Ruched Maternity Top.

When I heard that Megan Nielsen, clothing designer and purveyor of awesome maternity patterns (including the Rie Dress, which I used to make a top a while back), was moving back to Australia and closing her shop for a month, I decided I better buy a couple more of her patterns before I was too pregnant to care about making my own maternity clothing anymore. I skated in right under the shop-closure deadline (in case you are in the market for maternity patterns, you can still buy her patterns through several retailers who carry them), and was pleased to receive a little package in the mail the other containing patterns for the Ruched Maternity T-Shirt and the Pina Dress. Exciting!

Not coincidentally, I had just bought a couple yards of a lovely green printed rayon knit that I found for only $8/yard at my favorite Berkeley hang-out, Stonemountain & Daughter. I know, I know, new fabric! I am so incorrigible! But in my defense, while I am practically buried in stashed wovens, I do not have much of a stash of knits, so ...

In order to justify these purchases, I wasted no time sewing up the Ruched T-Shirt for myself. After all, I have only ten to twelve more weeks in which to enjoy wearing maternity tops (to the extent one can "enjoy" wearing maternity clothing), so some hustle is required.

So. Wow. I love this pattern.

Right after this shot was taken, I headed off to work, not realizing my skirt was so wrinkled! Oh well.

It is so easy to sew up (especially now that I have conquered tricky rayon knits) and it fits like a dream! This is a size medium (based on my current bust size; I dare not measure my "waist" at this point), with zero changes or modifications. Perfect (with room for expansion). How often does that happen?

I have to say, I really love this knit, too, and I can't believe it was such a score. Finding lovely knits, especially printed knits, is not easy, especially when your tastes are as particular as mine! This stuff is soft, light, and diaphanous, although thankfully not as difficult to wrangle through a sewing machine as another rayon knit I've worked with. And I love this abstract green print - somehow, it helps makes this casual style seem a little more work-appropriate.

And here's a detail of the ruching along the side. This top is nice and long in the front, which means I still have quite a bit of room to expand before this top starts inching up over the big belly. What you can't see in this photo are the now very visible (and okay, slightly freaky if you're not used to such things) movements and kicks of the baby girl within! It has been party-central in there lately. Baby girl has been keeping me up at night with her gymnastics.

So now I'm torn: Part of me wants to make like four more of these, because this is just the best maternity top pattern ever. But part of me wants to move on to the Pina Dress, because that pattern looks awesome too! Both of these plans probably involve buying yet more fabric.

Luckily, I have arrived at a (temporary) solution: Do neither. Make a billion pairs of baby pants.

Stay tuned ...