Maternity Clothing: Free Tutorials and Patterns Round Up

Rose is a full-time freelance writer who frequently writes about education, special education, DIY projects, food, Milwaukee, and more.

Check out diymaternity.com and make-baby-stuff.com! These are great resources for maternity clothing patterns.

• Tutorial Index: diymaternity.com
  Free patterns for shirts, dresses, skirts, nursing items, and more.
• Free Maternity Clothes Patterns
  Free maternity clothes patterns for wrap skirts, stretchy cotton skirts, maternity shirts and finding cheap maternity clothes.

As a 30 something female, I have had quite a few friends who have had babies during the past decade. As such, I have had a lot of friends who have been in the market for maternity clothing. There are a couple primary complaints that I've heard over and over again.

1) It's tough to find clothes that are reasonably priced.
2) it's tough to find clothes that are stylish.

After a number of these discussions, I got inspired to browse for DIY maternity clothing tutorials. I was blown away by what I found. Hopefully you will be, too. For those of you out there who are pregnant and are skilled at making your own clothing, you can save quite a lot of money by making some or most of your maternity clothing. The best part about the wealth of tutorials out there is that you can pick and choose what you like, resulting in some wonderful, stylish clothing that fits your body. Also, after you have read through a half a dozen or so patterns for the same type of maternity clothing, you will get an idea how these patterns work. This will allow you to start making your own alternations with regular clothing by following some of the basic maternity clothing guidelines.

No matter how much clothing you make, you will most likely still be in the market for some purchases as well. Here are a few tips to help you save on your maternity clothing purchases:

• Shop sales. You may find great, pricier items from Target or Motherhood Maternity that are marked way down.
• Shop out of season or at the end of season. Even if you're purchasing t-shirts as you head into fall or winter, you can still layer them with warmer pieces.
• Shop secondhand. Goodwill receives Target merchandise that doesn't sell. You may be able to find significantly discounted brand new maternity pieces from brands such as Liz Lange. Additionally, a lot of used maternity clothing is in excellent condition because women don't wear it for a long time.
• Shop garage / rummage sales and Craigslist. While you're hunting for used baby items, you may find some maternity clothing, too.
• Borrow clothing from similarly sized friends and family members. Again, most used maternity clothing is in good condition.

How to Make a Nursing Maternity Dress

Dress Patterns

• lil mama sews: Upcycled Maternity Dress from Men's Polo tutorial
  
• Make Mommy Happy 30 Minute Dress
  
• Big Buttons Dress Tutorial
  
• versus: Empire Waist Dress Tutorial with Guest Lindsay of The Cottage Home
  
• Me Sew Crazy: Maternity Week - Tiered Dress
  

DiY How To Make a Top from 2 Men's Shirts

Shirts / Tops Patterns

• homemade by jill: big tee to maternity tee refashion
  
• Laura's Blog: How to Sew Your Own Maternity Shirt by Altering a Non-Maternity Pattern
  
• Me Sew Crazy: Maternity Bib Halter Tank
  
• Presserfoot.com: Maternity or Not Frock : Materials
  
• I Make Stuff.: Big Ugly Shirt Refashioned into Maternity!
  
• Sewing for a Belly: The Ruched Maternity Tshirt mad mim
  

Make Your Own Maternity Jeans

Pants / Jeans Patterns

• Grosgrain: Maternity Pants Tutorial
  
• Modest Maven: Converted Maternity Pants Tutorial
  
• Staker Family Circus: My First Tutorial: Maternity Jeans
  
• CREATE STUDIO: Easy Maternity Jeans Tutorial
  
• Maternity dress pants conversion tutorial | Sew Paradise
  Yes, a dress pants tutorial! I know that no one ever has too much maternity formal wear.
• DIY Maternity Jeans with tutorial - CLOTHING
  
• Monkey See, Monkey Do!: Refashioning Pants into Maternity Shorts Part II
  

EGG Maternity Gathered Skirt - styled in a multitude of way

Skirt Patterns

• Mama Mia: Tutorial Tuesday: How to make an easy maternity skirt
  
• Maternity Skirt Tutorial See Mommy Sew
  
• homemade by jill: Refashioned Jeans to Maternity Skirt Tutorial
  
• Maternity Skirt + Tutorial ISLY | I Still Love You
  
• kojodesigns: kojotutorial: girly, ruffle-y maternity skirt
  

DIY for the Baby

• Smashed Peas and Carrots: Vinyl Tablecloth Changing Mat
  
• Sew Much Ado: Free diaper bag tutorial.
  
