flowy-maternity, but that’s because I’ve always felt really frumpy in shapeless clothing. But, I LOVE coats and jackets, so the fact that this pattern company has these triggered my clicking the buy button.
I’m suspicious of the drafting based on the photos I’m seeing though… and will most likely be altering sleeves and shoulders based on outerwear patterns I’ve already made and like (*cough* Marfy *cough*).
The 7H Manteau – looks like a really cosy winter coat:
And the 11H Veste – perfect as a blazer and I think would really lift a comfy knit outfit into ‘smart’ territory. It also looks like it would be pretty simple and quick to sew, making it even more ridiculously attractive. It’s terribly ill-fitting on the model around the shoulders, though.
I also rather like the 10H Tunic too… but these patterns and postage are expensive ($46 aud at the time for the both of them), and not knowing anything about them or their drafting I’m already taking a risk. Not sure I’ll even get around to sewing the coat, but ah well.
BUTTERICK 6894
ahahahahaha…… yeah, nah.
INSPIRATION
One word – Pinterest. Except I’d completely stopped using it ever since they brought about the ‘Picked for You’ pins, which clogged up my carefully curated feed with crap I cared nothing for. Until Urbandon posted about an html hack he found that allows you to hide the promoted pins. It does make your feed look a little bare, but this I can handle!
A particularly bare section of my feed after enabling the HTML hack:
Now I’m right back into pinning pregnancy style ideas. It’s been the main source of my ideas for pulling together the colours and styles I want to be wearing over the next 6 or so months. Which naturally leads us to…
FABRIC
Upon investigation, my stash returned 5 pieces of knit fabric, three of which co-ordinate quite well together (a total of 6 actually, but the last one is a beloved Missoni knit and I’m not sure I’m ready to sacrifice it for Maternity sewing. I change my mind like the weather in Melbourne though, so who knows what will happen).
I’ve since bought two new ones online – and been gifted two others.
Also, a first at chez poppykettle – buying matching fabric together with the intent to sew a capsule wardrobe for work. I scored these at the 50% off sale The Fabric Store had a few weeks back – four garments for $80! and I’m starting to see how sewing for pregnancy is super cost effective.
My hope is that by sticking to the same patterns and not being so anal-retentive about finishes (except where it counts) that I’ll be able to get all of this done (famous last words?). With that in mind, I have safely stored my bolt of organza away (won’t be needing that) and will be sticking a post-it note on my Janome reminding me to switch to lightning stitch instead of its default straight stitch. I’ve already started and finished on the DKNY knit so progress is great to date.
Now – I need to hear your stories and experiences about pulling together a pregnancy wardrobe!!
*Pregbot(n) – a personal joke that I find particularly humorous and which originated from my disgust of the (both Australian and American) far political right taking action to erode the basic human rights of women who also happen to be pregnant, in many instances reducing their status from human beings to mere incubators of foetuses. Not cool, dudes.
poppykettle 
How exciting! I love all your plans, especially the Megan Nielsen basics. They look really comfortable. I wouldn’t use your best boucle for maternity clothes. Pregnancy feels like it goes on forever with hardly anything to wear, but once it’s over you’ll probably never want to see any of those clothes again! Have you seen Jalie 3132? I made it for my sister as a breastfeeding top and she loved it. Speaking of breastfeeding, I’m a consultant if you ever need to know anything about it. I can’t wait to see you and your bump in your new wardrobe!
Thanks Megan! I did actually get given a copy of Jalie 3132 to borrow from another sewing fiend with just about every maternity pattern under the sun – lucky me! The boucle will be for an 11H veste – I’ll be needing at least one smart thing for work and considering I scored it at 50% off – doesn’t seem like a sacrilege! I can already see the lack of wardrobe options being a pain – right now I’m just waiting for it to warm up because I’m sick of wearing winter clothes, and it’s only been a few months of that! Cheers for the offer :)
That’s not true and you know it! I don’t have all the ugly maternity patterns! Haha
Well, every maternity pattern under the sun worth owning, then ;)
YAY for babies :) and sewing! My little one is almost 9 months now, and this post had me thinking about what makes I wore during pregnancy. Megan Nielsen’s ruched skirt & tee were definite basics that I wore a lot! Definitely good for layering with a nice cardigan/blazer so I think you’re on the right track with the Style Arc pattern & the blazer! Don’t dismiss the leggings yet – I found it hard to buy maternity “bottoms” so a tunic length body-con style top and leggings was my go-to outfit for in-between seasons. I also made a normal pair of jeans (used the Named Jamie pattern) and just lowered the rise and added on a knit waistband. These did me well for first/second trimester (then I got too hot). McCalls M6744 was a pattern I used too (a sort of faux wrap dress)- just raised the waistband a bit to more an empire line. It was good for our hot summer (while pregnant) & then for breast feeding after. I actually wore one of these dresses to the hospital when in labour so I guess I’ll never be able to throw out that dress now :) All the best with your sewing, and of course with your pregnancy!
