In these past weeks therefore, I m back sewing, creating my perfect baby wardrobe. I say baby wardrobe as learning from my first pregnancy, I don't really believe in 'maternity wear'. You can wear your regular clothes for at least the first 4 months, there are then 6weeks when you fit in neither normal nor maternity wear particularly well - then maybe 4 months tops when you need full on maternity clothes. Thats not long, to be buying or creating a whole set of new clothes. As with my first baby, I plan to breastfeed and that period actually lasts a whole lot longer than the time you need maternity wear and also has very specific clothing requirements. And finally- no one tells you beforehand that it will be a bloody long time before your usual clothes fit again!! And I really didn't enjoy 'maternity wear' post baby with all that extra fabric around the waist, making you feel even bigger than you already are!
I set myself one golden rule to creating a wardrobe for my second baby...
Anything I create must be wearable both in pregnancy, during breastfeeding and ideally after that (maybe with a few alterations).
I m not a fan of the maternity look, I found last time the things I wore most were regular jersey dresses and tops (mainly from Boden or Joules) with a high waist under the bust or wrap dresses/tops. There are a few things I think you can't live without - appropriate underwear, maternity tights, a few vests and maternity jeans. But for dresses and tops, I think 'regular wear' carefully chosen can suit quite fine, with much more longevity. Here are a few of the (RTW non maternity) dresses I wore lots last time:
And here are the me-made things I've worn non stop for the first 4 months that well accommodate a small bump- basically stretchy dresses, shirts & shirt dresses, tunic style tops and sweatshirts.
On to the sewing plans! Here is what I have on my list, some of which I've started on already...
TOPS:
From top left, clockwise: Tilly & the buttons Rosa, Grainline Archer, Tessuti Alice Top, Vogue V8816, Sewoverit Lilly, Burda 6838.
First up, for early pregnancy (months 3-5) and for breastfeeding and later... shirts. I 've just finished one new Archer in a gorgeous Liberty and have plans for one more as well as a Tilly & the Buttons Rosa dress in Liberty Needlecord to make after the birth. I've worn my current one non-stop in the past weeks, but now its reached its limit. I know I'll wear it all the time for breastfeeding since its got easy open popper fastening and is super comfy. I also know V8816 works well as I wore that constantly in my last pregnancy!
Here is the Archer that I just finished in Liberty:
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I made one concession and bought a maternity pattern - the SewOverIt Lilly top, which is specially designed for breastfeeding and actually I think I can wear afterwards too- Think its a really nice cut and I had 2 contrasting Liberty fabrics which I used to sew it up already! I put darts in the back and took the side seams in a little as I did find it very baggy, but I do really like the pattern and its an easy sew.
DRESSES:
From top left, clockwise: Tilly & Buttons Joni dress, Newlook 6301, Buda 6562, Newlook 6001, Butterick 5454, Cotton & Chalk Lilly. I just got the new Tilly Stretch book through the post yesterday and I was super happy to see the new Joni dress, its just perfect for maternity wear but will be absolutely fine afterwards too!
I've already cut out the Newlook 6301 and the cotton & chalk dress in Liberty Jersey I found on eBay. I cut per the patterns but in both cases I've shortened the bodice by a good few inches so it sits above my bump. I didn't lengthen as I always find dresses too long anyway, so I was good on the length. I have a few days off over next few weeks when I'm hoping to finish the off - The top part of both are done, just need to do a few finishing touches like the hem etc. Here is a sneak peak:
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I've been collecting up some jersey fabrics, so will be tapping into my stash of those over the next weeks....
Hope to be sewing and blogging a lot more over coming months, I ll try not to leave it so long next time! Thanks for reading - if you have any other maternity sewing tips- leave me a comment please!!
Messyessymakes x
