Denim maternity skirt

The ‘it looks bigger in real life’ bump shot.

Err… just so you can see the waistband – ‘cuse the bare belly. 

The ‘in ya face’ shot.

A rapidly expanding belly and rapidly diminishing wardrobe means some sewing is in order. This is possibly one of the few times I can honestly say that I have nothing to wear! Things that fit just two weeks ago would now be embarrassing to leave the house in. And there is no way that pregnancy is going to be a reason for me to look shabby if I can help it.

Thinking that a denim skirt with stretchy waistband would be a perfect basic, and thinking that it would be easy to buy I went to a couple of maternity wear shops. Hmmmm… not very impressed. Perhaps sewing has spoit me but I thought the ones I saw were over priced, low quality, and looked pretty dreadful on me. And like I said, pregnancy will not have me looking shabby.

This skirt turned out to be easier to draft, fit, and sew than I expected. Phew! I have already made the Grainline, Moss skirt three times and thought it would make a good base to alter. A few minutes in the change room with the ready to wear versions showed me the general principles of design and fit for maternity straight skirts. I modified the original pattern by chopping down the waist and adding a curve to the front, then leaving off the fly and zip at the front. And, er, um, adding a bit of width in the hips – sigh. Wanting a traditional denim skirt the pockets need to be changed to a curved style and back pockets drafted. Making a toile helped reassure me that I would be able pull it on without the zip. The pockets are real but the fly is fake. If I make this again I won’t bother with the tiny yoke at the back as it just looks silly being so small.

This skirt comes together pretty easily, assemble the front and back, then put them together and check fit at the side seams. The most difficult part was the top stitching. I used proper top stitching thread which is really thick so difficult for the machine to handle. Being so visible I wanted it neat so ended up pulling it out and starting again several times, and still there are wobbles. I just copied my jeans to work out where all the stitching goes.

The waistband is just a straight piece of cotton knit slightly smaller than the waist line. It is folded over and overlocked to the waist line. The denim in really light weight and very stretchy.

I wore this to work tonight and the verdict is that it’s a winner. It was so comfy and I liked the look. I have been avoiding wearing tight tops and fitted skirts as I was trying to hide my changing shape but now that most people know I’m pregnant I’m feeling more confident to wear my usual style – bumps and all.