Shades of Me- Denim Blue

A couple months ago when I heard about the Shades of Me series being hosted by Petit a Petit and Mouse House Creations and their goal to sew more for themselves in 2014, I got super excited! It has been my goal for a long time now to sew more for myself, but for some reason it is out of my comfort zone. I knew participating in this series would give me the motivation to do it. In the midst of my excitement I admit I forgot at first that I was largely pregnant, growing only larger, and would need to make a look to fit my third-trimester self.

So my goals for this look were to...

1. Use my assigned color, blue.

2. Make something that I could wear being largely pregnant and also post-partum and beyond.

3. Get the look sewn early enough that I could take pictures of myself before puffy face and ankles took over my body.

Some of these things were accomplished :).

When I was able to sign up for the color blue I felt I really scored, since it was my number one choice. But I actually had a hard time deciding what I was going to do with blue. I am in the midst of a fabric shopping hiatus and really didn't want to buy any fabric for this look. Once I decided what kind of dress I wanted to make, I searched my stash for anything blue, and came up with this super stretchy denim jegging material.

I had my doubts about a jegging-material dress, but us preggos, we like us some stretch. And it sure turned out comfortable.



The top of the dress I drafted from a fitted non-maternity tee of mine then just attached the midi skirt.

I live midi-length dresses.

When my bump is gone I plan to take in the waist just a bit at the side seams and the front of the dress should fall at just the right length. You know what else I really love? Mid-length sleeves. I do them all the time when I sew for my daughter. So I guess I have a thing for mid-length in my designs.



After sewing the finishing hem on the dress, I eagerly tried it on and instinctively my hands groped around for pockets to hide in. Why hadn't I thought of pockets?! Pockets in dresses take it up like 15 notches in my book and everything else was perfect about the dress, so it had to be done. I opened up the side seams and inserted some pockets and my hands were so happy.

Since I had used up every bit of jegging denim, I used some striped fabric for the pockets. It's kinda fun.





Making this dress and sewing for myself was so rewarding. My husband called me a nerd when I told him it gave me "a sewing high". The day after completing this dress I cut out two more of these dresses in different fabrics and whipped those out, almost doubling the size of my dwindling maternity closet. (Nothing fits me anymore! And I try not to sport the belly midriff look if at all possible.)



And guess what else was accomplished in all of this? I have sort-of maternity pictures! I am not one for a maternity photo shoot and definitely feel much more comfortable being behind the camera than in front of. Someday I think I will really like looking back at that belly though.

Want to keep track of all the lovely bloggers participating? Every day is a new color! And everyone can join the sew along and get that "sewing high" by sewing something for yourself. Follow along...