So this baby is GROWING, and I’m getting to the point that the majority of my clothes just don’t fit anymore! I’ve invested in two cute pairs of maternity shorts, and between these, my scrubs, some knit dresses and a couple of Ogden Camis, I’m figuring out how to make it through the summer. However, I remembered that when I made my first Sew Caroline Coffeeshop Dress last summer, there was a great maternity hack provided by Caroline. I looked it back up, and was excited to get to work with some new fabric I got from a (pretty stinking large) haul from Knit Pop!
Last year, I made a really awesome version of this dress (sans maternity hack, of course!) in a beautiful Bari J for Art Gallery Knit. I chose to make it in a size small, and didn’t finish the hem or the sleeve hems because I liked the slightly undone look. This dress comes together so quickly – it consists of a front, back, sleeves and a cute little pocket. It is incredible comfortable and easy to throw on, and I wear it frequently. It is still working for me today, but the shoulder placement has always bothered me a little bit since they sit just a bit too far in from my actual shoulder line. I decided to go ahead and size up to a medium this year, and to follow Caroline’s maternity hack tutorial.
In the end, I think I could have made one of the two changes and had plenty of room for the current size of my bump. Between sizing up and adding the gathered area around the midsection, I ended up with just a little too much room for my current size, and it leaves me looking just a bit baggy around the middle! I think this might also be exacerbated by the fact that this is a thinner fabric than I used on my previous version, which also gives me a little extra flexibility in the sizing.
The fabric I used here is a really pretty double brushed poly from Knit Pop. I came across this company while scrolling through Instagram a few months back, and their beautiful prints are always catching my eye. I’ve done a great job of using some of my fabric stash this year, and I decided that I deserved a little fabric splurge! I picked out a few beautiful knits that I can whip into things that will be able to stretch over my bump, and placed my first order.
The double brushed poly fabrics are incredibly soft, and the prints are vibrant and beautiful. I had to spend a little extra time and focus cutting out my pattern pieces from the fabric, as it was a little thin and slippery, but it worked out okay in the end. Unfortunately, my struggles only got worse from here! My sewing machine was not a big fan of this material, and there were probably thirty times that my fabric got pulled down into the machine with the needle. This happened way more frequently with my double needle than with my standard ballpoint needle, and I was a little bummed that my double needled hems didn’t come out as crisp and clean as I wanted them to.
I went ahead and completed this dress, despite breaking my only double needle on hand in the process, and the end result is wearable and incredibly comfortable. However, I had some concerns related to the fact that I bought a LOT of double brushed poly fabrics that I have been looking forward to using! I reached out to the awesome online sewing community via Instagram, and you guys gave me so many great ideas – I’m feeling more confident about tackling my next DBP project here pretty soon.
In the meantime, I’m excited to wear this dress for the rest of the summer! I feel a little sad about the fact that this dress isn’t going to work for me anymore once the baby bump is gone, but I think it is worth it to have more options in my maternity wardrobe.
That’s that! I’m now covering my baby bump in style more frequently than before I made this dress, and that makes me a happy girl! If you are looking for a cute and comfy dress to throw on this summer, I’d definitely suggest the Coffeeshop Dress!
Dress: handmade by me
Pattern: Sew Caroline – Coffee Shop Dress
Fabric: Water Floral Bouquet on Light Blue Double Brushed Poly Spandex from Knit Pop (now sold out)
- XX Elizabeth
Lovely maternity hack Elizabeth! And don’t worry – what seems baggy now might be a lovely fit not too far down the track. I think it’s worth it for something you can wear for a while longer. You light be like me and look down one day and suddenly realise your tum has just grown overnight! ? Best is wishes xxxx
It already is!! I swear I look down every morning and think “really? THAT much bigger since yesterday?” It’s so crazy!
Haha I’ve been spurned by cows before too! Hopefully your machine will make friends with your fabric. : ) The nice thing about it being a bit big is that you’ll have a lot of usable fabric if you ever decide to refashion.
I love this dress!! The colors are stunning on you!! The best advice I ever got with the feed dogs eating fabric, is make sure the needle is sharp, and use tissue paper between the fabric. It works like a charm on my machine!