Thanks very much Rebecca! Your striped ruched maternity skirt was really gorgeous :) I’ll keep the leggings in mind… for now. Were you sick of all your maternity makes by the end of it all? I’ll be sure to check out McCalls 6744 :)
I love all the maternity options now. Back when I was first pregnant (nearly 16 years ago, and gee that makes me feel old!), the only options were big, baggy and black! From memory I wore a pair of black knit maternity pants (made from a ponte knit) pretty much all the time, with my second pregnancy I had a pair of low cut jeans I wore under my belly with a long top over. I had one (big, black, baggy) maternity top and used to just wear big t-shirts….so boring!
I like all your pattern options, the pants look comfy, both of the jackets look modern and stylish plus the coat almost looks like you could wear it afterwards especially if some of the pleating was stitched down. Can’t wait to see it all made up!
Yes, these days its seems we’re pretty lucky – I look back on maternity fashions and wonder what on earth (was it at least comfortable?) – and if that was now, would I be doing anything different because I can sew? I’ll have to have a closer look at the coat pattern and those pleats – I haven’t unwrapped it yet! I’ve already made up the ruched maternity skirt – love it. And not just because I’m amazed I actually finished a complete garment in less than an afternoon!
I had a lot of clothes (which you’re welcome to borrow) however they weren’t my style as my style didn’t cater for a non existant waist! I did love showing off my bump tho.
Don’t dismiss maternity leggings, the right one is supportive and comfortable! Jeanswest have a good selection of leggings and maternity clothes if you get desperate.
Do you think you will use any of the patterns I lent you?
K x
Yeah absolutely. I’m quite sweet on the MN Pina dress – looks like it would make a great pajama dress! And I’m sure I’ll try at least one or two others. Considering I started AND finished the ruched maternity skirt yesterday afternoon… I’m thinking it should be possible to knock out a new thing at least once a fortnight! xx
I made my daughter 4 of Meaghan Nielson’s Ruched tops. They were such a quick sew! And they looked adorable on her and the next person she passed them on to!!
I think that ruched tee has been sewn/worn by pretty much every pregnant woman who can sew – it looks like such a great basic and I’m really looking forward to sewing it up!
My advice would be to get some breastfeeding friendly things BEFORE baby arrives. I didn’t, and it would have been easier to have some things first. I think I thought I’d just pull shirts up, but found I didn’t want to expose my tummy like that. I also had it in my head that I would have lots of time after the baby arrived. (I didn’t!)
Would you consider this? It has pockets! Very practical. And fast to make.
https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/153145461/maternity-top-nursing-dress-pattern?ref=market
Wishing you the best!
Yes!! I’ve been thinking about this a lot recently, trying to get in some BF friendly things in the sewing queue so I’m ready to go. I’ve heard the line ‘my fashion choices all of a sudden revolved around me asking ‘Can I squeeze a boob out of this?’ too many times haha! I’ve been scouring the web for inspiration and ideas on tops I can sew – getting that balance between stylistically attractive AND functional (ie not being completely on display) is going to be a challenge I think. Thank you SO much for that link – that dress/top looks lovely, and will be perfect for summer!
I had trouble finding breastfeeding patterns I liked! Maybe I didn’t look very well, but I didn’t find much. I’d love to hear about what you find!
If you buy a pattern you print off on computer paper do you cut it out and stick it together, or do you trace over it? I started by cutting them out, and it took forever. Now I just line the pattern pieces up on the kitchen table, put a big piece of Whitetrace drafting paper over the top and trace it. I have always wondered what others do though!
