still trying to build a decent wardrobe.

before my sister came over saturday night, i did some crazy sewing. mostly because last weekend i worked on christmas gifts instead of sewing, and i desperately needed to make some staples for that new pregnant wardrobe. i still have a plain white blouse to make (same as this pattern). it is currently on the floor in the process of being laid out, and won't actually be completely finished until january when i go visit my mother, because i want to use her fancy machine stitches to do some pretty topstitching around the collar and cuffs.

i was able to whip out two garments, which i think is a record night for me. i am loving making maternity clothes because they are so easy. all total i think i only spent about 4 hours sewing. i made these pants, burda # 8377, which is where i found the tummy panel for this skirt:


the legs are actually the same length, i don't know why they look so uneven in the picture. all i had to buy was the ribbing for the panel, because the olive herringbone wool was part of the box my mother sent up earlier this fall. this also has an adjustable elastic waistband (more detail on that below) and my sister brought me the buttonhole elastic, which apparently is not a staple in our town. she picked it up at britex fabrics on union square. as far as fabric stores go, britex to me is pretty much heaven without the dying part.

i also made this top, burda # 8377, from some old ivory microfiber that i had sitting around. i still have like 3 more yards of it, and it's something i picked up when i worked at the fabric store in high school, which tells you how long i've been hanging on to it. i wonder what in the world i ever thought i needed so much microfiber for.


i tweaked the top a little bit but that is typical for me. i rarely make anything exactly the way the pattern calls for. this pattern was for a dress or a top, the dress basically just a longer version of the top. the dress has that cute under-bust tie, but the top did not. the top had a tie around the neck though. i thought the top was somewhat unflattering with no definition at the bust, so i incorporated that under-bust tie. the problem ended up being, the neckline was so insanely huge! on the dress version (because there is no neckline tie), the neck is just left plain and open, but if i did that it would fall off my shoulders, so i put some elastic in the neckline. it looks a little bohemian and peasant-y, but i think it will be insanely comfy. also, the top was only about 8" shorter than the dress and was about 4" too long on me, and i'm long-waisted. i don't know what those designers were thinking on this one. an uber-long top and a too-short dress? for maternity wear? give me a break.

i was able to finish off the tummy panel on that skirt with the buttonhole elastic my sister brought. i sewed a casing across the top and left the seam open to feed the elastic in, but i also finished the edges so the elastic can come out. i used regular ¾" non-roll elastic for most of the waist and then attached about 6-8" of buttonhole elastic to the end. the regular elastic is tacked inside so it won't move, and the buttonhole elastic peeks out of the casing where i left the seam open. then i sewed a button to hold the elastic. now i can adjust the waistband to be looser as my belly grows. this is a neat feature i discovered hidden inside my old navy khakis that i am newly in love with.

elastic let all the way out

elastic cinched up a bit, for a smaller tummy