Floral Simplicity 1469

Remember my lovely Easter dress? It pulls double duty as a maternity and nursing dress. It's Simplicity 1469 which is a reprint of a Megan Nielsen pattern. This pattern has all the things; it has a tank top, short sleeved top, long sleeved top, and dress. There is a modesty panel with nursing access. Before I made the Easter dress, I made a wearable muslin tank top.

Now I don't know what possessed me to do this, but I cut this pattern in a Small (bust of 32 1/2"-34"). Actually my bust size is probably closer to 36" these days, so this size should have worked, right? I'm not sure how obvious it is from these photos, but it's too big all over. I wore this to my oldest daughter's preschool "graduation" and with Baby H climbing all over me I was afraid she'd pull it off in an unacceptable way. It's just too loose.

For reference, the Easter dress I made from an XS and it fits much better. I should have checked the finished measurements before sewing. The fabric I used for this top is a cotton jersey, originally from The Fabric Fairy a long time ago. If you've been reading for long, you've seen it before. I love it. Hard. And I typically don't like how florals look on me.

The blue modesty panel is a cotton/Lycra knit. I think you need something with spandex for this portion. It's meant to be stretched for nursing access and unless it has good recovery it's not going to work out. I think one complaint you'll get about this pattern is that the nursing cutouts are too visible through the outer layer. It's not so noticeable in a print but it is with a solid color. If I make this pattern again, it's likely that I'll just omit the nursing panel altogether. That way I can wear a nursing cami underneath and it will work the same.

I'm not sure how this top will look when I'm no longer pregnant. Since it's not fitted, it kind of gives off that tent/balloon vibe right now. I couldn't find any photos of anyone wearing it postpartum. Somebody remind me to update this post when the time comes!

I'll wait to see how it looks when I'm not pregnant before making any more. The finishings (narrow hems everywhere) are not my favorite, even with a coverstitch. The pleats on the front are kind of fiddly but worked just as well as gathers on my Easter dress. Despite the issues this pattern is a good workhorse. I like that you get sleeveless AND sleeve options, for some reason that seems to be rare. If you're expecting, I can recommend this pattern, it's super versatile with the right fabrics.