Maternity Sewing Plan

So, my "maternity sewing plan". (Subject to change, as usual, of course). Since I didn't start sewing until late in my pregnancy with my daughter, this is an exciting endeavor for me. And, surprise, surprise there seems to be more & more "maternity sewing" tutorials & patterns cropping up every day (thank you, Pinterest!)

So, here's what I'll need.

Stick with knit tops. Wovens hang funny & ALWAYS include a bow or sash of some kind. For my first pregnancy, I kind of liked the bows. But now, well...I am NOT a present. Also, knit tops tend to flatter all the way through pregnancy. So, here's my plan.

Vogue 8581

Already in my stash, rated "very easy" and has a number of positive reviews!! Bonus--my FAVORITE maternity top from my last pregnancy was very, very similar in design. There's a good chance I won't need to do any maternity alterations on this one.

Wrapped Maternity Top by Megan Nielson

Images courtesy of Megan Nielsen

I swear, the first time I saw this pattern my heart went pitter-patter. I LOVE the design! It is by Megan Nielson, an independant designer who ALSO designs & sells non-maternity wear. Her blog diymaternity.com has INVALUABLE tutorials & tips. You MUST check it out if you ever find yourself needing some maternity sewing inspiration.

The only downside to this design is the fact that it requires 4 yards (FOUR) of fabric. But no matter. I love it anyway. Also, the pattern is $15 which is expensive when you're used to buying the Big 4 for .99, but honestly I'm MORE than happy to support her business :)

Ruched Maternity Tshirt by Megan Nielsen

Also by Miss Megan, the Ruched top. With a variety of sleeve length options. This design can be a staple in any wardrobe--with or without baby bump :) Megan offers a slew of other maternity patterns, but for now I'm sticking with just these 2 with the option of going back for more, of course. :)

As for pants-well, I'm hoping to thrift any new jeans that I'll need & I have plenty of comfy pants that never see beyond the 4 walls of our home :) I also have a few pairs of adorable shorts for this summer. Which brings me to...

Source

Skirts. Ah, maternity skirts. They are SO HARD to find RTW. Can you believe that?? Also, a frightening new trend is MINI maternity skirts. Like, MID THIGH. Uhm....no. Honestly, how does one chase after not one, but TWO toddlers WITH giant belly in a mini skirt...better yet...who would want to?!?

So, no. No thank you to mini maternity skirts. Also, just barely skimming the knee is not quite long enough. Again, thanks to Pinterest, I have a variety of other options. There's a ton of tutorials on adding knit belly panels to existing skirts & also, I'm pretty comfortable drafting my own basic skirt. Typically, I prefer everything to "under the belly" so that should make it a bit easier. Again, I'll likely be sticking to knit fabrics for their ease of wear & stretchability...which means no zippers necessary! :)

So, in short, I'll be sticking to 4-5 basic patterns in various solid colored fabrics. Maybe in a future post, I'll go over some of my favorite places to find knit fabrics.

Just for fun, I'll leave you with my most loyal maternity top. It lasted me through 2 pregnancies & is still going strong. I have yet to put it on, but it will be great for when I'm...huge.

The first was taken on my due date with my son...he didn't arrive for another FOUR days (and I happened to wear this top on the way to the hospital) and the second was about 6 weeks before my due date with Laila.