I’ve been batch sewing lately – choosing 3 of 4 patterns, and then doing all the steps simultaneously. Have them all printed (I always have the A0 files printed, here’s some resources), then cut or trace them all, then cut them all out of fabric, then sew. This means that there is sometimes a big gap between sewing periods, but I’ll soon have a few new garments! The Cappuccino Cardigan was in my last batch, and it’s a design that I’ve been wanting to make for a few years. I love that you can just let it hang loose, you can wrap yourself, wrap your belly, or wrap your baby as you’re nursing. I have an RTW cardigan like this and I wear it all the time! MinervaCrafts was kind enough to provide me with the fabric, and I chose the most obnoxious color I could find. My wardrobe could use some color!

I’ve finally used that gorgeous crepe I’ve been hoarding, and I found the perfect pattern for it: the Roscoe Blouse. It’s a garment that will last me at least a few more weeks into my pregnancy because it has so much ease, but it’s not a maternity design so I can wear it for the summers to come, too! Read more about it on the Maternity Sewing blog.

Mock turtleneck shirts had not been on my radar for a while, and really I’m not sure they ever were in the first place. But then they came back on trend, I got one for a photo shoot and discovered that they are very comfortable. Especially if you are a scarf-wearer like me, who like to have their neck covered all the time in three of the four seasons. When my RTW turtleneck basically fell apart in just a few weeks, and Kelli released her Nikko Top pattern at the same time, it was obvious to me that I should just sew a couple! And that’s pretty exceptional for me too, since I rarely sew the same pattern twice. I made no less than three, and because I made them in three different fabrics, I thought it would be interesting to show you the differences. I apologize for the serious face, I was holding in my belly in all the shots so it would show you how the top should fit! Apparently that takes up too much concentration to smile at the same time.

I have some very exciting news to share with you today, as my new business has gone live last week! It’s the reason why it has been quiet over here at Paprika Patterns, as it took us over a year to get it all set up. And with us I mean Erin and I, as I also have an awesome business partner! You probably know Erin fro Tuesday Stitches, formerly SeamstressErin. So let me introduce you to Maternity Sewing: your source for Maternity, Nursing and Postpartum sewing patterns! It’s a marketplace where we have gathered all the maternity and nursing patterns from indie designers we could find. We have over 70 patterns right now, and many more in the process of onboarding. We hope to create a community for pregnant and nursing sewists, where we’ll share maternity style inspiration, tips and hacks, designer interviews, and promote body confidence. The latter is also why we included ‘postpartum’ in our mission. It can take a long time for your body to return to ‘normal’, and even if you manage to get back to your old weight, the shape of your body will probably have changed. A lot of women struggle to get reacquainted with their changed body, and that’s why we want to include postpartum too.