One last maternity make…

Earlier this year I tried out this waistless 1930s pattern because I didn't want to make something I would grow out of right away, thus wasting my sewing time. Now at the other end of the pregnancy, I made another version with the thought that I can both wear it now, and it will transition to me being a normal size again!

However, I really wanted it to look as different as possible from my first version…I didn't want to just do the same dress again. 

The fabric I used is a rayon dress weight suiting I bought online, which is where I got the rayon dress weight suiting I used for the first version. It demonstrates the handicaps of buying online, since the first dress's fabric is smooth and limp, while this one has a lot more body and a brushed finish like a twill or lightweight flannel. Which is fine, but I was a little uncertain about how it would drape for this pattern since it does have more body to it. I still think it would probably have been more suited to a more structured jacket/skirt set…

Yet I had already made the dress in my mind using this fabric, so being a stubborn seamstress, I went ahead and kept to the original plan. While it's not as drapey as the first fabric and doesn't flow quite as well as the first dress, it hangs well enough I think.

Even though this one is a caramel houndstooth, and the other is a darker mini plaid, they both have brown themes so I had to have other ways to make them different from each other. Instead of black velvet accents, I went with the other end of the spectrum for this dress – white eyelet contrast. I wished after I had done the neckline that I'd used a different collar style to change it up even more!

This one does not button on the yoke, and I used a different sleeve pattern. I suppose 3/4 sleeves would have been even better to change it up, but it was still summer when I made this dress and I decided I would get more wear out of it if I had short sleeves and could layer if necessary when it gets cooler. 

The biggest difference from the original, and the most fun touch, was using vintage daisy trim to draw attention to the round yoke shape. I didn't want to just sew down the trim, and considered tacking it down by hand, but if I was going to do hand work anyway I thought I might as well make it fun. So I decided to embroider the trim in place, even though I am not one of those people who blissfully choose hand sewing as a general rule.

After pinning it on the yoke to get the curve right and everything even, I started by adding a touch of color with yellow French knots in the center.

Then a touch of coral, to define the petals…

And ending subtly with ice blue on the petal tips and between the flowers for the finishing touch.

I was really pleased with how it turned out. The lace is securely in place; the color adds interest but not so much that it affects how I have to accessorize it. I'm not good at freeform, but the trim shape gave me a base to work with. Embroidery and embellishment on clothing is very vintage and I rarely take the time to do it, but now I want to incorporate more of it in my sewing projects! It really didn't take that long, I actually enjoyed doing some hand work, and I love the finished look.

What do you think? Did I succeed in making this dress look different enough from the first version?

Because I had already made this pattern before, it was easy and quick to put together the second time, despite the self imposed differences which added a bit of time. I can see this becoming a base pattern for me for maternity in the future…it would look quite different yet in dark blue with wrist-length bishop sleeves and alternative collar.

Really, the biggest problem overall was how the fabric liked to fray. I was grateful for a serger as I could gradually encase all those hairy seams and make them tidy.

I paired it with late '30s accessories – my favorite off-white gloves from the 1930s or '40s, gorgeous brown and white spectator heels that also cross over the decade (Royal Vintage's Peggy), and a close fitting hat in the same color scheme. 

It's kind of fun to realize that my first maternity make and my last were the same pattern, thus creating bookends to this particular season of sewing.

Later this fall I'll style it again and show how it looks when it's not maternity wear. But for now, I'm really pleased with how comfortable and pretty it is, and enjoy having people look closely at the trim and say, "That's pretty. Wait…did you embroider that on??" 🙂