Sewing my Velvet Evening Gown (Maternity Friendly)…
Hello! I’m thrilled to share all the details of how I made my bump-friendly gown and coordinating accessories. Keep reading below to learn more!
The Event:
We RSVP’d to this ball very last-minute. We were about to move cross-country, we were having a baby soon, and I was a… fashion-limiting… size and shape. But some friends reached out to tell us it would mean a lot if we were there and my boss encouraged me to go as well for the social and networking aspects. It was all around the perfect opportunity to dress up and have a memorable night with our friends in Rhode Island. So, I decided with the short time frame and my specific needs, the best option was to sew myself a basic evening gown.
The Design:
My goal for this dress was to create something I would feel comfortable and confident in. It needed to provide me reliable coverage and security in the bust area (I went up four cup sizes and was not used to it yet) and stretch over the belly. I wanted either a muted blue or green tone velvet for the dress - something that was formal but not flashy. Because the fabric and lines would be simple, I chose to add interest to the design with a dramatic sleeve shape. Spotting the floral embroidered mesh at Joann Fabric helped me settle on a deep slate blue velvet fabric color.
The basic elements of my design are a twist top blouse with a fitted skirt, joined together at the waist, add bishop sleeves, then bring the skirt hem to the floor and flare it out at the bottom. There are many tutorials on how to make a maternity friendly pencil skirt, or if you are more comfortable you can buy an online pattern. Similarly, you can use any top that comes to your waistline or can be altered at the waist.
Since I wanted my top to be supportive, I chose a pattern meant for woven fabric. I then stabilized the back of the stretch velvet - this let me remove the stretch in the bodice fabric while keeping the look the same throughout the garment. I used Pellon ShapeFlex 101 to accomplish this, which is a woven interfacing. The links to all products are listed below; please note I don’t have affiliate links anywhere on my site.
Materials List:
As always, Chandler and I have fun coordinating our outfits. He already had the suit from our wedding (must recommend investing in a neutral suit! They are good for so many occasions. And you could - hypothetically - get fitted for a suit at the “manly warehouse” store and then bide your time for your brand and size to pop up on Poshmark or Mercari). I did add the following things to his wardrobe for a better fit: this Banana Republic dress shirt, bought on Poshmark at an 80% discount. I then made him a bowtie and used the following materials for it:
The Process:
See the drawings. It will make more sense!
Sew your bodice according to the instructions in that pattern. Stop once it comes time to attach the skirt. I used this pattern by June Pattern Studio but modified it significantly. The first change was the sleeves. I created a shape that would fit on my one yard of fabric by looking up images of “bishop sleeves.” The shape needs to be cut along the fold so there are no seams showing on your arms. To merge this into the June pattern, I created a casing for the elastic along the shoulder, attached it where the sleeve would have been, then sewed the arm and side seam. Then I sewed an elastic casing on the wrist, inserted the elastic, stitched the ends, and closed the casing.
For the skirt, think of it as a straight tube the diameter of your belly and the length from bust to the floor. If you’re a pregnant person, there is barely a waist between your widest belly measurement and your bust. So only four inches or so will taper toward your waist measurement. Mark where you want the flared skirt to begin (somewhere between the bottom of your bum to just below your knee). You’ll use that same measurement to create a shape like the one below. Sew one side to the skirt, then sew the other side and go all the way up to the small of your back.
To sew the bodice to the skirt, you’ll need to look at the shape under the bust. Hopefully it’s just an easy straight seam. Mine was curved so I had to accommodate for that by cutting a teardrop shape that lined up to the bust. Basting the skirt and bodice together before sewing will help you make sure it lays right.
Last step is to sew in a zipper into the back. Check on how your bodice’s instructions talk about the zipper installation. For my design, I sewed up the length of skirt, and when I got to the bodice I encased the zipper between the fabric and lining, then flipped it right side out. Lots of pins is the way to go!
Bow Tie & Classic Tie Pattern:
COMING SOON: I will have the following patterns available in my Etsy shop: Tall Guy Tie for men over 6’5 and Adjustable Bow Tie. Purchasing a pattern from me helps support future resources for this site. There are also many free patterns out there if you are just stopping by for inspiration; but you can still follow along with my YouTube videos here.
Total Expense:
I find it important to add these details because “on a budget” is a nonsense term that means wildly different things to people. Here is the exact cost of the items bought for the project:
$ 47.96 Grisaille Stretch Velvet Fabric - Dresblue (4 yards - used only 2 yards)
$ 23.99 3D Floral Embroidery Eclipse Mesh Fabric (1 yard)
$ 2.57 Dritz 1/4" Black Braided Elastic, 8 yd
$ 11.98 40Pcs 20 Inch Nylon Invisible Zippers (any of you need a zipper?)
$ 8.99 Metal Bow Tie Hardware Clip Set (it was a 50 pack!)
$95.49 TOTAL
Not bad for a last minute project! You could bring your budget up or down based on fabric type. And as you can see in the expense list, some of these things I won’t be buying for a LONG while. Please let me know in the comments if you have questions, ideas for your own version, or other thoughts!
