Pants are the first thing to become annoyingly uncomfortable to wear while pregnant. They're too tight in the waist, they're not flattering, they're too saggy in the butt, the list goes on.
In the last few months, there are a few new pants trends that have really piqued my interest: harem pants, trouser pants and track pants. I've teamed up with Merrick to share with you 6 ways to style track pants. Click here to see how Merrick styled her pants.
What are track pants, you ask? It's a sporty pant that skims the body, not tight, but not too loose. Sometimes they have a tuxedo stripe down the side, but usually they cuff at the bottom. Think sweatpants, but awesome.
Most track pants are out of a woven material with an elastic waist. Sometimes with a drawstring. The waist appeals to me on multiple levels: I have yet to sew a real zip fly on a pant and stretchy elastic is all I want around my growing waist these days.
The novelty of these pants is that you can dress them up for a little high-low contrast, or dress them down without being frumpy or trashy (*ahem* like those track pants you see with "juicy" along the butt. YIKES!).
I made this particular pair (there will be more to come) with a lightweight tie-dye jersey (here). The description says medium-lightweight, but this is a full-blown lightweight knit. If it weren't in such a dark colorway, the fabric would likely be see-through. I liked the drape and the softness of the fabric, so I opted to use this for pants. It's funny how similar the print and color are from my last pair of pants.
I self-drafted the pattern based off of the leggings block I made at Sewing Summit last year. I added a side seam and added 3.75 inches of ease to the pattern for a looser fit. I suspect that amount of ease will be perfect for a pair of woven pants as well. I didn't do too much to the pattern beyond that, but I plan on drafting up pockets and possibly a tuxedo stripe in the future. The possibilities with this leggings block are endless!
The pattern was easy to sew, but the fabric was a little bit of a beast to work with. Cutting took forever and matching up the print on the seams was impossible. Big bummer, but they still turned out great. They're my new favorite pants now!
With Utah weather being indecisive, I decided to show you three ways that I have styled these pants to accommodate the changing temperatures. Last week we spent time in 90º, 70º and 50º weather. Seriously, a huge swing! But I'm convinced these light-weight pants are the perfect transitional wardrobe item for PMS-ing spring weather.
So here's my unsolicited, expert* advice on how to wear the track pant through spring:
Hot Spring Days
For hot spring days, I've added a lightweight woven tee, a sunhat and some strappy heels. Roll up the hem to show a little extra skin. This shirt isn't as loose as it was when I first made it; but a loose or boxy top would work really well. If you're afraid of looking shapeless, add a structured blazer. However, if you're wearing a top in a light enough woven with lots of drape there's no need to add any structure at all.
Outfit Details:
- hat & sunglasses: Walmart
- earrings: c/o Pamela Susan
- necklace: handmade (tutorial)
- top: handmade
- bracelet: THP shop
- pants: handmade
- shoes: Aldo
Warm Spring Days
When the weather is nice, but there's just a little chill in the breeze, I add a light blazer. Here I paired it with a fitted v-neck tee, a boxy blazer and a chunky heel.
Rolling up the sleeves of the blazer gives it a springier feel and keeps the boxy blazer from taking over the frame. The heel balances out the baby bump up top.
Outfit Details:
- Earrings, watch: c/o Tai Pan Trading
- blazer: c/o Macy's
- top: Target
- pants: handmade
- shoes: Seychelles c/o PBJ boutique
Cool Spring Days
Is it just me or do cooler days warrant a flat? I rarely feel like wearing heels in the middle of the winter. Perhaps it's because of the snow, but likely because most of my heels are open-toed. Either way, my cozy day go-to is flats. The t-strap flat is dressy while still being low-key. The patent really makes these particular shoes awesome, in my opinion. I've paired the pants with a chunky knit sweater (interestingly enough this fits me better now that I'm pregnant because of the longer front) and a denim jacket. Wearing a monochrome palette has been one of my favorite things lately. Mixing texture and textiles in the same color family adds depth and dimension.
The other day, it was threatening to snow, so I sported my ankle booties with these pants. They worked, but I think a slightly lower boot shaft would have been ideal. A little bit of ankle peeking through is key with the pant, in my opinion.
Outfit details:
- glasses: c/o Coastal.com
- necklace: c/o Sole Society
- jacket: thrifted
- sweater: c/o SheInside
- pants: handmade
- shoes: c/o Sole Society
Check out Merrick's Art for how she styled her track pants!
* I am no fashion expert. I'm sure in some circles I'm viewed as a total wannabe. But I'm happy to share my opinions about style all day long.
She had found an example of what she wanted on etsy, a simple sans serif print in colorful blocks (can't seem to find the link), but it didn't go with her wedding's decor, so I went a little more whimsical and romantic with the design.
I used watercolor for their names and gold ink for the rest of the information. It's a very subtle warm gold which plays well with the slight changes in color the watercolor offers.
This piece is 11 x 14. The tricky part was laying out the large field of text in an interesting, whimsical way while still keeping style, scale and composition consistent. I ended up laying it out on a separate sheet of paper before transferring it to the watercolor paper.
At each of the 18 tables for the event, there are little question/answer cards. The bride's response on one side and the groom's on the other. Another fun little design element that helps you get to know the couple in addition to the courtship timeline.
They had four food stations that needed signage, so I made 8x10 artwork for that. Again, mixing the watercolor and gold ink for more dimension.
Then I labeled the food with small table tents, mixing script and caps print for easy readability and composition.
It was a fun project, but I have to admit, I underbid the amount of time it took me to do this. The small signage came in just as predicted, but the timeline took at least three times as long to make. Lesson learned!
