WELCOME TO THE PREGNANCY FRIENDLY BELLBIRD WRAP DRESS HACK!
This is a super simple hack for our Bellbird Wrap Dress pattern and is perfect for beginners. I made this dress when 14 weeks pregnant and it's still fitting great over my bump at 20 weeks, especially since I've had a bit of a bump growth spurt in second trimester! Plus the wrap style means it'll be great for breastfeeding afterwards. We love a new wardrobe addition that can serve its purpose for years to come!
Below I'll take you through all the steps I took to make this one maternity friendly, it's really only one simple hack to the pattern and has been well worth it!
Firstly, I was largely inspired by this image I saw from Rowie of one of their new dresses. Then I realised it's basically our Bellbird Wrap Dress with thinner waist ties! So that is what I set out to achieve with the addition of making it pregnancy + breastfeeding friendly! I picked out a lovely lemon yellow linen and it just gets softer the more you wash it!
Step 01.
I decided to size up one for this make. I'm usually a size 8 so I cut out the size 10 (Charlie cut it out for me actually which was THE BEST THING EVER and everyone should have a friend to cut out patterns for you, makes sewing way quicker!) I'll pop my 'before pregnancy' measurements below for you for reference. My body is changing every week so I haven't re-measured myself for this make. Going up a size means there is just a bit more fabric for the wrap around my bump and it's a little looser up top which will be good for breastfeeding ease.
Bust: 84cm
Waist: 67cm
Hips: 84cm
Height: 164cm
Step 02.
The ties! Like I said I was largely inspired by the Rowie dress with thinner ties.
I cut out 1 x the tie piece (not a pair) and then cut this in half lengthwise.This created my two tie pieces. I then pressed each tie like bias binding and did a top stitch for a neat finish. The ties being thinner also makes it more comfortable to wear as you don't have a thick tie pressing around your waist.
Step 03.
The tie placement. This one is a bit tricky to place so I'd suggest sewing steps 01 to 04 in the original instruction booklet then try it on in front of a mirror. I placed my ties quite a bit higher up so that it sits over the top of my bump - the original placement had it sitting over the middle of my bump which wasn't comfortable for me. Pin the ties in place then mark where you want the opening to be on the side seam without the pocket. Continue step 05 as per the instructions, just with the adjusted location for the opening.
The rest of the dress had no alterations to it at all and it fits great plus the ties mean it is adjustable throughout my pregnancy. It is a full wrap style so covers the bump and it's bra friendly! Plus it doesn't look like some of the usual maternity wear which is perfect for the extended life of this dress. Once this baby has arrived I could always move my ties lower again to continue getting plenty of wear out of my dress!
You can grab our Bellbird Wrap Dress as a paper or digital sewing pattern or a sewing kit! I'll pop some links below to lemon yellow linens we found below when researching for this one!
Common Stitch Lemon Yellow Linen (Aus)
Potter + Co Louise Lemon Linen (Aus)
The Fabric Store Buttercup Vintage Linen (Aus + NZ)
Joan's Fine Fabric Sunshine Yellow Linen (NZ)
Blackbird Fabrics Washed Harvest Linen (Canada)
Make sure to tag us on socials if you end up making this hack! We'd love to follow along on your sewing journey and see all the things you've been making. Plus stay tuned for some more fun hacks + projects coming your way!
@common_stitch #BellbirdWrapDress #BellbirdWrapDressHack
With Love,
Ali
