Posts Tagged ‘maternity’

Sewing: 6 Ways to Wear Track Pants

April 30th, 2014
8 Comments

Pants are the first thing to become annoyingly uncomfortable to wear while pregnant. They’re too tight in the waist, they’re not flattering, they’re too saggy in the butt, the list goes on.

In the last few months, there are a few new pants trends that have really piqued my interest: harem pants, trouser pants and track pants. I’ve teamed up with Merrick to share with you 6 ways to style track pants. Click here to see how Merrick styled her pants.

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What are track pants, you ask? It’s a sporty pant that skims the body, not tight, but not too loose. Sometimes they have a tuxedo stripe down the side, but usually they cuff at the bottom. Think sweatpants, but awesome.

Most track pants are out of a woven material with an elastic waist. Sometimes with a drawstring. The waist appeals to me on multiple levels: I have yet to sew a real zip fly on a pant and stretchy elastic is all I want around my growing waist these days.

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The novelty of these pants is that you can dress them up for a little high-low contrast, or dress them down without being frumpy or trashy (*ahem* like those track pants you see with “juicy” along the butt. YIKES!).

I made this particular pair (there will be more to come) with a lightweight tie-dye jersey (here). The description says medium-lightweight, but this is a full-blown lightweight knit. If it weren’t in such a dark colorway, the fabric would likely be see-through. I liked the drape and the softness of the fabric, so I opted to use this for pants. It’s funny how similar the print and color are from my last pair of pants.

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I self-drafted the pattern based off of the leggings block I made at Sewing Summit last year. I added a side seam and added 3.75 inches of ease to the pattern for a looser fit. I suspect that amount of ease will be perfect for a pair of woven pants as well. I didn’t do too much to the pattern beyond that, but I plan on drafting up pockets and possibly a tuxedo stripe in the future. The possibilities with this leggings block are endless!

The pattern was easy to sew, but the fabric was a little bit of a beast to work with. Cutting took forever and matching up the print on the seams was impossible. Big bummer, but they still turned out great. They’re my new favorite pants now!

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With Utah weather being indecisive, I decided to show you three ways that I have styled these pants to accommodate the changing temperatures. Last week we spent time in 90º, 70º and 50º weather. Seriously, a huge swing! But I’m convinced these light-weight pants are the perfect transitional wardrobe item for PMS-ing spring weather.

So here’s my unsolicited, expert* advice on how to wear the track pant through spring:

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Hot Spring Days

For hot spring days, I’ve added a lightweight woven tee, a sunhat and some strappy heels. Roll up the hem to show a little extra skin. This shirt isn’t as loose as it was when I first made it; but a loose or boxy top would work really well. If you’re afraid of looking shapeless, add a structured blazer. However, if you’re wearing a top in a light enough woven with lots of drape there’s no need to add any structure at all.

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Outfit Details:

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Warm Spring Days

When the weather is nice, but there’s just a little chill in the breeze, I add a light blazer. Here I paired it with a fitted v-neck tee, a boxy blazer and a chunky heel.

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Rolling up the sleeves of the blazer gives it a springier feel and keeps the boxy blazer from taking over the frame. The heel balances out the baby bump up top.

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Outfit Details:

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Cool Spring Days

Is it just me or do cooler days warrant a flat? I rarely feel like wearing heels in the middle of the winter. Perhaps it’s because of the snow, but likely because most of my heels are open-toed. Either way, my cozy day go-to is flats. The t-strap flat is dressy while still being low-key. The patent really makes these particular shoes awesome, in my opinion. I’ve paired the pants with a chunky knit sweater (interestingly enough this fits me better now that I’m pregnant because of the longer front) and a denim jacket.

Wearing a monochrome palette has been one of my favorite things lately. Mixing texture and textiles in the same color family adds depth and dimension.

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The other day, it was threatening to snow, so I sported my ankle booties with these pants. They worked, but I think a slightly lower boot shaft would have been ideal. A little bit of ankle peeking through is key with the pant, in my opinion.

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Outfit details:

So, will you be hopping on the track pant trend any time soon? You won’t regret it. They’re crazy comfortable!

Check out Merrick’s Art for how she styled her track pants!

* I am no fashion expert. I’m sure in some circles I’m viewed as a total wannabe. But I’m happy to share my opinions about style all day long.

Sewing: Maternity Raglan Circle Tee

April 10th, 2014
33 Comments

YUP! Another baby bump!

We’re so thrilled to announce that we will be welcoming Esplin #3 into the world the beginning of October. The news wasn’t completely real until I heard the heartbeat last week (at 14 weeks!). That first listen to the heartbeat gets me so choked up every time.

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All the discomfort and nausea is for something. Although, I must confess this time around has been much easier than with Felix or Penelope. As long as I’m consuming a steady stream of soda water, gummy bears and pot stickers; I seem to be just fine. It’s mostly been my energy and focus levels. They’ve been at an all-time low lately. I’ve been working on clearing my plate of extra work, slowly but surely that’s happening (as you can tell with the lack of posts here).

