My Maternity Makes

Tilly and the Buttons Joni Dress 

This has to one of my favourite maternity makes. It is in Tilly's Stretch book and she explains how to make the front bump friendly by adding extra length. Then after baby is born you can shorten it again. I made two versions while I was pregnant and found it was one pattern that helped me feel a bit more dressy but also super comfy for the bump. One of my Joni dresses was made from a beautiful rose jersey from Australia and the other was gorgeous jersey from The Dab Hand. I just loved the sparkly stripes on this one.

At the beginning I wore my Joni dresses with tights but soon bump got bigger and in came the leggings. I just got maternity leggings from ASDA online in navy but I think they came in black too.

One thing I would love is to know how to make my Joni dresses breastfeeding friendly as I really love this pattern, so any ideas would be very welcome!

Tilly and the Buttons Frankie T-Shirt 

I made the Frankie t-shirt just at the beginning of pregnancy. I found that just my normal size was fine and wore this throughout my pregnancy to the end. I wear it again now and it has retained its shape. Of course it might depend on the fabric and how stretchy it is. I got the fabric for this t-shirt from Fabrics Galore though I don't think it is in stock anymore but they have lots of other pretty fabrics!

Named Kielo Dress

I only made this towards the end of my pregnancy but I wished I had made it much sooner. What an amazing pattern! I didn't have to adjust the size to make it bump friendly, just chose my pre pregnancy measurements. I made it from a light blue jersey fabric from The Textile Centre. So soft and comfy to wear around what was my very big bump. This is me wearing my Kielo dress down in Connemara on our break before baby Henry arrived. It was so light and airy to wear in the hot weather we had.

Japanese Top Pattern 

I bought this pattern while on our honeymoon in Japan. I bought it in Nippori, the fabric shopping area in Tokyo. This place was a sewist's heaven! I made a few versions of this before getting pregnant but found while pregnant the floaty style of the top worked well with my bump. Although I got this pattern in Japan, I'm sure there are other patterns that could be used. The TATB Stevie is maybe one that could be used and add the waist ties like I did.

Simple Sew The Cocoon Dress

This dress was a very quick and easy one to make. I made it in a bigger size and then used a belt to cinch it in above my bump. I made it from gorgeous double gauze fabric from Higgs and Higgs. Though I think I might take this dress in and turn it into a top to make it easier when feeding Henry. I absolutely adore the fabric so would love to keep wearing it as a top.

Megan Nielsen Erin Skirt

This skirt pattern is amazing!! I made two verions of this skirt in a teal jersey and grey jersey. It meant I could still wear my nice tops with a skirt that fitted over my bump. It was fairly straight forward to make. It was my first time using elastic to create a ruching effect on sides but the instructions explained very clearly how to do this.

Thanks for reading all about the patterns I enjoyed through pregnancy. Hard to believe Henry is almost 6 months old now!

Rebekah x

Keyword: Dressmaking | maternity | sewing | clothes | fabric 

ref: 4 | My Maternity Makes