Maternity Charlie Caftan with Indiesew

Wanna have a good laugh? Search “Maternity Fashion” or “Maternity Sewing” online. But really, browse Pinterest and Instagram hashtags and there’s just not that much fashion goodness happening on pregnant bodies. It was depressing to discover the lack of inspiration that can be drawn from the word-wide-inter-web, in terms of maternity fashion. So I took some inspiration from my own closet and pieces that I already loved.  I had so much fun making this maternity dress.

I used the Charlie Caftan from Closet Case Files. I picked up the paper pattern at Indiesew where I also snagged this gorgeous fabric! This large floral print is so beautiful and is the perfect shade of amber. I’m not joking when I say this is my favorite fabric I’ve sewn with all year. This was my first time working with a Rayon Crepe and I’m sold. I was worried it would be hard to work with, but Rayon Crepe is actually really stable and much easier than typical 100% Rayon fabrics. Also, this fabric is magical because it doesn’t wrinkle. In fact, I gave up ironing my hem folds, because this fabric won’t hold a crisp press line. So basically that makes it the perfect mom uniform for me! This fabric is still in stock, so snag some while you can HERE.

I wore this dress 2 days in a row last week, and I’m loving it. It’s easy to wear and makes me feel comfortable and beautiful.

Maternity Alterations

I did make a few changes from the original pattern to make it perfect for my maternity wardrobe. Let me walk you through those.

On pattern piece A: I cut the front apart where the bodice front gathers are indicated. There’s already a small 5inch sliver you normally cut, where you later attach the panel. I used that line as a guide and continued cutting all the way to the edge of the pattern piece. Essentially I cut piece A into a Front Bodice Top piece and a Front Bodice Skirt piece.

Extra Room for Baby: I also wanting a bit more fabric at the front center for baby to grow, so I added about 1.25 at the center fold of my new Front Bodice Skirt piece. I didn’t actually add anything to the physical pattern piece, I just shifted over the center fold line 1.25 from the folded fabric, giving 2.5 inches of additional ease.

Sewing it together: Keeping the gather markings the same as the original garment suggests, I gathered the Front Bodice Skirt and sewed it to the Front Bodice Top piece. At this point, the front of the dress is one continuous piece. I omitted the panel for this version.

Ties: I attached the ties in the side seam.  I tend to tie it around the front of the dress to cinch around the baby bump a bit more.

I’m really happy with these changes! Additionally I added 7 inches in length (hello, I’m a giant! Nice to meet you) and 1.5 inches in height to the neckline for comfort and coverage.

I’m 22 weeks pregnant in these photos, and I’m pretty sure this dress will see me all the way through my pregnancy. I’m so excited to continue wearing this new garment as my baby continues to grow and post pregnancy as well. If you try this maternity hack, I’d love to see your make! Thanks for following along with me!

*This pattern or fabric was provided by Indiesew, however all thoughts and opinions are my own.