Late 1930s Pink Gingham Adjustable Dress

Yay for spring! Since our last batch of spring rains seems to finally be over, I can take pictures out-of-doors again. I am so enjoying the lovely sunshine, budding flowers, green hills, and hanging my laundry out once more!

I so enjoyed making and wearing my green late '30s dress last fall, that I wanted to make another one. Only, of course, I wouldn't fit in a regular version for very long, and the pattern lent itself to alterations for maternity very well.

 

The original pattern features a back with extra fabric gathered in to the skirt at the fitted waist. My idea was simply to not gather it, but rather cut the skirt to fit the width of the un-gathered waist of the bodice piece. This would make a wider panel all the way across the back, yet hopefully still look nice and trim when cinched in to a normal waist size. 

 

As I've mentioned before, the maternity dresses I like the best are ones that are not obviously maternity, and can be worn afterwards too. I was hoping this would turn out to be such a dress.

 

I used some pink gingham cotton twill from my stash for the trial. As you can see, it holds wrinkles pretty easily and has to be pressed before wearing. But I wanted a fabric I didn't care too much about, in case the trial failed. 

 

When cutting it out, I simply measured the bottom of the back bodice, and added that much extra to the center back seam of the skirt pieces. Otherwise, I followed the normal cutting and sewing directions except that I added waist ties (from this Butterick pattern) on each side seam, and skipped the decorative belt loops.

PLUS I could omit the side zipper, since the waist is now plenty wide enough to slip on over the head. Win!

 

I did cut the neckline differently and omit the collar, for a different look from the green dress. The collarless version is more comfortable for everyday, I think.

 

Basically the only difference between how this version and the original looks (other than the ties) is that the skirt has some extra gathers in the back, instead of being smoothly fitted gores. I like the gored version better, but this one is quite nice enough to suit me. I am large enough now at 23 weeks that my regular dresses are starting to be uncomfortable around the waist, and I can tell an instant improvement with this one's adjustable waist. Just slip it on, button it up, and tie the sash as snugly as desired. 

Crossing the ties in the back first means that the side seams stay where they belong, and keeps all the gathers in the back so they won't shift around to the sides where they would add bulk. Also I think it makes the waist look more trim.

 

I really like how the tucks on the back bodice control the extra fabric at the shoulders. These are always fun to sew.

 

There is plenty of room left in the dress at the back, so we will see if I will be able to wear it for the rest of the pregnancy. I think it's likely.

I have great hopes that it will look enough like a normal dress, and not a maternity one, to wear for non-maternity as well. The adjustable waist will certainly always be comfortable, even without a baby bump. What do you think? Does it look obviously maternity?

 

I was able to use these long-stashed vintage drop shaped buttons for the bodice. I had exactly the right amount, and they were the right color of off-white to go with the fabric. The dress was simple enough that I liked a bit more "statement" in the buttons.

 

Since this trial was a success, I've had some ideas for similar alterations for other patterns, so I may have more trials to show you in the future. Since I have to wear a slip with this dress, I have at least one more version planned, suitable for the hot weather this summer when I will be large enough to need to wear maternity clothes every day, so you will likely see this altered version again in the coming months.

Meanwhile, this is a comfortable, cheerful version for spring, and I'm very pleased with how well my idea translated to real life. 

Comments

[Jackie]

Adorable! The dress and the Mommy!❤️

[Cindy Baer]

Lovely! Maybe for the hot summer months you could drop the sleeves, make the neck a little more 'scoopy' and drop the sash - for when baby is growing! 🙂

[Carol]

I think it is very attractive and does not look like maternity at all. The tucks in back are very nice and the overall dress is pleasing to the eye. So much nicer than what we see on mothers to be these modern days. This is very flattering. You are so talented.
Love you, Carol

[Lynne Johnson]

Your new dress will certainly accommodate your growing baby bump in style. It will also look nice for after the birth. It is difficult to find cute comfortable clothes for both phases. Good job creating such a good looking dress!