SEMI-FORMAL DRESSES 2021-2023

I made a couple of minor alterations to the first dress 

but the rest did not need any changes after they were made!

(I ended up giving this one above to someone else who wanted it.)

(This last one is a cream lace dress which I made for Easter.  

I literally finished it the day before our new baby was born!)

EVERY DAY DRESSES 2021-2023

I made a lot of mistakes on this one.  

I added A-line panels on the side to make it wider, 

Rectangular panels on the sleeves to made them wider,

Lace on the sleeves to make them longer

And lace on the neckline to help tie it all together.

At least the finished project looked okay! 😋

This one is a bit loose on me which was nice for pregnancy 

but I might try and add some ties eventually.

This was one of my favorite pregnancy dresses

but it ended up being too tight across the top for nursing 

in the first few months after our new baby was born.

This one didn't work very long for my last pregnancy 

since it was so thin at the waist, but it has worked well for nursing.

This one I made too tight across the top.

 I added a panel in the front on the bodice to make it fit.

I also made a mistake with the sleeves.

They are a bit tight but still work.

I did not have to make any adjustments on this dress!

Hurray!!!  Progress in learning the art of sewing!!!  

 

HOMEMADE ANKLE-LENGTH BLOOMERS

I got tired of getting rashes from polyester leggings.

(I have very sensitive skin.)

So...I decided to try my hand at making cotton ankle-length bloomers

Simple Elastic Waistband:

Adjustable maternity bloomers with a tie string:

It has been a process of trial and error since I have been 

learning to make these on my own.  

I did have to toss some trial ones or pass them on to smaller people 

but I finally have some that fit nicely.

 

MATERNITY SWIM DRESS

 In the past I have bought swim dresses from Sea Secret (http://seasecret.biz/one-piece-bathing-suits) but their dresses only come down to about the knee and most their leggings as well.  I wanted something a little longer but couldn't find anything I liked.  So, I decided to make my own swim dress.  I had the material for at least a year or two before finally making the dress during my last pregnancy because the other swim dress that I had was just too tight with the baby belly. 😅

I wanted to create a "non stick to the body" effect.  

So, I made swimming bloomers to go underneath.

The lighting was not very good in the other pictures.  Here is a downward view:

(Lol...  I just noticed the hand of one of the little boys in the picture!  😆)

MATCHING DRESSES FOR NIECES

Here are two matching A-line dresses which I made last year 

for a couple of my nieces.  

The only differences are the size and the lace.

 

FIRST MAJOR EMBROIDERY PROJECT

 

I made my first major embroidery project last year: 

A pillow as a gift for a friend getting married.

I did not have a pattern.  So I drew a picture of a flower I liked on a piece of paper 

and then copied it with pencil onto the cloth.  

MATERNITY AND NURSING CLOTHES 2019-2020

Here are the most recent maternity and nursing clothes
which I have made/altered since our little guy was born:


DRESSES

This was originally a dress I purchased at a thrift store but it was a bit short and the neck/sleeves were a bit revealing.  I added elastic to the neckline and the end of sleeves and a trim to the bottom to make it more modest.  Then I added nursing zippers and so obtained one of the most comfortable pregnancy/nursing dresses for working around the house and yard.

 This dress was made from a shirt given to me as a gift from my mother years before and an A-line skirt I had previously made.  I merely cut the elastic off the skirt sewed the two together and added nursing zippers.  It was a quick and easy was to add an extra comfortable outfit to my postpartum collection.

 This dress was made in a similar way as the one above.
So quick and easy to moderate for pregnancy and nursing and so worth it!

 This dress was originally a thrift store purchase.  The sleeve and neckline were too tight to be comfortable and the dress was a bit short.  So, I cut the high neck off the dress, and the long sleeves down and added the white trim around to add length and character to the dress.  It was one of my first pregnancy dresses.  After the birth I added nursing zippers and was quite delighted to find that I could still have it be a nice comfortable but elegant dress to wear while nursing.

 This was made in a similar style to the skirt/shirt combo dresses I made above except that the skirt I made from scratch just to make the dress.

 The top of this was originally a vest I had made pre-pregnancy and a dress shirt from the thrift store which did not fit me any more.I took out the pleats in the vest and cut the sleeves and neck off the shirt and added them to each other to make the top.  Then I took an piece of material which someone had previously gifted to me and made that into the skirt part of the dress.  This is definitely one of my favorite nursing/maternity dresses.  It took a bit more time to make and moderate but was SO worth it.

