December's Dress

In the interest of full disclosure, this dress was the reason these posts have been a year in coming.  Because this was a maternity dress.

 I had planned on making some when I got pregnant, but since I didn't even tell Johnny I was pregnant with Joy until Christmas last year, after this dress was already finished, and since that was still really early, I didn't feel like spilling the beans through a sewing project.

But now that my crazy birth story has far out-shadowed anything else, this post is long overdue.

I got this pattern from my mom, who got it for her friend's wedding in the 70s, clearly.  All I had to do was shorten the hem, and voila, modern classic.

Transforming it into a maternity dress was pretty easy, too.  I took out some of the gathering in the bust and the empire waistline, and added about 5" more to the skirt front, which I hid in a pleat.  Easy peasy.

Things I learned making this dress:

• I need to remember that in addition to a bigger chest and belly, pregnancy also means a wider rib cage.  Although this dress was big enough to make it all three trimesters, the empire seam was too tight by the time I hit my last one.  So I couldn't zip it up.  Luckily it was warm by then, so I didn't miss it as much.
• If you are going to sew a ribbon on a seam, remember that early, before you sew the zipper on.  As you can see, I was unsuccessful at matching them in the back. 

Pockets are absolutely necessary for every pregnant person.  They save so many trips up and down from the floor.