No I’m not finding much in the way of inspiring BF patterns either, so I’m instead lurking high end maternity/BF wear for stylish ideas to tweak patterns to make it work. I’ve got a few ideas rolling round in the ol noggin – we shall see!
Yeah I can’t stand working with printed paper as pattern pieces either – I trace onto swedish tracing ‘paper’ (more like a fabric, really). You can fold it up without damaging it, and it lasts a lot longer than paper! Similar to this, I always have a roll on handy. http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/SEWABLE-SWEDISH-TRACING-PAPER-FABRIC-Patternmaking-29-x-10-yd-Master-Patterns-/171446903047?_trksid=p2141725.m3641.l6368
I’ve read some not very great things about one of the designers of 2ème arrondissement (well documented accusations of plagiarism, for the Aime comme Marie line of patterns). Also, the patterns are drawn by hand, not computer, so there is a bit of imprecision for fitting the pieces together, be warned !
Oh really? What are your sources? I’ll admit I’m already massively skeptical based on the model photos – the drafting looks terrible. But, they really do offer some garment styles that you just can’t get anywhere else – and I’m certainly not even vaguely skilled at pattern drafting to know how to adjust a normal pattern for maternity. I fully intend to take a jacket pattern I know fits well across the shoulders and fit torso part of the 11H veste to it. I haven’t opened up the patterns yet to have a look – I had heard about them being hand drawn.
The so-called “Marie-gate” in the French sewing blog community…
Many of her pattern pieces seem to be exact copies, to the mm, of existing patterns (Burda or sewing books, namely a japanese book on shirts and a Hachette Easy Sewing book).
(this is not my blog.. this is the first person to have publicly spoken about it, but it was in the air for quite some time)
http://essais_erreurs.eklablog.com/la-voila-la-pomponnette-a117352642
http://essais_erreurs.eklablog.com/peines-d-amour-perdues-a117405216
http://essais_erreurs.eklablog.com/age-tendre-et-tete-de-bois-a117600436
http://essais_erreurs.eklablog.com/difference-et-repetition-a117478764
http://essais_erreurs.eklablog.com/quand-le-lait-est-tire-il-faut-le-boire-a117386078
Some of the more verbose articles were taken down (due to a cease and desist from the lawyers of Marie Gauthier), so these are mostly photos and little to no commentary.
Aime Comme Marie is a popular line of sewing patterns and fabric prints, with a sort of cult-like following by her fans, so this made the.. solid waste… hit the fans.
There was a veeeery long discussion about the issue on Thread&Needles (a French sewing online community) : http://www.threadandneedles.fr/groupes/patrons-livres-co/forum/topic/plagiat/
As far as I know, it hasn’t been officially resolved (no conclusive response from Marie Gauthier)..
oooh! Now that is pretty damning. Thanks for the links Jitomin, now I’m going to feel a bit dirty using that 11H veste pattern!
Thanks so much for the Picked for You tip. That’s genius.
Isn’t it just – I still don’t like Pinterest like I used to, but at least now you don’t have to wade through piles of crud to see what you want!
you’ll have a fab looking bump in all those gorgeous patterns. Can I encourage you to reconsider lightning stitch – it’s just about impossible to unpick (causes giant holes) – a small zig zag works well and even straight stitch in some cases.
Thanks Jo! I know exactly what you’re talking about… which is why I always straight stitch in a baste stitch length first, try on, then lightning stitch over the top! I tried unpicking it once and it was just a disaster :( I can’t even begin to explain why… but using zigzag stitch just doesn’t sit right with me.
I made the Megan Nielsen Rouched Skirt while super pregnant (http://www.thatssewamy.com/past-projects/megan-nielsen-ruched-maternity-skirt/) and loved it. I wish I would have made her other stuff. Don’t get me started on the maternity pants and how they CONSTANTLY slid down…ARGH!!!! Next time around I think I’ll make my own.
Yes I remember your versions – all gorgeous and I’m still so impressed that one you made at the end fit over your full term bump – yay for stretchy fabric! I’m definitely going to try her other stuff – but then I always have big plans and small follow through ;) Thanks Amy!
