Making My Dream Maternity/Nursing Friendly Dress

Hi! I am writing this blog post to you 40 weeks + 6 days pregnant. Yup! We are expecting baby #2 any day now. I thought before the baby comes I can try and squeeze one blog post before I go into a newborn bubble. I would like to share the latest project I have been working on and it’s this absolutely adorable dress I made! Instead of doing things like “nesting” I wanted to make myself a little postpartum gift. I wanted a dress that I could feel so lovely in while in the healing and adjustment stage of postpartum life.

V Neck Button Down Dress

Backstory:

For my first son, during the postpartum season I had tore pretty badly and it made me not want to wear any pants for a few weeks. I only wore this one burgundy button up night gown to accommodate for the adult diaper/ padsicles I had to wear. I felt so sore. By week 2 of wearing it night and day I was so sick of my night gown but I literally had nothing else that was a comfy, nursing friendly dress. While it was a tried and true work horse dress (which I still plan on using this time around), I would like to have options. In comes my idea to sew my own…

Dream Postpartum Dress Criteria: 

• Need to be able to whip a boob out at any given moment (aka breast feeding friendly)

• Deep pockets to hold binkies, bottles, hotwheels cars and my phone whilst holding a baby/ chasing my toddler

• Needs to be swishy

• Needs to be comfy

• Needs to vent body heat (if you’ve ever been baby nap trapped you know how hot it can get having a little body sleeping on you)

• Made of natural fibres 

  
  

Materials/ Guides: 

Because this was a bit of an experiment I didn’t want to use expensive materials in case it didn’t turn out. 

After much etsy perusing/ pinterest surfing/ thrift store browsing here is what I used: 

• Thrifted green striped cotton bedsheet for $7

• Thrifted white button pack $3

• Matching thread

• Interfacing (0.5 m)

• Nora Tank Pattern by Sew Bake Make (Canadian Asian Indie Pattern Designer from the GTA! Woohoo for supporting Asian Canadian Entreprenuers) https://www.sewbakemake.com/shop/p/the-nora-tank

• These two blog posts from Bethany Lynn Makes:

  • https://www.bethanylynnemakes.com/how-to-attach-a-gathered-skirt-to-a-bodice/

  • https://www.bethanylynnemakes.com/how-to-sew-a-v-neck-with-buttons-laurence-top-dress-hack/

Pattern Hacking the Nora Tank:

I used the Nora V Neck Tank pattern as a base but had to frankenstein it a little bit. I used the pattern pieces for the peplum ruffle view, but didn’t use the peplum pattern piece. I also decided to bias bound the arm holes instead of doing the “burrito method” (mmm… burritos). But I couldn’t use some of the pattern pieces as is, I had to trace them onto tracing paper and add a button placket. I never done that before, but I followed the blog posts I linked above from Bethany Lynn Makes blog. She made it so very simple for me to understand with her instructions and pictures.

While sewing I would have to jump back and forth between the Bethany Lynn Makes button tutorial steps and the Nora Tank instructions. I did get a little bit confused at one point and resorted to using Gemini AI to figure out how to sew the facing, button placket and tank top together. Once the button placket was done I followed the Bethany Lynn Makes instructions on how to add pockets and tiered skirts to the bodice, which was very easy and delightful to assemble! All together I figured it out thanks to all these tools and resources. It took me about a week to make working on it on and off in my evenings.

Deep pockets!

This isn’t a step-by step tutorial - but if you would like to recreate this dress with all my steps synthesized in a blog please let me know! I can see myself making this dress again and again. It is such a great casual dress for the summer, and can imagine it in bold prints.

Styling/ Finished Product:

Ever since I finished it, I’ve been wearing it almost non stop! It is my perfect maternity/ postpartum dress! I love how I was able to consider the season of life I’m in/ about to enter and make a dress that accommodates for all my needs/wants in a garment (nursing friendly/comfy/pockets etc). Since it is February here in Canada I’ve been wearing it lots with different sweaters and maternity tights/ leggings. Here are some pictures of how I’ve been styling it!

I love wearing my dress layered with a brown merino wool sweater from Uniqlo.

Wearing my dress with a caramel coloured 100% cotton crochet bolero that I thrifted for under $10!

Able to dance in my dress at any given time - a must!

Swish test approved!

Thanks for reading my blog post! If you'd like to see more creative projects like this one feel free to subscribe to my email newsletter to get notified on the next Summit & Sketch post! Until next time have a lovely day!