Yoga Skirt - Maternity

I have mostly sewed kids clothes so far.  I've been a bit intimidated by sewing for an adult.  I feel like babies look so cute in homemade clothes and if it doesn't look quite right they won't be embarrassed to be seen in it.  So it's been a good way to practice my sewing and increase my skill. 

So when one of my best friends asked me to sew her a maternity skirt, I was totally on board as long as she was prepared if it didn't turn out quite right.  I had a skirt from Old Navy that I loved because I was able to  wear it before, during and after my pregnancy.  I was going to use that skirt as my guide, but then I decided to see if I could find a free pattern for the same style just to make things easier. 

I finally found this tutorial through pinterest.  Modkid Yoga Skirt by Patty Young  posted as a guest post on Sew, Mama, Sew .   It was just what I was looking for.

The one thing I wasn't prepared for was sewing with knits.  I didn't realize before I started that it was any different from sewing with regular cotton. 

This was what I discovered:

• Use a stretch stitch or if you don't have one on your machine, use a small zig zag.  This is because the material stretches as you move and so will stretch your stitch.  If you use a straight stitch  it will break. I have found this to be true on a upcycle I did from an old t-shirt.  My baby wore it once and now I have to resew it.
• Use a ballpoint needle. I did not do this because I had never changed my needle before so I was a bit intimidated. I figured I could get away with using my regular needle,but I should have not ignored this because the material caught in my machine several times and I had to cut it out.  :(
• Knit fabric does not fray!  Woo hoo!  This is great because you don't have to finish edges... which is good because I hate doing extra steps. 

I went to pick out fabric, and that was an adventure.  I  learned that the waistband had to be two way stretch and also learned what 50% stretch meant.  I discovered this the hard way because after spending hours in the fabric store trying to find the perfect fabric, I bought the wrong kind and had to take it back.  Thankfully, Joann's lets you do that!   It was supposed to be a summery skirt but they had really no selection, and I had to get this fall pattern.  In the end, I fell in love with it and I'm totally jealous and want to make myself one!   The fabric was really cool against your skin, perfect for pregnancy in the summer. 

The skirt can be worn two ways, either up like a belly band as in the top picture, or down like a double fold yoga band. It's a great skirt for the pregnant and non-pregnant alike. The tutorial was pretty easy, and  I am looking forward to making one for myself in the near future. 

For more tips on knits, I'd recommend Made by Rae's Kniterviews and MADE- Ask Dana:How to sew with knit fabric