Hey friends! Today I want to talk about a handful of patterns from Ellie And Mac that are great for a maternity wardrobe, with no adjustments necessary! Now when I say "no adjustments", I mean you don’t have to make pattern alterations, but you do still want to sew to the size that you measure into at your current stage in pregnancy! However, many patterns like peplum style dresses, can last through most, if not all of your pregnancy! Other sews, like leggings, you may want to make a pair for mid-pregnancy and another pair of the end of your pregnancy, depending on how you carry. So that you can see the pattern details, I've included the line drawings of the patterns in this post. I personally find that line drawings give me a better idea of the shapes and features of a pattern, which may otherwise be hidden in "real life" photos by busy fabric, angles the model is standing at, etc.
One of the most popular patterns for maternity is the Tres Belle dress, it is a peplum style so it is great for extra fabric around the bump, and can be dressed up or dressed down. A lot of people like to use this dress for maternity photo shoots in fun floral fabrics, and the crossover style is also great for being able to easily nurse in it afterwards. This is a great draft to make a few months into pregnancy to accommodate for a potential change in bust five during pregnancy and after.
Another favorite of mine is the Urban Legs leggings pattern, which you definitely want to take your current measurements before making as they will very likely have changed from your non-maternity size! I typically make mine in double brushed poly fabric, which is super stretchy and likely to last further along through your pregnancy. DBP is not super breathable though, so you may want to think about other high-recovery knits like cotton lycra in the summer months. You can also fold the waistband over if you prefer an under bump style! I live in leggings while pregnant so these are definitely in heavy rotation!
The Every Day Tee is another wardrobe staple. There is some ease in this pattern around the waist, so it works great for being able to stretch over the bump as time goes along. I recommend a rayon spandex fabric for this sew, which doesn’t have as much recovery but does stretch really nicely over the bump!
The Tulip Dress is one of my faves for a really trendy look during pregnancy. You see this style all over Pinterest when looking for cute maternity clothes, and I love this pattern is so cross-seasonal so depending on how you stylet, you can wear it anytime of year. It looks really cute both with the double front layer ruching per the pattern, or I just using a single layer in the front and skipping the ruching on the side for a bodycon style. For this one, I do like to grade out one size at the tummy together a bit of extra room for growing, since it is quite a fitted dress.
Of course the Oversized Tee is a great option, both for fitting throughout your pregnancy and for nursing after! I love baggier tees for nursing so I have to struggle less to get around the fabric of my outfit, so this is another so that will last you well past pregnancy.
The 90's Dress is another green dress pattern if you’re looking for something a little fancier, and is well-suited to Pregnancy as the front under bust seam is actually curved, so it’s nice for sitting up over a baby bump! Combine that with gathered skirt and you have a dress that can last you throughout your whole pregnancy.
Lastly of course is a cardigan, which is a definite must for maternity outfits! Really any cardigan can do, given the open fit. Sizing is usually fairly generous on cardigans, so you don’t have to worry about unless you want to do more relaxed fit. I really like the Chapman Cardigan pattern for a classic look, but any of our cardigan patterns will fit the bill!
I love to pattern hack for making non-maternity patterns into maternity patterns (if you don't believe me, see all of my maternity hacks or and many other hacks on our youtube channel!), but sometimes it’s nice to not have to make any alterations. You can also look in our Facebook group and search the term “maternity” or “pregnancy” for some great examples of sews that people in our community have made! It’s an awesome way to find inspiration! I hope this post was helpful for you as you sew for your maternity wardrobe, thanks for hanging out with me today!
