Where do you take photos when it’s below freezing outside? Your local museum!
Getting some loving from number one.
The bump!
The v-neckline.
Hello! It’s been some time. I’ve been very, very… well, pregnant. With a toddler in tow, it means I’ve also been very, very tired. On the weekends, I used to steal some time to sew while my son was napping, but lately I’ve found myself napping when he does (which has actually been really wonderful!). But I finally got some time to myself and decided to make myself something comfy and pretty to wear to help get me through the next few months.
Today we will be making a batwing sleeve maternity top. This should be relatively easy as the sleeves and tunic are one piece. The neckline will be nice and loose so it can hang freely from your shoulders. One side of the shirt will have a scoop neckline, and the reverse side will have a v-neckline. With this, I plan on flipping it around after the baby arrives. For now, I will rock the scoop neckline in the front. When I need to nurse, I will will rock the v-neckline in the front.
My initial vision sketched out.
The skinny:
Since this batwing sleeve maternity top will have some drape to it, to keep it feminine, I would look for material that has some swing to it when it moves.
As with all of my sewing patterns, I’m going to make a paper pattern first (for repeatability! and science!). It might seem more cumbersome from the outset, but trust me when I say that I love having these patterns for references after the fact. If you go wrong somewhere (sleeves too tight? armholes not big enough? or with this pattern, shirt not quite as roomy as you wanted?), you can alter the pattern for the next time and work it until it fits your body just right.
Materials:
- pattern supplies (pattern paper, pencil, scissors, rulers)
- a shirt that you can use as a guide
- 1½ yards of knit flowy fabric
- matching thread
Batwing Sleeve Maternity Top Tutorial
Instructions:
MAKING THE PATTERN
1. Trace around the neckline, shoulder, and underarm part of your shirt that you’re using as a guide onto the pattern paper. Mark where the sleeves meet the shoulders and where the sleeves meet the armpits. I’m using a maternity shirt that I already own. This is just to give you something to start with as we’re going to adjust the sleeves and overall tunic shape.
Make some marks along the neckline and under the armpits from your shirt you are using as a guide.
2. Fold your pattern paper in half. We’re going to edit one half of it so we can make it even on both sides. Follow the orientation, or slant, of the shoulder and extend it to your desired length. I’m extending mine 13 ¾”. I want my sleeve to be 13″ long and the additional ¾” is for my seam allowance.
Extend the top of the sleeve out.
3. Now adjust the tunic shape along the side. I’m going to have mine sort of flare out from the bottom of the armpit. Bring it down to the desired length of your shirt.
Extend the side out an an angle.
4. Figure out how wide your want your sleeve to be at the end. A proper batwing sleeve becomes sort of fitted at the end, and I’m going to give my sleeve end a 13 ½” circumference. Make a right angle down from the sleeve end at half your desired sleeve circumference. Mine’s going to be 6 ¾”.
Make your sleeve end your desired length.
5. I’m going to make a mark along the side of the tunic 6″ down from the armpit and draw a straight line connecting the bottom of the sleeve end to that mark.
Extend a line from the bottom of the sleeve end at an angle down to the side of the shirt.
6. If desired, adjust your scoop neckline. I’m going to make mine looser fitting and cut the pattern out.
Adjust your neckline as desired, then cut out the finished pattern.
7. Make a second copy of the pattern. Since this is going to be the v-neck side, you only need to make a copy of half of the pattern. Adjust the neckline so that it’s a v-neck.
Make a second copy of the pattern, adjusting the back neckline so that it is a v-neck.
MAKING THE TOP
1. Pin/trace your pattern pieces onto the wrong side of your fabric. Make sure to orient the grain of the fabric so the stretch goes from side to side. Cut these out. You should have one piece for the scoop neck side of the shirt, and two pieces for the v-neck side of the top.
2. Right sides together, pin and sew across the top of each shoulder.
Sew across each shoulder.
3. Pin and sew along the bottom of each of the sleeves and down the sides of the tunic.
Sew up the bottoms of the sleeves and the sides.
4. Hem along the neckline of the shirt. The v-neckline should still be in two halves at this point.
Hem around the neckline.
5. Hem the sleeves.
Hem the sleeves.
6. Right sides together, sew the two half shirts together so that the v-neckline is formed.
Sew up the back so that the v-neckline is formed.
7. Hem along the bottom of the shirt.
Hem the bottom of the shirt.
Done! I hope you enjoyed my Batwing Sleeve Maternity Top Tutorial!