 This was another skirt/shirt combo with I sewed together and then added nursing zippers.  The shirt and skirt were originally one of my husband's favorite outfits for me to wear.  So, he was happy to see it added to back to my wardrobe postpartum.

 This was my first pregnancy/nursing dress made COMPLETELY from scratch!!!  😄

 I made several mistakes on the neckline when cutting the material as I was not using a pattern and so I had to add trim and a button to the top at the end.  At least I learned what not to do next time, and I was generally quite happy with the results.😉

Second nursing/pregnancy dress I made completely from scratch.


NURSING PONCHOS
(One of the best things ever for anyone who wants to nurse modestly.)

 This was originally a thin skirt given to me my by sister-in-law.  I sewed up the front to double over for thickness and it easily became a super soft and elegant poncho for nursing.

 I made two of these because I just happened to have EXACTLY enough material for a double make. 😂

This was made to be a more elegant addition for Sundays with added lace trim.  In this picture though is missing the fact that the lace is sewn down all around and does not hang up at all.  

MATERNITY AND NURSING CLOTHES - 2018

INTRODUCTION

Over the past few months I have been in the process of slowly making and moderating clothes for maternity and nursing.  Here below are some pictures and brief explanations of what I have done so far.  It is still a learning process and I am guessing I will need to make a few moderations once the baby comes and I actually get used to nursing and understand more fully what is needed and comfortable.  Yet, I figure that this way I at least have something to work with. 😊

FIRST MATERNITY/NURSING DRESS FROM SCRATCH

(Full front view)

 (Hidden nursing zippers)

(I added material and buttons to the back because 

I cut the material wrong.  

Most of my sewing is learnt through trial and error)

DRESS TWO FROM SCRATCH

(Full Front View)

 (Hidden Nursing Zippers)

 (Basic Back view...  I cut the material right this time 

and didn't have to add extra fabric and buttons. 😉

FIRST ALTERED MATERNITY/NURSING DRESS

 (Full Front View)

(I purchased this dress from a thrift store along with 

the shirt I used to make the alterations.  I added the neckline, 

lengthened the sleeves and added the nursing zippers.)

 (Back View)

(I aligned the buttons with the zipper in the back 

so it would be easy to get on and off.)

(Nursing Zippers)

SECOND ALTERED MATERNITY/NURSING DRESS

 (Full Front View)

(Once again I bought this dress and the shirt for the additions from a thrift store.  I added the length to the sleeves, the neckline 

and put in the nursing zippers in the front.)

(Full Back View)

(I took out the zipper in this dress and raised it higher 

to fit in the altered neckline.)

THIRD ALTERED MATERNITY/NURSING DRESS

 (Full Front View)

(This dress was a gift from a close friend of mine.  

Originally, it was a simple black dress.  I added the pink sleeves, neckline, and waistband.  I also sewed on the white lace 

to lengthen it and cover the nursing zippers.)

 ALTERED MATERNITY DRESS 1

 (This dress was a given to me by the aforementioned friend.  

I merely added a little length on the sleeves and the bottom 

since when you are pregnant the length of everything 

seems to shorten a bit with the belly bump.  

I decided not to alter it for nursing but keep it as 

a basic dress for my pregnancies.  It is super comfortable!)

ALTERED MATERNITY DRESS 2

(Back View)

(This dress was also from my friend.  It had a slit in the back and the shirt I had to go with it put too much pressure on the belly.  So, I cut off the bottom of the shirt and sewed it into the slit.  Then I added a lace trim on the bottom to tie it all together.)

 (Front View)

MATERNITY DRESS 1 MADE FROM SHIRT AND SKIRT 

 (This shirt originally was almost too short to wear normally.  The skirt had an elastic/tie that quickly made it too tight to wear when pregnant.  So, I took out the waist of the skirt and sewed it to the shirt to make it into a pregnancy dress.  Having buttons down the front also allows it to work for nursing.)

MATERNITY DRESS 2 MADE FROM SHIRT AND SKIRT 

(I did the same thing for this dress as mentioned with the above skirt and shirt, except that the shirt was rather long.  

So, I cut off the excess portion of the shirt to make it the proper length to sew to the skirt to make it into a maternity dress.)