IMBOLC STYLE

  At Imbolc I concentrate on softness and warmth in clothing. Pastel colors spice up greys and white. In fact, the colors remind me of those we like to dress our newborn babies in. But I draw the color scene directly from nature, emphasizing the pastels, especially light blue.

   I stick with these basic shirt and pant patterns, simply because they just work! I truly have tried many different shapes of clothes during this pregnancy (both at shops and at home, custom-fitted), and I must say nothing else works. It is amazing how stores dare to sell most of their maternity wear, not to mention the people who design them. Most tops look okay, sometimes even nice, when seen from the front, but my god when I turn to check out the profile! Anything falling loosely from the highest point downward makes a pregnant woman look like an elephant. And that is sad, because having a baby belly is after all quite a rare occasion in a woman´s life, and she should be able to look good and enjoy her body working miracles!
  This Imbolc style has all the essentials: white, baby blue, grey, and warmth, and I do feel good wearing them!

This was a cloudy day, so the pants don´t repeat the color of the sky. Nonetheless, increasing baby blue skies are worth embracing every day!

It is becoming more and more challenging to look good with the growing belly...

The accessories, hairbow and earrings, I´ve had for three years already. And still every year it is equally uplifting and pleasant to dig them up from the storage boxes and take into use at Imbolc. That is my way of reducing consumption without giving up on the sense of newness.

A close up shows the material better. It is cotton jersey with printed-on snowflaky florals with grey dots, which make the fabric look like lace (but isn´t see-through at all). The lacy appearance gives this outfit an upgraded feel, and no more jewellery is needed.

 These patterns aren´t maternity ones to begin with. I´ve made some modifications to make them fit my  current shape. 

  The shirt: only the front piece needs to be fixed. I added 10 cm length to the hem, and measured my belly from side seam to side seam at the biggest part. To this measure I added 2 cm seam allowance, drew the outlines of the pattern with this measure, forming a round outward bulging line around the waist, and that´s it. Before sewing the side seams of back and front together, I gathered the front piece to match the back one´s length. 

  That´s it, and you can get a perfectly fitting maternity shirt, custom made!

  The pants: only the front piece needs to be fixed again. These pants are very simple, and have an elastic band at the waist to hold them up. Sew the pants as you normally would, and before inserting the waistband, try the pants on, and see how much you need to lower the front, measuring at the lowest point of your belly. Mark it in the pants, draw a nice, round line (don´t forget to add seam allowances), and cut along. Once you´ve sewn the waistband, put the pants back on, and slip an up to 50cm long tube of well stretching welt on around your belly, tucking the lower end inside your pants. Pin on, sew in place, and put the pants back on to measure the top part of the welt. Mark the suitable points around your belly on the welt fabric with pins, making sure the edge will reach high enough to pull the belly-pouch up, instead of hanging on the highest point of your belly, where it simply won´t stay. Cut along the line you drew, sew an elastic band around the edge, and start wearing your best-ever maternity pants!