Sew Over It Kimono - Maternity Style

As many of you can probably relate, finding maternity clothes can be a hard task! I don't want to spend a lot of money on them but I also need to be comfortable. And as my baby bump grows, my regular clothes are getting tighter and tighter. 

Thankfully as a sewist, I have the ability to sew maternity clothes that will fit and I will like. I have already remade the tops of a few over-the-belly pants and took older pairs of regular shorts and added an over-the-belly band. That's been helpful for sure! (I think the over-the-belly pants are so uncomfortable. I make my belly bands a little bigger while still holding my pants on me.)

Being the frugal person that I am, I REALLY don't want to make a lot of garments that will only be used in pregnancy (and for a time in post pregnancy.) I want things that I can adjust later to fit my new "regular" body. Therefore I have sewn a lot of tunics and dresses that have plenty of room to grow but will still be stylish afterward. 

As I looked through maternity clothing sites, I saw some kimono-style jackets and I fell in love. They looked so comfortable but stylish at the same time. And being that a kimono stays open, I can wear them no matter what my size!! 

Enter the Sew Over It Kimono Jacket....

I'm not even sure how I came across the pattern. I heard of Sew Over It, but had never made anything from their line before. The only thing I didn't like was that it was only available in PDF. Yuck. But I went with it. I'm not sure if it was the pattern or my printer, but there was a section of the PDF that was slightly off. The tester square measured correctly and most of the pieces matched up really well, but a small section was off about 1/4-1/2". Thankfully it was easy to draw out and fix what it should be. 

I used a fun retro floral print rayon crepe that I picked up from our pre-cut piece fabric deal earlier in the year. I love the color combination! I always think about rayon (challis especially) as being cool. This isn't. Yes, it could be my pregnancy hormones making me warmer but I thought this would have been a pretty cool fabric. Oh well, I still love it! 

Construction was pretty straight forward. The directions are easy to follow although I didn't pay attention to them too much. Definitely easy for a beginner to follow along. 

The only construction detail I did differently was that I squared off the front band at the hemline. The pattern calls for you to sew the front band to the kimono, then hem all the way around. I decided to fold the band right sides together at the hemline and sew till I met the printed fabric. Then clipped the corner and turned it right side out making a nice point. Then I sewed the hemline around the rest of the kimono. I did this because I thought it would drape nicely at the band and not have the chance of winging out. 

I loved the kimono so much that I'm making another! This time in a 4-ply silk from a NY designer. It's not available anymore, but if you were lucky enough to get a piece of it, you may want to try it for this too! I cut this one longer and used the self fabric for the band. While the silk kimono won't be as practical when I'm a mom, I can still wear it to work or out with hubby on a date night. Then quickly take off the jacket as soon as baby is with me! 

Speaking of baby -- he's growing every day and a very active little fellow! One more week till the 3rd trimester!

Have you sewn maternity clothes? Have any pattern suggestions for me?

Happy Sewing, 

Julie