In my last post, I said that I spend 90% of my time in stretchy loungewear. Well, we have a wedding to attend coming up at the end next month and I don’t think my t-shirt and joggers wardrobe is going to cut it for that type of event. I also didn’t want to wait until the last minute to make a dress because I cannot predict how much my bump will grow by then. Instead, I thought a stretchy jersey dress would be my best option.
As an even bigger plus, I will be able to wear it next summer too since it isn’t a maternity-specific dress and it was made in my normal pattern size. The pattern I used is an oldie but goodie, McCall’s 6559, which is sadly out of print. It came out a while ago but was very popular for good reason. It is a quick and easy sew with a few different design options that a wide variety of body types can wear. When I picked out this fabric I knew I wanted to make a simple dress style to really let the stripes show. However, this pattern was not the original plan. I was flipping through my stash when I saw it and thought the front with the different angles would be a great way to feature the stripes without having to worry about matching them at the side seams.
Which was great since when I was laying out the solid back panel I went just a little cross-eyed looking at the stripes. The fabric is a Navy on Off-white Horizontal Pencil Stripe Stretch Modal Jersey. It is a four-way stretch with 125% selvedge to selvedge stretch and 100% cut edge to cut edge stretch. This makes it good to use with the different angled cuts on the front. I still get tons of stretch with it in all directions.
Another great non-maternity pattern that works for me right now is the Cashmerette Dartmouth Top. This top is also going to pull double duty in that I can wear it now with the ruching at the sides but the front crossover is going to be perfect for nursing. The front is two full pieces allowing it to have excellent coverage without having to worry about gaping when I bend over.
I am going to be making some more of these for sure, but for this version, I used the Charcoal Lightweight Poly/Rayon Jersey Knit. It was a great choice for the pattern. I have plenty of stretch right now and once we move on to nursing it stretches enough without losing its shape.
One of the biggest things I have found throughout this pregnancy is that I don’t want to spend a lot of money on new maternity clothes and I definitely don’t want to spend a lot of time making them with my precious stash fabrics to only be worn for such a short time. Seriously, I have only bought a pair of maternity jeans and leggings. That’s it! Instead, I have been looking for patterns that will do double duty. Ones that could serve me now and still be able to wear later on. I really want to get the most out of my makes that I can since I am putting so much time and care into making them. In case you are in the same boat, here are a few other non-maternity patterns that have really worked out well for me.
Bella Sunshine Designs – Sansa Flares
Bella Sunshine Designs – Eden Leggings (Bonus: it’s free)
Bella Sunshine Designs – Amelia Dress
Bella Sunshine Designs – Coraline Dress
Laela Jeyne – Dani Joggers (Has maternity waistband option)
Dixie DIY – Summer Concert Tee (with added length)
Butterick See & Sew – B6308 Maxi Dress
Have you found any non-maternity patterns that worked for you while pregnant?