Pina Dress.

There are several ways to cope with sewing failure. One is to throw the crappy item into a closet and take a couple days' (hopefully not years') break from sewing. Another is to immediately start a new project, in the hopes of quickly replacing bad sewing memories with good ones.

After my struggles with the ring sling, I seriously considered the former, but opted to try the latter instead. After all, I've been on a major sewing roll lately, and without a project in the works, I'm not quite sure what to do with myself on a weekend.

So yesterday, I cut out and sewed Megan Nielsen's Pina Dress in a coral cotton knit that I got at deep discount because of some sun-fading (which ended up being pretty difficult to work around, so I guess you get what you pay for).

31 weeks!

So here it is! Let's talk about the great things first: This is a really cute pattern, pretty easy to put together, and makes a great nursing top/dress to wear over a nursing tank. This bright coral I chose/dug out of the bargain bin is a bit more saturated than the colors I usually wear, but I like it!


Okay, now the nitpicking. It's a little too small! Especially in the bust, but it's also a bit snug in the belly. I cut this out in a size Medium, which was perfect for the Ruched Maternity Tee, but for this dress, I clearly need a size Large to accommodate my currently ... ahem, abundant state.

Because, uh, I'm not going to be getting any smaller over the next nine to eleven weeks.

Squinting at the beautiful sunlight! In another couple of weeks, this will officially be too small.

And because it's so snug, it's also not the most flattering piece of clothing I have worn. This thin jersey is a bit sheer and clings in all of the wrong places. Without going into too much detail, we're talking VPL City from behind. Not cool. Definitely not work-appropriate.

The good news is that my current state is a temporary one. This will probably fit better after I have this baby. I know my nursing tanks will! And who knows - without the giant belly, the skirt may skim my curves rather than clinging to every little thing.

Right now, I think this would probably be more flattering as a top, rather than a dress. But I haven't given up on it as a nursing dress, so I am loathe to lop off a foot and a half to make a top that will only fit me for a few weeks longer look better in the short term. So I may just wear it as a nightie for now. That sounds like an admission of failure, but actually, this is a really cute, cheerful, colorful, and comfortable maternity nightie, and it will make an excellent nursing-friendly nightie - the kind of thing I practically lived in during my early postpartum period after Joe was born. A decent nursing nightie is practically a wardrobe staple for the new mom.

If I make this again (and I might! especially as a nursing dress, rather than a maternity dress), I will definitely size it up, especially in the bust (which is also, ahem, not going to be getting any smaller over the next couple of months), and use a heavier knit that won't show every lump and bump.

Meanwhile, I've already cut out another Ruched Maternity Tee using this coral knit (I'm getting a workout trying to salvage this faded yardage, for sure!). The lightweight knit will be perfect for a t-shirt, and I know that the style flatters me right now.

With that, I'll leave you with the most epic dining room train track set-up ever. Harpal and Joe worked on this yesterday, and I've been stepping around it for two days, because it is just that cool. Special thanks goes to my mom, who found Joe a huge box of track at a yard sale and gave it to him for his birthday. I'll probably never be able to walk across my house in a straight line again, but Joe is seriously loving his gift.

Tunnels, bridges, and loops: These are a few of Joe's favorite things.