I was pregnant so long ago that my _daughter_ is now pregnant! And yes, I hated those Princess Di maternity dresses, but there was little else unless you were extremely wealthy. My MIL bought me a couple of those dresses, and I made a few things – some which worked, others which didn’t. If I’d had therabbitholethatisPinterest available, I think I would have been more successful!
My maternity wardrobe was mostly plain things, and I used a few large scarves to distract from the fact that I had a very small wardrobe.
I wish the Lauren Sara Vogue patterns had been around then – https://www.etsy.com/au/market/lauren_sara – they are a bit dated now, but they have lots of ideas for dealing with an expanding body, and most of them are very work-appropriate (if you de-90s them first).
Anyway, my absolute favourite garment was a pair of denim overalls – as the bump got bigger, I undid the side buttons, then loosened the straps. At my biggest it was late summer, so I didn’t really wear them at the end; but the overalls were wonderful once she was born – unclip one side with one hand, push up my tshirt – easy! If I was out, I usually wore a loose button-up shirt or a jacket, which covered everything. Not glamorous, but flexible, lots of pockets, and very practical.
Denim overalls! I’ve been thinking about these for a very long while (well, since other people have started sewing them, at least) – and was actually thinking they’d be great post partum, and in general for the 12 months off work I’ll have at home. Whether I actually get around to sewing them is a whole ‘nother story… I love the idea of accessorising to mix it up a little. I know I’ll be absolutely sick of the capsule maternity wardrobe by the end of all this!
hi
Thinking back to the feeding issues.. I wore a tight tank top over a nursing bra, and then a thin (not fitted) printed button down top. The tank tightness helps you produce more. The second shirt is for a bit of embarassment insurance. Prints hide leakage a whole lot better than solids.
Honestly, thinking back, I’d just head to a second-hand shop and get a few tops like this to last out the nursing year. (Apparently babies are allergic to cows milk until about age one, at which point the allergy usually just goes away)
Awesome tip on the print versus solid thing – I completely hadn’t thought about that! Makes absolutely sense now you’ve said it :)
Overalls are having A Thing at the moment – it may be easier to buy a pair, and concentrate on sewing a mound of tiny little things.
The best thing about overalls, apart from the fact that the sides can unbutton? Pockets!!! Particularly that huge one on the bib – plenty of room for house keys, tissues, a rattle, teething gel, … all on hand :-)
While you might not want too many maternity-specific clothes, honestly you need plenty of clothes that work for baby care, as they have a tendency to leak at both ends. At once. I remember one day my uncle and his family turned up unannounced for the formal Baby Viewing, and I was wearing only a dressing gown. I’d gone through five changes of clothes that morning, and run out of anything clean :-(
Overalls definitely are having a bit of a comeback at the moment! I’m super lucky in that just about everyone I know has already had kids… so I’ve had virtually everything you could need passed on down to me, including mountains of baby clothes. I’ll probably still sew a few baby things for fun, but most of my attention is going to be making sure I’m in work and bump appropriate clothing – the thought of spending money on RTW items for this leaves me cold. It’s so much more economical to DIY! I hear you on the baby care apropriate clothing though – that’s at the forefront of my mind as well. The plan is to spend now making maternity, then towards the end switch to nursing/baby care. I’ve got some ideas I’m wanting to try out for tops that make it easy to ‘get ’em out’. Five changes of clothing though! Yikes, you poor thing!!
Although I LOVE the stuff you sew, don’t make too much pregnancy stuff. You really don’t need that much. ;) unless, you plan on having a boatload of kids, then never mind… ;)
haha – absolutely not. Whilst I have massive plans to sew heaps, I know the reality is what I’ll produce will be far less. And I’d so much rather spend time sewing a beautiful jacket I can wear now and later than endless separates for just the now. Plus, knits kinda bore me. We’ll see what happens!
