Today I’ll be talking about P4P patterns and maternity! We got lots of questions in the Facebook group about what kinds of patterns can be used for maternity as-is and what kind of modifications or hacks can be done in order to make patterns maternity friendly. I’ll go over a categorization for P4P patterns and which ones can be worn both pre, during, and post maternity and how to do a simple hack to make most other knit top/dress/swim patterns accommodate a bump.
For links to all patterns, check out the women’s section of the shop.
Pattern Breakdown
No Modifications Needed
These patterns should work for most women for a majority of pregnancy, if not the whole way. Some women may prefer more ease than others.
- Cocoon Cardigan
- Free Spirit Tank
- Grandpa Cardi
- Pumpkin Spice Dolman
- Relaxed Raglan
- Summer Kimono
- Carefree Cardigan
- Boho Babydoll
- RagDoll Raglan
- Boundless Knit Dress
- Peg Legs with Maternity Add-On
- Siren Swim Top
- Favorite Tee (earlier pregnancy)
- Everyday Elegance Top (earlier pregnancy)
- Go To Jacket (earlier pregnancy)
- Pirate Pencil Skirt (earlier pregnancy)
Here’s examples of how these some of these patterns fit with no mods on a 22 week bump!
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- Boho Babydoll
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- Free Spirit Tank
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- Favorite Tee
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- Relaxed Raglan
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- Pumpkin Spice Dolman
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- RagDoll Raglan
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- Cocoon Cardigan
Simple Hack Suggested
For most women, a simple hack I’ll show you below should make these patterns pregnancy-friendly. Disclaimer: Some women have had success wearing some of these patterns without any mods during pregnancy, or towards the beginning of pregnancy. Personal body shape, fabric choice and fit preference will play a large role in this. I would suggest using the hack in general because they will likely fit better this way.
- Essential Tank
- Slim Fit Raglan
- Sweet Tee
- Layer Me Up Shirt
- Favorite Tee
- Wiggle Dress
- Cross My Heart Cami
- Women’s Henley
- Boyfriend V-Neck
Not Suggested for Maternity Wear
- Timeless Tunic
- Brunch Blouse
- Sweetheart Dress
- Sunshine Dress
- Could possibly work very early pregnancy.
- Hello Sailor Swim Bottoms
Simple Maternity Hack
Before you cut into your fabric, you will want to double check your measurements because they will definitely be in flux during pregnancy. To ensure the best fit, choose the size that you currently measure, not just your pre-pregnancy size.
Here’s what you will need:
- Desired pattern to hack
- Any required notions for pattern chosen
- Layer Me Up Maternity Add-On
- 1/4″ elastic
For this tutorial, I chose to show how to use the Layer Me Up Maternity Add-On with the Essential Tank.
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- 1. Assemble your desired pattern. You will only need to alter the front piece.
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- 2. Assemble the Layer Me Up Maternity Add-On
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- 3. Lay the add-on on top of your pattern piece, roughly 1″-2″ below the armpit curve.
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- 4. Note the difference between two of the same hem lengths on your pattern and the add-on. In this case, the difference was 5″ between hemmed shirt lengths.
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- 5. Add this difference in length to your pattern piece, just above the hem.
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- 5. Grade between your piece and the add-on in the stomach area, making sure to keep your lines smooth.
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- 6. Trace your new pattern piece on to a new sheet of paper, to make things easier.
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- 7. Make sure to transfer the notches from the add-on. Your elastic will be stretched here.
After you’re done making the changes to your pattern, add the elastic as shown in the Layer Me Up Add-On instructions. Then, finish sewing up your desired pattern as per those instructions. That’s it! Use these same guidelines to combine the add-on with any of the patterns shown on the Simple Hack Suggested list above.
As a bonus, I’ll also point out that knit pants with an elastic waist can be easily adjusted for under-belly maternity wear by slightly decreasing the rise. (See this post for more info on adjusting the rise.) I lowered the rise about 1.5″ on the front of the Mama Bear Joggers to make these shorts maternity-friendly.
Feel free to try this out with any knit P4P shorts or pants. You could try it with woven pants as well, if you are more adventurous as this may require more adjusting. Don’t forget the Peg Legs have the Maternity Add-On as well, which works perfectly!
With just a little hacking, a lot of patterns can easily be made maternity friendly. Happy sewing!
