This summer dress sewing pattern is inspired by a boho dress I saw on Free People. At full price, I think the dress costs close to $150 to buy, so I’m happy to be able to share this budget friendly version!
I’m visiting over at DIY Maternity by Megan Nielsen Patterns to share this easy sewing tutorial for a cute tunic top. The long, loose design is suitable to wear before, during and after pregnancy.
The sewing pattern is by Nani IRO, the Japanese fabric brand which make the most fabulous prints. You might have seen on the Sew in Love Instagram I posted a photo of the bright yellow fabric I bought! Nani IRO have lots of free sewing patterns on their website, but it’s all in Japanese and all in one size. Check out this blog post to understand and convert Japanese clothing size to Western sizes.
I’ve translated this tunic top pattern into English and put together a step-by-step tutorial with photos, so please visit DIY Maternity to see it all in action.
More maternity sewing ideas? Check out my maternity and nursing friendly babydoll top.
I’m 39 weeks now so I look HUGE in these photos, haha. I’m ready to meet the baby!
THIS GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED
I saw the Japanese version of Stylish Party Dresses in Tokyo earlier this year, so I’m so excited to get my hands on the newly released English version! Tuttle Publishing has kindly offered a copy to give away to a Sew in Love reader, so keep reading for information on how to enter the competition.
With 26 designs to choose from, having this one book covers you for any special occasion you have coming up. The author, Yoshiko Tsukiori has done it again with simple, minimalist designs which put the fabric in the spotlight.
Tsukiori is also the author of the popular Stylish Dress Book series. Check out the silk dress and smock dress I made from her books.
Book Review
I share a few of my favourite designs from Stylish Party Dresses over on the Sew in Love YouTube channel.
The Prizes
The lucky winner will receive a copy of Stylish Party Dresses as well as my ebook, How to Sew Japanese Sewing Patterns. My ebook explains Japanese sizing and the entire sewing process of Japanese patterns, so it will help you succeed with sewing the designs in Stylish Party Dresses. You can download a free sample of my ebook by clicking on the banner below!
How to Win (ends 13 September 2015)
Please note: This give away is open to US and Canadian residents only due to shipping costs. Sorry!
To enter to win Stylish Party Dresses and my ebook, leave a comment below answering these TWO questions:
- Do you live in US or Canada?
- What is your favourite dress shape to wear?
For example, my answer would be “I live in the US and my favourite dress shape is a straight shift dress”.
Winner will be chosen based on creativity and originality.
Thank you to Tuttle Publishing for sponsoring this giveaway. Good luck everyone!
At 30 weeks pregnant, I’m quickly running out of clothes to wear. I wanted to sew something, but it needed to be wearable beyond pregnancy – that’s why I’ve gone for a design with nursing access!
The Sewing Pattern
This cute maternity and nursing top in a babydoll shape is from a Japanese sewing pattern book, Summer Clothes in One Day. It actually took me two days to finish. First day to cut the pattern, second day for sewing.
The original pattern uses lace ribbon at the chest, which looks a bit too girly for my liking, so I left that out. I also finished the armholes so that the bias binding is visible. I think the blue bias binding creates a nice contrast to the brown batik fabric.
The Fabric
I had this chambray style gauze sitting in my fabric stash, but not quite enough to make the entire top. So I pulled out a remnant of Indonesian batik fabric, left over from my batik harem pants to make the front bodice. Gauze is wonderful to wear – I highly recommend it for summer attire.
It was a rare, hot day in San Francisco today, so I wore this top to the farmer’s markets. The cut and fabric of the top is nice a breezy and kept me cool as we walked up the notorious hills of San Francisco. I do think the bodice is loose enough to be able to nurse in this top once our little baby arrives!
Can’t believe I am already at 30 weeks. Only 2 months to go! It’s funny to see these pictures, I think my face is getting a bit more plump thanks to the pregnancy weight gain.
I was sadly away from my sewing machine for the past 3 months because I had to move away from San Francisco for work. In that time, I crocheted my heart away and tried out lots of free baby crochet patterns. Here’s what worked for me despite me being a complete beginner at crochet (and I’m not exactly an expert knitter either)!
Baby hat you can crochet while you drink a cup of tea
This baby hat is so easy, you can finish it along with your daily cup of tea! It really doesn’t require much yarn, so if you have random bits of wool left over from other projects, I highly recommend you check out this YouTube tutorial by HappyBerry Crochet. I made a matching hat and cardigan set (below) using multi-coloured blue/mint/yellow yarn:
Easiest baby cardigan knitting pattern ever – no seams required!
I was so happy to find this v-neck baby cardigan knitting pattern by Free Knitting Patterns. I think we all agree that sewing seams together is a real pain point when it comes to knitting. This very simple pattern is worked in one piece and the only sewing you need to do is for the arms. I added floral ceramic buttons by Fulton & Co to finish it off.
The crochet baby blanket for absolute beginners
I showed you this baby blanket last month, made watching a YouTube video. This video basically taught me how to crochet. It makes a great first project if you’re new to crochet, because it makes you practice all those single and double crochet stitches! My version uses three colours in a colour block pattern.
The “I still can’t believe I made this” baby hooded cardigan
Definitely the most advanced of the projects listed here, but still completely achievable by beginners. I’m very pleased with how this baby hooded cardigan turned out. I omitted the contrasting outline and the tie around the neck. Instead, I just added a cute yellow button, making a button loop with a series of chains. There was one tricky part which was the bit where you start the arms, but other than that, I think this pattern looks pretty impressive for how easy it is!
