Another Nursing Dress

Remember this black nursing dress, and this navy one? I decided a while back that I wanted to update the tutorial I made for that, for a few reasons: flippy ruffles, accidental exposure, and too much weight. In preparation for that, I've made another, which addresses two of those issues well enough.

  I'm actually not nursing right now, but I doubt I'll have a lot of sewing time after this baby arrives, so I wanted to finish this now!

  To get rid of the accidental exposure problem, I've changed the nursing cutout portion significantly, and after wearing the dress for a day I'm happy to report that there are no more issues in that regard!

  I swapped the full-circle skirt for a half-circle skirt, which means there's a bit less pulling on the bodice. I also like the way it hangs better- it's full without being overwhelming.

  I partially fixed the ruffle problem by lining the front crossover pieces, but I failed to apply the clear elastic I was planning on putting in the neckline, which means it still gapes and flips a bit. Not nearly so bad as my first two versions, and instead of a messy edge there's a neat lining, but I'll admit it's enough to bug me. I'm considering unpicking the waistband and adding the elastic retroactively.

  I added notched cuffs to the sleeves, but did them differently than before- I like the look of these better, and they are actually a bit easier to sew too.

  I'm not happy with the underbust pleats- I experimented and angled them, and they just look like wrinkles. It doesn't really help that the baby pushes the waistband up in the front though!

  I made some small alterations to my armscye too, and the back at least is a tad less wrinkly. I'm still not happy with it, but it is a tiny bit better than before.

  The skirt was an unexpected bit of happiness- I cut the half-circle so the skirt would stretch in the front, but still expected to do a lot of hem-leveling. I didn't have to! The stretch in the front was just enough to make it hang right over the belly! Of course, it will have to be leveled after the baby is born, but for now it's nice to have it even.

  The back bodice of this is lined to help support the skirt, and the skirt is lined to the knee. I love that the lining keeps the skirt from sticking to me!

  The fabric is from Girl Charlee, and is a pretty nice fabric. I do think the weight is less than is stated on the website- I'd say it's closer to 8oz. I love the color! Although my husband is of the opinion that this dress is far too much grey. And he may be right!

  Speaking of whom, thanks to my husband for taking all of these photos for me! =)

  I'm hoping to make another version of this dress without ruffles or pleats as well, but I don't know if I'll get it finished before the baby arrives in September. And in the meantime, I've finished a knit sweater for her, and am very, very close to finishing a quilt. (I just have hand-sew the binding to the last two edges of the quilt.) So I will be back soon! =)

Thanks for stopping by,