I finally followed through on my monthly goal of making some maternity clothes by finishing this top (made using this pattern) last night. This is actually the shirt I had started when I wrote my goals post – it only took me 20 days to sew up the shirt I cut out…
Overall, I like the pattern. I do feel like it fits a little big – even though I was between two sizes and chose the smaller of the two to sew up. So if I use the same pattern again I’ll be making a smaller size. I think I’ll also bring the neckline in a little – toddlers plus a loose, knit kimono top equals sleeves getting yanked off your shoulders very easily. This is by far the most comfortable maternity top I’ve ever worn, thanks to the cut as well as the super-soft knit fabric I made it out of.
I got the pattern at JoAnn’s during one of their 99 cents for Simplicity pattern sales. If you didn’t already know, JoAnn’s usually has sales where they’ll sell patterns for 99 cents, one or two brands at a time. I’ve never seen Vogue or Burda patterns that cheap, but if you’re willing to go with the less-fancy brands it’s a great deal.
After watching me drool over sergers for the past decade or so, Mike bought me this one as a combined Mother’s Day (May)/Anniversary(June)/Birthday (July)/Baby (hopefully July but, given my track record, more likely August) present. It arrived last week, but thanks to some rather unfortunate home-falling-apart incidents, I didn’t get to play with it until last night when I used it to sew up this shirt. I’m completely in love with my serger – I can finally sew easy hems on knits, and the side seams look so nice and neat with minimal effort! Now to figure out a way to keep my anything-with-a-motor-obsessed 17-month-old away from the sewing machines…