While I wasn’t really sewing yet when I was preggo, my favorite items were long tank tops layered with cardigans, or wrap tops similar to the MN pattern, and I had this amazing knit pencil skirt. The pencil skirt was just a tube with elastic attached to the top then folded to the inside like a facing and worn under the belly. It was the best thing ever, and it also took me through the first few months after birth. The wide elastic sat right on my jelly belly and kept everything smooth and in place. Leggings weren’t yet a thing for grown women to wear, but man I would have lived in them if they were! You’ll get to a point where everything feels restrictive and uncomfortable, so stretch is definitely your friend! Good luck :)
Sounds like you had exactly what I’m aiming to pull together! I’m going to be all about the long tank tops and tees with layered cardigans or a collared shirt tied under the bust for something a little more ‘polished’. That knit skirt sounds fabulous! I have a sneaking suspicious I’ll end up in leggings at some point…
I was a staunch anti-legging campaigner until I made some ponte leggings for a long haul flight whereupon I was CONVERTED! Now I basically wear them every weekend. The comfort factor just cannot be denied and in a ponte they’re aaaaaaalmost decent! Loving all your wardrobe plans and looking forward to hearing about how it all turns out :-)
I’m still on the anti side of the fence, but can totally see that at some point, I will potentially cross over to the pro side. Ponte leggings for a long haul flight are totally appropos, not to mention practical and comfortable!! Thanks Bella!
Your sewing plans sound great, and you look very organised! I didn’t sew up nearly as much as I’d planned as it was such a lovely hot summer when I was pregnant that I spent all my spare time outside! However in the early days I did sew up a MN perfect nursing top which I wore loads in later pregnancy & when breastfeeding. I wore my Maria Denmark kimono tee’s the whole way through my pregnancy as they’re nice & long. I was totally sick of the sight of all my pregnancy clothes by the time baby was about 6 months old (maternity jeans are great post-baby too – so comfy!) Sewing up a jacket or coat sounds like a great idea! Good luck with all your plans!
I’m hearing you – as soon as the weather warms up here I want to be out and about outside, not stuck inside sewing – this winter has been absolutely cold and depressing. Also – I can totally see how I’m going to be sick to death of the garments I’ll make for this! Maternity jeans are the bomb – I bought a RTW pair and don’t regret it for a second. Thanks Kathryn!
If you have some rtw jeans that you are happy to sacrifice for the previous cause, Katie kaddiddlehopper posted a maternity jeans hack when you cut the top part of normal jeans and replace with a jersey band.
Sounds genius – I’ll check it out. Unfortunately for me I stopped fitting my RTW jeans when I was in a total sewing funk – so bought a ready made pair – my goodness they are SO comfy!!
I know this is late to the party (how did I miss this post?) but I made some pants from a Simplicity pattern that was a beach set with tie front pants ( no other closures so could adjust easily) and in woven fabric. It was summer by the middle of my pregnancy and up here some knits are still too hot. They were fantastically successful to wear and so easy to make. I just made a bigger size and I think from memory (it was 11 years ago) I made the ties a bit wider and longer and they fit till April when I had my son. I ended up huge too by the end. Now I made them in lime green cotton but in a nice linen they would be very nice for casual wear. I had lime green linen, but didn’t want to sacrifice it for preggy pants that I’d be sick of (and was) by the end. I made a shirred top in limes and pinks to go with it and you wouldn’t believe how many people asked me where I got them. It is very tropical up here so it was perfect and I wasn’t working.
I can’t even begin to imagine being pregnant in summer up north! Yikes! Sounds like the drawstring pants you sewed up were perfect :)
There really is such a small range of colours and styles in maternity wear (which is reasonable considering the market size, I suppose), that I’m so glad I can sew so I can at least have the colours I prefer! I don’t doubt that your lime green and pink outfit was the envy of many :)
I made those Burda maternity pants near the end of my last pregnancy and They fitted really well even when I was huge. But the waist panel is really big – it felt like I was wearing a polo neck! I just folded it down when I was wearing it. I don’t think you really need maternity patterns because it’s quite easy to add to normal patterns and there are so many forgiving styles around now anyway.
There seems to be a real division on the whole maternity pants with a big knit band on them – you either love them or find it to be entirely unnatural! I’m in the former camp – I bought a RTW pair of maternity jeans with a big band, and love them to bits. Perhaps that will change when (if???) it gets warmer….
I’m not really a fan of loose and flowy style maternity clothing – I definitely like things to be fitted. And as I’m so unused to working with knits – I’m all about having patterns so I don’t have to think about it.
