Life moves quickly and things are always changing. One thing I can always count on though is the consistency of my bitching. 95% of my blog posts start by me complaining that I need more work clothes. It's true. I do need work clothes, but sewing dresses is just so much more fun! However, time waits for no (wo)man and this baby bump sure isn't waiting, either. Little lemon keeps growing like crazy! 23 Weeks the date we took these pics! (9/5) We actually SAW her kick last night for the first time! How exciting. :)

All this leads me to this exciting news. I finished 6 new pieces for my maternity capsule! I still have 2 more tops planned, but SIX whole pieces of work appropriate, maternity appropriate, nursing appropriate clothing! You don't even have to congratulate me, I am already high-fiving myself.

This mini capsule includes:

2 Cardigans

3 Tops

3 Skirts

with at least 2 more tops planned.

I did use a lot of pink, but the fabrics I have planned for the extra tops are navy and wine colored which I think will look great with the floral skirt!

Let's jump right in! I didn't photograph every piece with every other piece but they all go together pretty seamlessly.

(Also, can we all forget about the sun drags on these pics and just be happy that our husband took these photos for us when we all know he'd rather be in the garage playing pool? Stop being an ungrateful turd.) (That was strictly a note to myself. LOL)

First up and my favorite combo of all!

Top: New Horizons Designs Cascade Tee. Sleeveless. Size 4. 

Fabric: Peach Modal from Surge Fabric.

Skirt: Megan Nielsen Erin Maternity Skirt. Version 3. Size S at waist blended to XS for hips. 

Fabric: Black Ponte from Surge Fabric.

Heads up to the other pregnant ladies, MODAL IS THE SHIZ. Two reasons. Reason one: It keeps you cool like rayon spandex but without stretching, wrinkling, shrinking, and pilling that can can come with rayon spandex. Two: It is soft and dreamy not isn't see-through! The main reason I love it is it doesn't pill on me like rayon does. Give it a shot. Surge Fabric carries a wide verity of colors in Modal.  Hot Tip: Don't iron modal fabric with a hot, hot iron, it will leave imprints and give the garment a subtle pressed look all the time. Please don't be me (lazy) and forget a pressing cloth. It is your friend.

Next up is this cute cardigan add in. The skirt is the same skirt as above!

Top: Halla Madeleine Cowl Neck Top. I blogged about this top here.

Fabric: Melody Floral on Coral Ity from Surge Fabric.

Cardigan: Helen's Closet Blackwood Cardigan. Size S at bust and waist blended to M at hips. I also shortened the arms by three whole inches. I never knew how short my arms were. (Shrug)

Fabric: Onyx Brushed Sweater Knit from Surge Fabric.

I really love this cardigan. The pockets are perfect for my phone and there are no buttons which makes it quick and super maternity friendly because it doesn't look like it *Should* be buttoned. It's just loose and lets your belly grow. :) The Onyx brushed sweater knit from Surge is unlike any fabric I've tried before. It really is *brushed* on one side and doesn't feel sweatery on the inside. Somehow it's still cozy af though. It will be really nice when I'm wearing a long sleeve because the smooth interior won't move the undershirt and stick to it.

Last outfit with this awesome skirt!

Top: Itch to Stitch Brasov Wrap Top. Blogged here.

Side note: Surge Ponte is the BEST way to feel professional but also feel comfortable. This is the closest I can get to "jammies at work." and I'm loving it.



This has to be my second favorite outfit. I've gotten so many compliments on this wearing it out! It just look really fun and flirty to me but still passing as professional. Gah. My maternity clothes are cuter than my normal wardrobe. (It's good though, I need an extra confidence boost as I grow in strange places and feel uncomfortable almost 98.99% of the time.)

Skirt: Megan Nielsen Erin Maternity Skirt. Version 1. Size S at waist blended to XS for hips.
Fabric: Coral and Navy Floral Scuba from Surge Fabric.

