The Crossroads Vest by Twig + Tale had already gone into testing but they put the call out for a couple of pregnant testers for the add-on features. I was 39 weeks pregnant at this time, hoping baby would stay put until I had it finished.
Thinking ahead to when I would probably actually wear the Crossroads Vest, as we were heading into summer during testing, I tested* the maternity version using a warm marble grey platinum fleece (polyester) and multi coloured printed rayon #4 chevron (100% rayon) as the lining. I made the flutter sleeve with the curved, dropped back. I went for the simpler version as I thought my sewing time may be cut short. The flutter sleeve was not a good option with this thicker fabric as it sticks out away from the body but I’m okay with that.
The Crossroads vest features a double layer across the chest with a petal shape and as aforementioned the maternity option. It is actually the perfect add-on to the Women’ Pathfinder Vest which in itself has lots of options.
It is a really quick vest to sew. Everything matched up perfectly and the fit was spot on. The are highly detailed instructions with photos at each step. I think my rayon stretched a bit and therefore is a bit longer at the back curve. Again, it’s something I can live with as it’s kind of a run pop of colour.
As you can see, the vest fits both at 39 weeks pregnant and post pregnancy and I will be happy to take this for a test run as our colder weather sets in, but hopefully that is a while away yet.
With formalities out the way, I’m back to blogging. I’m embarrassed within myself that I have had a poor blogging year by my personal goals and along with that, sewing productivity was lower than normal. More than likely due to the fact I was growing a little human being but given our third child is now three months old and I still have maternity clothes to blog about, it’s a bit embarrassing.
I tested* the maternity version of the 5004 Patterns Easy Tee and Dress back in May 2017. As the name suggests it is both quick and easy to sew up. A tonne of options are included such as Shirt, Tunic, Short dress, and Knee Length Dress with turned hem or band, pockets (yes!), maternity pattern pieces, waist tie, breast pocket, crew, scoop or v-neck, hoods and cuffs and thumbholes. It’s available in women’s sizes XXS-5XL but also a kids version with a lot of great options. Also, you can save $2 when you buy the Women’s and Kids’ Easy Tee patterns at the same time (check out the pattern listing for the code).
When I was pregnant this time around, I tried to avoid buying any maternity clothes and wore a lot of my existing wardrobe as far as I could stretch it however when the call when out to test this pattern, timing was perfect. I made a first version using a heavier, less stretchy knit and the fit was off. I then used ITY jersey (95% polyester/5% spandex) in marine for this one and found it a lot more comfortable. Having said that, I barely reached for this dress in the end as I felt it was too fancy for everyday wear.
I made the v-neckline with the 3/4 sleeve and found the fit to be pretty spot on with a good amount of rouching at the side to accomodate the growing belly. At this stage of my pregnancy I probably could have gone down a size but for the later stages the fit was better. I was of course wanting to sew another version before blogging but clearly that didn’t go so well. It’s has detailed instructions throughout with good pictorials as well as hyperlinks. I had a really successful v neckline, woo, hoo.
I will get sewing some basics from this pattern in 2018 at some stage to test out some of the other options.
I’m hoping blogging will become a bit more routine as my sewing time is so erratic and I have lots of drafts and unblogged things to publish and write about.