I made two ruche skirts when I was pregnant with Vinnie and wore them both heaps. I much prefer to wear fitted clothing when I am pregnant as anything loose made me feel more like a whale. I was mainly pregnant through winter though winter on the gold coast and spring in melbourne could be fairly similar. I wore mainly jeans (maternity ones from just jeans are awesome!) and fitted singlets or tees with different jackets, cardigans and kimonos to jazz it up. Also fitted sheath dresses a la nettie are great with a longline cardigan over the top.
They’re great, aren’t they? Yes quite a few people have told me not to bother with maternity patterns, but just to choose existing patterns that presumably allow for room. Uh, No thanks. I’d actually like to look half decently good during this time! Bring on the fitted clothing :) Maternity jeans are the bomb – I agree. I’m quite convinced I’ll never actually go back to normal jeans at this stage! I’m definitely keen to give a fitted sheath dress a whirl – just have to wait until it warms up a bit!
Button up shirts are ace for feeding, you unbutton from the bottom and maintain some togetherness, so to speak. Tshirts are fine too, as long as they are loose enough to just lift up. I found I needed more space in the bust because I was a champion milker! I went from a C cup to a G cup.
I modified a polo shirt pattern for maternity, and made up several. They were a mix of woven and knits. I was big over summer so made several matching shorts/trousers too, all in gaberdine or wool suiting (for work). I used a straight leg pattern that had a rib waistband, all around. My lower back got bigger too. I made a really beautiful swing style jacket for warmth and more formal occasions. Finally, I don’t wear skirts or dresses much, but knew I’d need at least one dress. It was made up in a floral print that I got from a Laura Ashley sheet sale. I wore once or twice in each pregnancy, for things like a 21st birthday, wedding and so on. Otherwise I was strictly in trousers or shorts. I bought denim overalls and they were wonderful!
Anoher thing to consider making as well as clothes are breast pads. The disposable ones get pricey after a while. I bought some washable ones, but with all the bamboo and PUL fabric around, they would be quick to make.
Sounds like you made/had exactly what I’m aiming for – work clothes are the hardest I’m finding. Casual is easy – just one or two things for the weekend. But I reckon another 2 days and I’m not going to be able to fit into my business shirts – which leaves me in a real bind. This weekend is going to be spent sewing work and bump appropriate clothing!
I was just googling diy breast pads last night – seems like a no brainer to make your own, I just have to be bothered to source some bamboo knit and PUL fabric, which I’ve also been procrastinating about…
Go the overalls!!
Congratulations! My advice is don’t go too crazy. I am 35 weeks along and just started showing in the last 2-3 weeks, even now it isn’t constant. Maybe make a few roomier pieces for yourself and see where you are at as you go. I have definietly been drawn to dresses more for comfort. Also, unless you already have a good belly those full panel pants will fall right off! Most of my clothes I either borrowed from friends or found on ebay or garage sales and have been pretty good with it.
Only starting to show in the early 30 week stage – wow! I’m definitely not going to be like that – 21 weeks and I’m now barely being able to do up the buttons down my business shirts!
I’ve also been sewing through the Megan Neilsen Maternity Survival Pack. I’m totally a leggings girl but not a fan of wearing the with tee-shirts (covered bum only). I’ve been focussing on adding large stretchy panels to the tops of my jeans at this point as it’s now shifting to cooler weather in Vancouver.
I wasn’t aware of the French pattern company before. They really have some beautiful patterns. Not sure I can justify the exchange rate and the postage fee though. That starts to get very expensive. Perhaps the coat is worth it though as maternity coats are crazy expensive.
I wore a ski poncho today in the rain and my partner told me it was acceptable. He said that ponchos say “don’t worry, I’m wearing a garbage bag, but I do have money.” As opposed to wearing a garbage bag during pregnancy, I guess.
Looking forward to seeing what you end up sewing.
Ski Poncho indeed :) I have no idea what a nice RTW maternity coat costs, but I have noticed in general it’s a bit like weddings. Mention the ‘M’ word, and automatically things are much more expensive than usual… I bought those two coat patterns a long time before we started trying – back when the exchange rate was still half ok! I had originally wanted a winter baby… so of course I got a summer baby ;) Perhaps I’ll get more use out of the coat pattern next time round!