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Penelope is thrilled with the news. She’s hoping for a girl. And secretly, we all are. We only have a girl name and girl clothes! Felix destroyed all of his clothes, so we’d have to start completely from scratch if we had a boy. I don’t know why, but my heart has been set on a girl from the beginning. We’re happy with a baby, boy or girl. But I still want a girl. ;)

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I’m about 15 weeks along and quickly starting to show. I’m at this awkward point where I still fit in my old clothes, but I feel like if I wear anything too form-fitting; I’ll look like I ate a giant burrito, not pregnant. That’s pretty much what I’m thinking all the time. Can we blame those crazy thoughts on hormones?

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Besides that, I’ve been thinking and sewing up various pieces that I feel may be versatile during and after pregnancy. I don’t want pieces that make me look like a giant tent; but things that I can wear alone, with a belt or a blazer and feel perfectly comfortable in my own skin.

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Inspired by this look, I used the base of Hey June’s Raglan tee, did a little slash and spread (I use the same technique in the maxi wrap tutorial) and lengthened the hemline by about 7-8 inches and created a slight high-low curve to the base.

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The funny thing about this fabric is that it seems to stretch vertically as the day wears on. I steamed the shirt not long after and instantly added 4 inches to the hemline! Strange, right? I’m thinking this hemline will work for now, but I won’t know for sure until after I have washed and dried the garment for the first time. I’m tempted to keep the longer hemline because my belly is only going to grow 10 fold, too.

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Adjusting the pattern of this top took about 20 minutes and sewing up the top took just under an hour. I used a slightly different method for hemming the sleeve and neckline. instead of sewing the bands with folded side out, I sewed them with the raw edges out. So the top is finished with all raw edges, but it looks more finished than if I had just left it as is. Given the pattern on the shirt, this detail is incredibly subtle, not something that the camera could pick up really well.

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I’ve got Penelope to thank for pictures today. She was such a doll, beaming with excitement to help me in the studio. It’s fun to have my own little assistant in-house!

Outfit details:

  • glasses: c/o Coastal.com (use code SAC1PE6T for 25% off)
  • necklace: c/o Cambria Cove
  • earrings: etsy
  • bracelet: THP Shop
  • skinnies: Forever 21
  • shoes: Forever 21

Style: Refashioned Reversible Top

May 21st, 2012
9 Comments

I’m so excited to see how my reversible maternity top in action! Isn’t Krista an adorable pregnant girl?

See more details of her outfit and the fit on Krista’s blog, Lazy Saturdays. This refashioning swap was loads of fun, and I’m so excited to see how everything fits. Below is the schedule for these posts:

Refashion: Reversible Maternity Top

May 17th, 2012
40 Comments

Several months ago, I was asked to see if I was interested in participating in a refashion swap between 10 bloggers. There was no question if I was game or not. OF COURSE I’m game! The idea being that we all took a button up shirt and refashioned something for someone else with it. Here’s my shirt before. It was one of Chris’s old shirts, too small for him now, but I was too nostalgic about it to let go of it. It was one of the shirts he wore often when we were only dating!

I was assigned to sew something for Krista of Lazy Saturdays. She’s currently 30 weeks along, so I wanted to make something maternity-friendly. Then I got to thinking, why not make it both maternity and post-partum friendly?

After seeing a really cool mom at the park, sporting a rad top with a cape-like top (the very top that inspired Penelope’s refashioned top), a lightbulb struck. It looks cool with the extra fabric in back, but that extra fabric would be useful in the front for a pregnant gal.

The maternity side is color blocked in front and longer in front to accomodate a growing belly.

The nursing side has a flat front and flowy back, perfect for hiding bulges. The button-front allow for easy nursing access.

I’m pretty excited about this top, I sure hope it fits Krista! Be sure to check out the other participating bloggers’ projects:

Grainline Studio • Lazy Saturdays • Cotton & Curls • Megan Nielsen Designs • One Little Minute • MadMim • See Kate Sew • A Fashionable Stitch • Adventures in Dressmaking

More after the jump on how to make this reversible top.

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Cheater, Cheater

September 14th, 2011
28 Comments

It’s been a good year since I last fit into my favorite skinnies, but I’m getting SO CLOSE! Here are the facts: I can put them on, but I can’t button them up without a seriously uncomfortable muffin top. That’s not putting me down, though. I just remedied that.

With two minutes, my sewing machine & 3 1/2 inches of bias tape, I can wear my skinnies again. They just button in a different loop. I was getting really annoyed with scouring the house for a sturdy-enough rubber band or dealing with the muffin top that I did this.

Just take 3-4 inches of bias tape (1/2 inch, double fold) & sew a loop onto the edge of your waistband, adjacent to the button hole. You’ll want to pin the same side of each end onto the denim so it creates the kind of loop pictured above. Sew & wear! Time yourself. I betcha you can do this in less than 1 minute.

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