Tuesday 18 November 2014

My handmade maternity tops: 4 versions of McCalls 6576

I mostly sourced my maternity wardrobe second-hand, but I did buy one vintage pattern and have a go at sewing it. I flipped through dozens of vintage sewing patterns at a shop in Canberra and found what I wanted - a maternity pattern in my size. (I actually got a bit bigger before I made it, but there was plenty of ease and it still fit well.)


I made the middle view. Here is my first version, in classic cherry-print cotton.


This one is still probably my favourite and got the most wear! I pretty much always paired it with this red belt and cropped jeans, but played with other accessories a lot. Below I'm wearing my dad's 1971 "Winter Swimming Club" jacket. Go Cronulla Polar Bears!


Despite some struggles understanding the facing steps and learning how to sew a blind hem and a lapped zipper, I was very happy with how this pattern turned out.


It was, however, a bit pinchy around the arms by the end of a long day. In version two, featuring strawberries, I tried enlarging the armholes.


Somehow they seemed to be still much the same, and in any case I realised that my maternity bras sit very snugly in that area anyway, so I went back to the original armholes in version 3.


I made a plain black version because I was inspired by another vintage maternity pattern to wear this over a black-and-white polka-dotted blouse in the op-shop just that week. To make sure the blouse would show at the neck, I lowered the neckline. This adjustment worked, but not over the blouse! Still, the neck is much more comfortable in this version. So I kept that change for version four.


Version four is the bright, springtime look! I love this too, although the fabric was a bit harder to work with, and the facing doesn't like to stay flat and well-behaved like the others. Maybe that explains my sour face here!


At this stage, I could only just get my growing hair into a stubby little pony tail, so I made a flower cage to cover it up! It was pretty much impossible to wear this top without some kind of hair flower.


Aww family photo! These are my gorgeous siblings.

I did buy more fabrics, and even contemplated trying one of the other views, but as I was looking at only having a couple of months left to wear them, I decided to stop myself!

So, if you can't tell, I loved this pattern. If there is a next pregnancy, I look forward to wearing these again and making some more!
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12 comments

  1. Aww, I love that we get to "meet" your siblings! What a lovely family you guys are - you look so so similar. Save for a somewhat similar forehead shape/size, I don't look a lick like my brother or sister (I wish I did).

    Your maternity tops are really lovely! The cherry print one in particular (not surprisingly, I'm sure :D) is right up my vintage loving alley.

    Big hugs,
    ♥ Jessica

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    1. There are some powerful genes in us, that's for sure!

      It is hard to beat the cherries! I wasn't sure about it when I bought the fabric, but made up it looks great.

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  2. I never saw the black one in person - very chic.

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  3. Oh my these are wonderful. So often I see pregnant women stuck in sweatpants and T-shirts or tent dresses. You have certainly shown that you can be stylish with your own personality in every stage of pregnancy. Absolutely beautiful and congratulations on your growing family.

    She Knits in Pearls

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  4. You look fantastic and I have big respect for you to take the time and make your own maternity wear. I found it hard to find the motivation back then because of feeling so tired most of the time. May I ask when your due date is?

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    1. Thank you. There was a window of time where I had enough energy, and I made the most of it before it went away again! I actually had the baby, two weeks ago now. Still just getting around to blogging about the wardrobe!

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  5. Lovely maternity tops, I like how they look so different in the different fabrics. I like the left hand view of the pattern too.

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    1. Thank you. The left hand one is the other I was almost going to try! Maybe next time.

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  6. You are seriously the cutest pregnant lady. I was just thinking the other day about what I'd be wearing if I ever got pregnant, and all I could do was frown because I'd basically have to buy all new clothes. I love that you made so many pieces for your maternity wardrobe, and these tops are really nice looking, especially the bright print.
    I know you've had your baby now, so congratulations! Good luck to you and your new little one.

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    1. I had to get a whole new wardrobe. Lucky for me I could do most of it second hand (posting about that next week). Making these few things was fun and I'm glad I did it. I feel a bit more confident in my sewing abilities now!

      Thank you :) She is exhausting but lovely :)

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