A little help please

I am currently in week 30 and don't want to create an entire Fall maternity wardwrobe but I do want to create a few nice pieces since there will be a couple of birthdays including my own and hopefully Thanksgiving before the baby gets here. I've been looking around for ideas (snoop shopping) and I found this dress I love.



Now I'm looking for a pattern I can morph into this or something very similar. Any ideas?

My 23 Week Bump

Here are pics of me wearing my latest version of M5893 featuring a preview of my current baby bump.



My knit dress doesn't exactly camouflage my bump like Katie's because you can definitely tell somethings growing under there but I do think it flows nicely and is uber comfortable.



I brought along this cropped white cardigan to wear in the air conditioned buildings.

McCalls 5893 or the 1 year 1 hour dress

Okay I exagerated a little. I started making this dress about 11 months ago right after finishing this version. Then I got distracted by other projects, plus this one is made from an ITY knit and I wasn't quite sure it would wear as nicely as the last one. Through out the months, I would pick it up and complete a step or two, pin this, stitch that until finally I decided to finish it because the other dress actually works well in my somewhat limited Summer maternity wardrobe. I guess better late than never.

Pattern Description: Empire waist dresses A, B, C, D have hemmed, scoop necklines, side seam pockets and elastic casing at waist; dresses A, C and D have hemmed armholes; dress A has contrast bodice and hem band; dress B has sleeves gathered to sleeve band.

Pattern Sizing: B5(8-10-12-14-16), RR(18W-20W-22W-24W)

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Mostly, I omitted the elastic at the waist. I don't need anything binding on my growing belly.

Were the instructions easy to follow? Instructions were super easy. I didn't really need them.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? I loved that this dress had pockets and that it went together so quickly (in theory at least).

Fabric Used: ITY Knit

Pattern Alterations or any design changes you made: I added two inches to the bodice length and one inch to the width to make sure I had full bust coverage. I had already re-drafted the pattern pieces the last time I made this so it made this part a breeze.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? I probably won't make this again since this is my second one but I would definitely recommend it. It's so comfortable.

Conclusion: This dress is confortable, easy to sew and can be used easily as a maternity dress with minimal adjustment and still work as a transitional garment after baby.

Finally . . . Great News!

Thanks to all of you who have kept me in your thoughts over the last few months. Back in April I was trying to recover from a MS exacerbation and just could not understand why I couldn't shake it. After lots of tests we got the results, I'M PREGNANT!!!! This is definitely great and welcomed if not shocking news since we had a miscarriage last year and had been trying unsuccessfully for almost a year after that. Then a new waiting game began, getting past the "dangerous" period which for me with all the health issues was a little longer than most. But we're finally over that and to top it off found out that we are having a GIRL (techinically my third but my first bio) and my feet have not touched the ground. I still haven't mustered up the energy to sew but I am definitely more relaxed and relieved.

Starting to feel a little better.

I can feel my energy starting to return and I know I'll be back to creating soon as I have recently began selecting patterns for my Summer sewing and placed a fabric order for my 10th anniversary dress. I haven't touched my machine though but I know it's coming. Thanks again for those who have reached out, I really appreciate it.

Checking In

Thanks to everybody for checking in on me. I'm still here, not feeling any better and just trying to do all I can to get rest and recover. I am daydreaming about a Mother's day dress which unless I can find something with no more than 2-3 pattern pieces, won't be happening, but a girl can dream can't she.

Planning but no sewing

It's been a while since I last posted but I'm still here. After having MS (multiple sclerosis) for half my life, one would think I'd figure out how to stay in front of it which actually I usually can do but this time, I can't seem to beat the fatigue which has me falling to sleep on the couch or when I go to cuddle with my boys at bedtime for a few minutes and waking up 4 hours later. So although I have three UFO's that I need to finish and a new pattern traced and altered and fabric pre-shrunk, I cannot seem to stay awake to do anything. I also have all the major components for my dedicated sewing area purchased (table, rolling task chair, Ott light (40% off at JoAnn's), I don't have the energy to put the space together. I haven't even been viewing the PR digests and keeping up with blog posts daily which is unheard of! Hopefully if I go to bed early for the next two nights, I'll have enough energy to make a simple top on Friday.