 Yes, I am aware the pic on the left is a little weird. Let's not talk about it. I included it because I love the contrasting stripes on the cardigan and that was the best view I had of it! This again is the Blackwood Cardigan by Helen's Closet. This was my first rendition and as you can see the sleeves are far too long. I shorted the black version by 3" in the arms. That is why I love sewing! This fabric was purchased black Friday of last year from a different shop. I'll blog about it eventually. Any sweater knit is great for this pattern. :) Also, no real need to blend sizes in this pattern like I did, straight small would have been fine because there are no closures.

 Side note for Scuba: The MN Erin skirt pattern says scuba is a fine choice but recommends 4 way stretch. This fabric only has two way but it is just too pretty to pass on so I made it work! It is actually still pretty comfy, if you decide to use a fabric with 2 way, I would recommend adding a back vent, though. The ponte is definitely easier to move it. I have worn it to work and will continue to do so though!

My final piece!

Skirt: Sinclair Amaya. Size 4.

Fabric: Charcoal Ponte from Surge Fabric.

I made a size 4 for this pattern and I had to take a TON in on the sides. I guess better too much than not enough, but it was a lot. I will size down for the next one. The Amaya Skirt works surprisingly well for maternity for not being a maternity piece! I don't think I'll be able to wear it into my 3rd trimester, but I didn't plan it as a maternity specific piece to begin with, so I'm perfectly fine with that. :)

Phew! I don't know if I spent more time typing or sewing. I hope this gives some of you mom's-to-be some inspiration for your maternity wardrobe. This, for me, is just a starting point that I'm going to continue to add to. I have been working really hard on sewing things that I can wear during and after pregnancy and so far all these pieces except the two Megan Nielsen skirts are not intended for maternity but are working great! Most of the tops that I have sewn and have planned are good for nursing as well. I love, love how they all work together. It takes a lot of the "planning" out of what to wear in the morning. Capsules FTW.

Thanks for reading to the end! I hope you'll check out these awesome designers as well as Surge Fabric Shop and join their Facebook group for all the updates on sales and new stockings!

No affiliate links are used in this blog post. I do, however, receive a discount for helping to promote Surge Fabric Shop.

Mmm. I loved the late morning brunches on Saturdays when Nick and I would head out to Goodness Gracious Cafe - a house-like restaurant built probably in the 40's with large panel windows, lots of sunlight, and notably unexceptional coffee. We'd get there about eleven and find a seat at a small corner table in one of the three dining rooms. I'd usually order a veggie crepe, and a hot cup of coffee to hug while we waited for the food to be delivered. If we were feeling something sweet we'd finish the meal with some decadent strawberries with cream cheese filling. It was a treat to begin the weekend. :)

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 Have you guessed the theme of my contribution to the blog tour? Yep! Brunch (with the girls.)

In a way, the personal theme of this post is "Firsts." This is my first blog tour! When I saw my friend Katy from Wild and Wanderful was co-hosting a blog tour, I knew I wanted to participate! Fun thing, this is her first time hosting as well! Then, this is my first time sewing a true basic, and my first time sewing an entire outfit, my first Papercut pattern and my first successful Megan Nielsen pattern! 

So much winning. Let's jump in. 

This tour is all about fashion and sewing. All the participants chose prompts and the challenge was to create an outfit to wear to that event. 

I don't really DO anything. So when I do go out, I always take the chance to dress up. :) and I don't always take a million pictures, but when I feel this fabulous, I do. I totally do.

For my brunch outfit, I sewed up two pieces, the Copellia from Papercut Patterns, and Tania from Megan Nielsen. It was so good to sew up both of these patterns. I've had them for ages but just hadn't taken the time - let me tell you, after cutting, "the time" was only 4.5 hours. I could hardly believe it. These were both so quickly sewn and I had a new outfit in a jif. (People do still say jif. >> )

Let's start with the Copellia Cardi. I chose the longer, faux wrap version. It actually does wrap, but it's just sewn in place. I got the fabric from Sincerely Rylee fabrics. She does mystery box sweater knits and I got this soft, dreamy red in my mystery box. It's a very lightweight sweater knit and I'm in love. It has a ton on stretch and was pretty flimsy, but it works great with this drapey style of cardigan. 

