Wardrobe Architect goes maternity

I'm a bit of a planner. I don't usually buy fabric without a pattern in mind (otherwise I would buy all the things) and I plan seasonal wardrobes pretty extensively. But that all changed when I found out I was pregnant. All my pretty plans went out the window along with my ability to wear regular clothing.

Without a plan, a queue, I've been pretty rudderless. For a while I was working on a coat, but I completely lost steam. I packed it away once I realized I was avoiding my sewing room because of it. The truth is, I like mini-collections, capsule wardrobes, seasonal making. Thanks to the Wardrobe Architect series, I've gained skills to choose silhouettes and color schemes that both suit me and excite me.

The first time I was pregnant, 3 years ago, I didn't know how to sew. Maternity clothes are not cheap yo! I ended up thrifting some things and buying new and hating most of it. It would have been nice to pull out my old clothes and have a ready-made wardrobe, but that just didn't happen. There are a few things I'll wear, but sewing has taught me to be picky. At that time I was also working, so my lifestyle is different now as a stay at home mom.

After suffering through this funk for the last three months, I finally pulled my head out of my you-know-what and did what I love most--made a plan! (Also, I was very inspired by this capsule wardrobe I saw on Pinterest). 

I'm going to be pregnant for 6 more months. I'm going to sew. Why not take the time to thoughtfully plan a mini-maternity wardrobe? Sarai and her infinite wisdom taught me to take it in steps. First I chose silhouettes that I wanted to wear while pregnant, keeping in mind the seasons (I'm due in May...it just occurred to me that Me Made May will be very tricky next year!). The silhouettes are defined as "nice, nicer, nicest" meaning casual to dressy. Then I dedicated one category to "lounge". Yeah, that happened.

Next, I wrote down how many of each item seemed ideal (the numbers next to the drawings). Then I wrote down any items I already own that fit in those categories. That left me with a few blank spaces to fill in with new makes.

These are the new makes, or my new queue, if you will (with one "to buy" pair of maternity skinny jeans). I browsed through my patterns and chose ones that matched my silhouettes. There are some I will need to alter for maternity wear, but thankfully I've already been pregnant once and know what I like!

The one big deviation from my regular wardrobe planning is with color. I generally stick with pink, navy, grey and black. But for my maternity wear I want to use as many stash fabrics as possible, so I didn't hold to any strict color scheme. In particular, I'd love to use up anything that ISN'T pink, navy, grey or black! Make room for new stuff, right?! And yes, they're all knits! Sorrynotsorry.

On top of this stuff, I'd like to ramp up my underwear sewing and also try a bra (I purchased the Anna Crossover pattern from Ohhhh Lulu to make some nursing bras). So that's what I'll be up to the next few weeks! Have you ever had to quickly ditch your plans to make a new wardrobe?