little feet, big sky

I have to admit, I’ve been struggling with the clothing issue in the past couple of weeks. I flat out refuse to buy more maternity clothes for just another four weeks. But I’ve noticed that even my biggest maternity tops are starting to rise up a little at the bottom as they valiantly try to cover my belly. :-( So last night, with 7 minutes to take a shower and get ready for dinner out at a small Italian place with friends, I randomly tossed on my cheap but reliable maternity jeans from Mimi Maternity, my white American Apparel bandeau dress and a denim jacket bought on sale from Old Navy Maternity. Voila! Insta-outfit!

I think I’ve covered what maternity clothing I had before, but now I’m actually near the end and should share what has worked for me, and what hasn’t. Tragically, I must admit that some of these brands are not at all eco-friendly. :-( In hindsight, I wish I’d been more prepared as my body changed, and therefore less desperate to just get something that fit. *sigh* Next time.

What’s worked:

• Cheap tank tops and tees from Old Navy. I bought half a dozen on sale and have worn them the most. They’ve held up awesome through machine washes and wear.
• Maternity jeans from Mimi Maternity. These have also held up pretty good. The “secret fit belly” elastic has probably stretched a bit, but it’s still perfectly elastic. I’ll probably pick up an extra one when we get to the next bun in the oven, as I’ve practically lived in these for the past 6 months.
• Spa pants from lucy. A nice variation from jeans. Looks like light cargos, but stretchy, breathable and comfortable. Though I do untie the drawstring when sitting down. Perfect for lounging, running errands or prenatal yoga.
• Organic underwear from American Apparel. Just so comfortable!
• Victoria’s Secret IPEX wireless bra. No, I’m not a VS fan – I only buy bras every 3-4 years and I had these already. But being wireless is a huge plus with expanding boobs, and these have been really comfortable to wear. I read somewhere that it’s the changes during pregnancy that ruin breasts, not breast-feeding, and the more you can do to support & take care of them while pregnant, the better.
• Random pajama bottoms, screw the tops. They don’t fit anyway and I figure going around bare-chested at night is good preparation for those early breast-feeding days, right? :-)
• Crocs & Tevas. Easy to slip on and off and comfortable to wear. Free shipping both ways from Zappos.

What’s not worked:

• Elastic-waisted pants. If they’re tight enough to keep the pants up, then they’ve been too tight for comfort once sitting down.
• My favorite SmartWool tops. Itchy on a nerve-desensitized belly. Really annoying over the course of the day.
• Shoes that require socks. I’m up for the Olympic-scale task of putting on socks no more than once a day. No more than that.
• Old Navy Maternity Hoodies. Ugh. Cut like a moo-moo, and ridiculously thin. Don’t waste your money.
• Nightgowns. Nothing is more infuriating than trying to turn or get comfortable in bed with a dress-like thing twisted and bunched up around you.
• Some underwear. Some of mine, the more fashionable ones, sadly, get tight around the legs at times. *sigh* Of course, this never applies to the “granny panty” ones, does it?

A couple of months ago, I wandered into a Pottery Barn Kids and saw these adorable onesies. They were plain white and had a single cute embroidered shape on each – a yellow duck, an orange giraffe, etc. I picked one up to see the price and nearly died of sticker shock: $28 for a single 0-3 months onesie!

After picking myself up off the floor, I put it back with disdain; hell, I could make that! So what if I’ve never embroidered anything real before? Life is for learning, right?

I ordered Sublime Stitching ($14) by Jenny Hart from Amazon, swung by a local Joann’s for a few handfuls of DNC embroidery floss and an embroidery hoop, picked up some cheap onesies from Target, pulled out my old sewing box and got down to business.

Of course my first one was a bit of a botch, but I think I’ve gotten the hang of it. T-shirt material is a slight pain to work with – if you stretch it just a little too much on the hoop, your threadwork with sort of crumple inwards when you take it off the hoop. And if it’s not stretched enough, then you have this hill/valley up/down thing going on every time you push or pull the needle through. In the book, Hart mentions using stabilizer to avoid this, but cautions on the use of readily-available iron-on stabilizer. She mentioned that an older technique was to use tissue paper, which I tried, but it kept tearing on me. In a desperate pinch, I grabbed a nearby tissue, folded it in half and used that – voila! it worked like a charm. I think it’s just soft enough to be a little flexible not to tear so easily.

• Buy the book, Sublime Stitching, from Amazon. ($14)
• Or, order patterns, kits and more from sublimestitching.com.
• Order floss and hoops online from Joann.com, or visit your local Joann’s.
• Pick up cheap onesies from Target (5/$10), or organic sweatshop-free onsies from American Apparel ($14).
• Make a cup of tea & get started. :-)

Sometimes, I just like swaggy things – you know, things that are probably not neccessary to get the job done, but make it a hell of a lot more fun/interesting/easy. Like using a small ice cream scoop to make perfect drops of cookie dough. Or a hand blender to puree a soup right in the pot.

That’s how I keep eyeing these nursing tops by . I live in tank tops, especially ones with the built-in shelf “bra”, and I think these would be perfect while nursing.

There’s a little clasp halfway between your breast and shoulder that releases and your breast pokes out from a hole in a second layer. That second layer has a bit of support and the flap in front has a mesh lining for holding nursing pads.

They have a variety of tank tops ($34 -$39), including long tank tops (I like those), a long-sleeved shirt ($44), a knee-length slip dress ($44), and even a tankini 2-pc. swimsuit ($54). Shipping seems reasonable at $5 within the U.S., though they do seem to have a signature-required policy for 4 or more items.