There's not been an announcement here on the blog yet, but if you connect with me elsewhere via my music postings you are already well aware that my husband and I are expecting a little one to arrive early 2018. To be exact: we are expecting him to arrive on FRIDAY. As in...5 days from now - January 12.
What better way to put sewing skills to use than to make your own maternity clothes, especially when your only local options are Target and WalMart? I've made my own pants (3 pairs), tops (2), and dresses (1). I'll focus first on the Maternity Agnes dress, by Tilly & the Buttons. I was so excited to stumble on this pattern!
It's a comfortable black knit, midi-length dress, one that I've worn during many, many recitals. It began pretty loose, with lots of extra material around the belly, but as little one grows, I find that isn't the case anymore!
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| LooCat, Christmas, Roomba, belly, and me on January 4 |
Seams are all serged, and hems are zigzagged on my regular machine. Sewing with knits is so easy. They're forgiving and the idea of fit is a bit more relaxed of a concept, since the material will help.
This version is a wearable muslin, and I've since made some changes, like taking out a bit of the back shoulder seam and moving the gathers of the front bodice down to accommodate my long waist - all are evident in the floral top below.
As *fun* as it is to make clothes for a new shape, I can't wait to be my normal self again.
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| Maternity Agnes and jeans from Burda 6607 |
Agnes can also be a top, and I've made one of those using some Nicole Miller fabric I found at JoAnn's. I really like the print, and cut it so the flowers are more concentrated on one side than the other. This particular knit is VERY stretchy, so it easily covers my bump
and long torso.
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| somewhere around week 37 |
Some of the garments I'm most proud of are my maternity pants, made using Burda 6607. The wearable muslin is navy twill (not pictured), then more adjustments made for the jeans, and a couple more for the black stretch twill pants, which are great for work and concerts. Despite my efforts to shrink the denim as much as possible, my jeans have lost almost an inch of length since completing them. Arg. Were it warm outside, I would cuff them up to wear with sandals, but considering it's been below freezing for almost a week...guh.
I cut size 14 according to my hip measurement (thank yoooooou inability to exercise properly), and did some grading based on assumptions on how I usually fit pants patterns, but still found that they are a little loose on me. Just cause you're pregnant doesn't mean you want to be swimming in fabric all the time.
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| sometime late October |
The jeans fit well, as I took width out of the back leg and side seams, and tightened the stretch panel at the top that goes over the belly. Evidently I also have a rather flat pubis bone (yeah, I dunno), so I took out some extra fabric in the front crotch area by flattening the curve.
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| a good view of the fit and topstitching on my jeans, and how they fit differently from mid-2nd to late-3rd trimester |
The black pants are the most fitted, but because they're made of stretch twill, they are very comfortable, something that is absolutely required these days! I wear them all the time.
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| January 6 stretchy pants for the 39w2d win |
The last garment I have to share is a tunic made from Butterick 6226. I've had this fabric in the stash for the longest time, and had intentions to make a one-shoulder cocktail dress with it, but sometimes present circumstances thwart future sewing plans, yes? I figured it would be nice to have something colorful amid a winter landscape. I get compliments on it every time I wear it!
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| I take back what I said...sometimes its fun to be swimming in fabric. |
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| wearing wedding ring on a necklace because they don't fit on any of my current sausage fingers! :'( |
I had plans to make so much more for this time in my life, but work and professional activities dwindled the sewing time. Until classes were over, that is. Since then I've been hard at work making things for me (a postpartum tunic), husband (another bespoke dress shirt), and the little one...whenever he gets here. At this point, it feels like he's going to stay in there forever!