The sleeves are raglan style and it has cuffs at the wrist and waist. I sewed a size XS which was a size down because the fabric was incredibly stretchy. I wanted to put some clear elastic in the shoulders to keep the seams intact, but since the weight falls on top of the shoulder and the seams are on the front and back, I didn't find it necessary. Since I sized down, it's a little tight at the bottom and it rides up a little, but nothing that will keep me from wearing it. (Translation: Nothing will keep me from wearing it. haha)

The sweater actually does lay flat, but the bulk of the waist seam on the skirt creates a little lump. I ended up pairing this with a belt because I had originally intended to tuck the shirt in, but that just looked frumpy. All in all, I really look rectangle - but I love it anyway. :)

Here is a more casual take on the cardigan. This is honestly how I'll wear it most of the time. SO COMFY. I'm honestly too proud of this. It looks so RTW. People will probably think it's too slouchy, but I'm blinded by motherly love. I love you, my sewing project baby.

This is Tania from Megan Nielsen. Based on my measurements I sewed a blend of the XS and S. I did make a few mods to the pattern. I used knit fabric so instead of doing a zipper, I did an elastic waist. I had to change around a few steps but basically I just sewed both sides of the skirt up and then sewed both the front and back of the waistband together and sandwiched the elastic in-between the waistband and sewed the waist to the skirt.

I have to "think thin" on my butt while I'm putting it on because the knit has exactly about 0% stretch... but all in all I only popped a few basting stitches - so all is well.

Oh. I have a secret for you. 

Surprise! They're actually SHORTSSSSS! It's a SHORTZSUIT! (not really, but watch this video because it will make you laugh. It's totally worth the 40 seconds.)

I haven't hemmed these yet. I probably will. 2:30am isn't my favorite time to hem, so it being knit I just skipped it for the time being. I will hem it though, I think it will keep the edges nice and flat. I'm going to keep telling myself that I'll hem it. I'll hem it. I totally will.

I took this picture to demonstrate how much freedom one has while wearing these culottes. Really I took it for my best friend, mostly because we just do weird shit like this. So, friends - don't be mislead into thinking I'm anything that I'm not. This is who I really am. :D

But sometimes I can look like this. So it evens out I guess.

I do feel pretty fabulous in this outfit. Maybe a little more "career" than I intended, but fabulous none the less.

I completely enjoyed this experience. Though I may say I'd be a little more inclined to pair this sweater with jeans rather than the culottes. Maybe for a cozy, coffee date I would wear the outfit as a whole. I'm totally stoked to have sewn a "basic" piece and really excited to sew up more. I can definitely see that it will get a ton of use. 

Guess what? Did you read my crazy long post? Good for you cause there is a giveaway down here and you don't want to miss it. :D Read those details below and check out the rest of the bloggers participating for this and the following week. ^^

P.S. Thanks to my sister for taking these photos! And for letting me borrow the earrings you made. <3

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Be sure to head over to Wild+Wanderful or Gardening in High Heels to check out the other brilliant bloggers, sewists and stylistas on the tour, as well as be able to link up your own looks and show us what you would Wear to Where!
Now let's talk giveaway prizes for this tour!!
For the sewists: Choice of 3 patterns from Cole's Creations, Choice of 3 patterns from Made for Mermaids, Pattern of choice from Patterns for Pirates, Pattern of choice from Scientific Seamstress, Sewing-tee of choice from Sewing Stadium, Pattern of choice from Simple Life Pattern Co, Pattern of choice from StitchArt
For the Fashionistas: Set of 6 cards from Designs by Nicolina, 30 minute Social Media/Copy Consult by Gardening in High Heels, Tee of choice from Handmade Escapade, $20 Store Credit from Jenny Penny Designs, Tumbler from Joy+Tren
A big thanks to our amazing sponsors!
Cole's Creations | Designs by Nicolina | Gardening in High Heels
Handmade Escapade | Jenny Penny Designs | Joy+Tren
Made for Mermaids | Patterns for Pirates | Scientific Seamstress
Sewing Stadium | Simple Life Pattern Co | Stitch Art
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