Me-Made-May Day 18

I made this top a while ago and keep forgetting it exists! Oops. I think it’s because I made it in the last flurry of activity before we moved, so I whipped it out at top speed and then moved on to other things.
IMG_3497I drafted the pattern myself, but ‘drafted’ perhaps sounds too organised. I started with a kimono-sleeve pattern which I did draft, cutting it off at empire line and then adding a rectangular ‘skirt’, but this fabric was so stretchy that my original cutting and sewing yielded a top that was much too big. I just kept pinning it in and resewing until it was right, but didn’t record any of my changes (like I said, I was rushing before we moved). And in fact the fabric was very unusual in its crinkly stretchiness, so I doubt the measurements of this top would be very useful for another.

The denim skirt is a refashioned charity shop one. It started out as a typical straight denim skirt with a front fly. I think it would have fit me beautifully in my pre-baby days. However, desperate times call for desperate measures, and blousy tops call for narrow skirts, so I did some hacking.

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I’m including a picture of the gory details below, in case it’s useful to anyone wanting to do the same. I cut off the top of it the skirt, curving the cutting line lower in the front to clear my belly, and then added on a tube of stretchy jersey fabric which reaches up over my belly and has elastic in the top. I was basically copying the way my maternity jeans are constructed.

IMG_3506Now, I will say, by way of warning, that a straight skirt to the knee isn’t the most practical maternity shape, because manoeuvres like bending require more room to move your knees than it probably did before. At least that’s how it feels for me. I struggle to fasten my sandal straps in this skirt. However, it’s a nice piece to have, especially now that it’s really too hot for jeans most days and so skirts and dresses are pretty much ‘it’ for me. (I’m pondering trying to overcome my hatred of shorts, but haven’t managed yet.)

One last thing – I realised the other day that I have some jewellery I made. So I pulled out these earrings. Bonus!

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