Part of me wants to take on more of this kind of work, but there's just not enough time for it. And honestly, I'd much rather 
I ended up using the artwork as a little printable for an activity I co-hosted for the ladies at church. We had a simple devotional about the real meaning of Easter with a little social afterward. The candy-filled Easter eggs were a sweet takeaway. The event was very simple, but just what I needed.
Lately, I've been enclosing my Easter eggs with washi tape to make sure they don't randomly split open. I've gathered quite the collection of washi tape over the years (which I've now finally organized in a 
A couple of weeks ago I was in one of those moods. I had the time and the energy and blue thread already in my serger. I picked up this leftover fabric from 
I opted for simple finishings with this dress. The sleeves and hem are raw with a simple band for the neckline. The knit on the sleeves is curling up ever so slightly now so it looks like it was left that way on purpose. The un-hemmed ruffle seems to finish off the bottom without an actual hem.
When I was sewing it up, I actually just eyeballed the length of the dress, assuming it would fit. And it did. But with Penelope growing so much, she'd be able to wear this as a dress for about 3 days before growing too tall for it. The ruffle adds the perfect amount of length to the bottom, letting it graze right at her knees so she'll have the whole summer to wear it alone, and the fall and winter to wear it with leggings.
The floral fabric is a 25% stretch cotton knit that I scored at the thrift store a couple years ago. I may have gotten the yardage for somewhere around $2 for 2 yards. $2 for leggings and a dress? Major win. :) I also love that this print has a lot of masculine colors incorporated with the feminine print. It just fits Penelope to a T. She's a girly girl getting more obsessed each day over hair, makeup and clothes; but there are only boys her age on our street. And she not only keeps up with them, but she keeps them on their toes. It's pretty cute.
One of Penelope's preschool teachers a few years ago told us, "She's the girliest tomboy I know." Which I think is the best of all worlds!
When I surprised Penelope with her new dress, she gave me the world's best reaction. Seriously, this girl knows how to make her mama feel loved and appreciated. Unfortunately I don't think I'll have time to sew her a fancypants Easter dress this year. I'm hoping to put something together after the holiday, though.
I told Penelope to strike her most adorable pose. This girl is ridiculous.
Do you have an Easter dress tradition in your house?
All the discomfort and nausea is for something. Although, I must confess this time around has been much easier than with Felix or Penelope. As long as I'm consuming a steady stream of soda water, gummy bears and pot stickers; I seem to be just fine. It's mostly been my energy and focus levels. They've been at an all-time low lately. I've been working on clearing my plate of extra work, slowly but surely that's happening (as you can tell with the lack of posts here).
Penelope is thrilled with the news. She's hoping for a girl. And secretly, we all are. We only have a girl name and girl clothes! Felix destroyed all of his clothes, so we'd have to start completely from scratch if we had a boy. I don't know why, but my heart has been set on a girl from the beginning. We're happy with a baby, boy or girl. But I still want a girl. ;)
I'm about 15 weeks along and quickly starting to show. I'm at this awkward point where I still fit in my old clothes, but I feel like if I wear anything too form-fitting; I'll look like I ate a giant burrito, not pregnant. That's pretty much what I'm thinking all the time. Can we blame those crazy thoughts on hormones?
Besides that, I've been thinking and sewing up various pieces that I feel may be versatile during and after pregnancy. I don't want pieces that make me look like a giant tent; but things that I can wear alone, with a belt or a blazer and feel perfectly comfortable in my own skin.
Inspired by 
The funny thing about this fabric is that it seems to stretch vertically as the day wears on. I steamed the shirt not long after and instantly added 4 inches to the hemline! Strange, right? I'm thinking this hemline will work for now, but I won't know for sure until after I have washed and dried the garment for the first time. I'm tempted to keep the longer hemline because my belly is only going to grow 10 fold, too.
Adjusting the pattern of this top took about 20 minutes and sewing up the top took just under an hour. I used a slightly different method for hemming the sleeve and neckline. instead of sewing the bands with folded side out, I sewed them with the raw edges out. So the top is finished with all raw edges, but it looks more finished than if I had just left it as is. Given the pattern on the shirt, this detail is incredibly subtle, not something that the camera could pick up really well.
I've got Penelope to thank for pictures today. She was such a doll, beaming with excitement to help me in the studio. It's fun to have my own little assistant in-house!
Outfit details:
She gave me a few quotes to choose from, and about 2 weeks ago I felt like Walt Disney's quote was the most appropriate for what I needed to hear internally. Sometimes life gets overwhelming. Work bogs you down. Kids can be so much work. And the house is never clean.
Sometimes when my to-do list gets too long for me to handle, I just stop. The mental load of having so much to do brings me to a screeching halt. I need to remind myself to keep moving forward. Because if I'm moving forward, I'm getting something done. And that's an important feeling.
While in spring cleaning/nesting mode, I've taken the opportunity to re-organize my sewing patterns. They're out of control. I've drafted about as many patterns as I've bought, so coming up with a good system for easy storage was necessary.
In the past, I've bought envelopes the same size as as standard pattern envelopes and tried to stuff drafted patterns into those. It's not terribly effective for me, since most of my pattern envelopes end up sitting on my desk for weeks simply because I'm too annoyed with the thought of putting them away.
A few fellow sewers mentioned to me how they organize patterns in clear sleeves in three-ring binders. Genius. Wanting them to look polished in my new closets, I went for 
I had a lot of fun busting out my brush markers and washi tapes to fancy-up the labels for each pattern. The lettering is far from perfect, but it was great practice.
Let's end on a keeping-it-real note. This is how awesome my studio looks at the moment. I've got a lot of organizing ahead of me, but with binders, cute boxes and new shelving I feel unstoppable!! WEEEEE!!
How do you organize your sewing patterns? Do share in the comments below!