• Free Baby Clothes Patterns (make-baby-stuff.com)
  

Nursing Patterns

• megan nielsen design diary - The no sew nursing top solution
  
• Home Sweet Homebodies: Shirt to Nursing Shirt Refashions
  
• Crafterella: How to Make a Nursing Top Using T-Shirts
  

Check out Etsy for more patterns!

• maternity pattern on Etsy, a global handmade and vintage marketplace.
  

Belly Band Patterns

• How to make a no sew belly band | DIY maternity
  check out diymaternity.com for a sewn belly band pattern, too.
• Smashed Peas and Carrots: Stretch Knit Pregnancy Band Tutorial
  

How to Dress Casually When Pregnant

Are you looking for even more maternity clothing resources? Check this out!

• Getting Ready for Baby - Maternity Clothes
  One of the most fun things about being pregnant, besides being pregnant, and being treated with great regard, is going shopping for all the lovely maternity clothes.
• Where to Find Affordable, Stylish, Cute Maternity Clothes
  Where to find trendy, stylish maternity clothes? Cute clothes at affordable prices? Shop online at JCPenney, Kohls, Target, and WalMart, and save with use of promo codes.
• Maternity Clothes Guide - Affordable & Discount - Under $15
  Maternity clothes can be an expensive investment that you will wear for a short time. Therefore, you may want to purchase items which are discounted or on sale to save money. Here are a few options.

© 2011 Rose Clearfield

Comments

Rose Clearfield (author) from Milwaukee, Wisconsin on January 15, 2014:

Cyndi, nice! Good to get confirmation on Goodwill. Thanks!

Cynthia Calhoun from Western NC on January 15, 2014:

Yes, one of my favorite spots to find maternity clothing is Goodwill. I've eyed the racks for other mamas and told them where to find them. :)

Great hub! Enjoyed the read and I know this will help a lot of people.

srena on September 21, 2012:

Great post!!! When a women is pregnant is just like an Angel!!! I also love write about pregnant women... Some ideas of Pregnant Halloween costumes ideas...

Rose Clearfield (author) from Milwaukee, Wisconsin on July 06, 2012:

Thanks, Victoria! I appreciate the link!

Victoria Lynn from Arkansas, USA on July 06, 2012:

Incredible hub! so many resources. Thanks for linking my hub. Going to add yours to mine, too!

Rose Clearfield (author) from Milwaukee, Wisconsin on May 05, 2012:

That's great, Cotton Bags!

Cotton Bags on May 04, 2012:

I have been looking to build a good professional opinion on the topic. Your post got me a step further in the right direction. Many thanks :-)

Rose Clearfield (author) from Milwaukee, Wisconsin on May 04, 2012:

Thanks Cotton Bags!

Cotton Bags on May 04, 2012:

Better info on your blog than what I have seen so far elsewhere. Thanks for sharing and... Keep up the good work. I know from experience it's not always easy! :-).

Samantha on April 13, 2012:

I used this company Shaven Hippie through my pregnancy! They sell a whole kit to convert the clothes you already have. So much cheaper than maternity clothes!! www.ShavenHippie.com

Rose Clearfield (author) from Milwaukee, Wisconsin on February 21, 2012:

Thank YOU!

pregnancy dress on February 20, 2012:

Thanks!

Rose Clearfield (author) from Milwaukee, Wisconsin on February 07, 2012:

You are very welcome! Best of luck.

dobo700 from Australia on February 06, 2012:

Good advice, thanks for the tips. I will have to try some of these.

Rose Clearfield (author) from Milwaukee, Wisconsin on December 12, 2011:

Thank you! It definitely wouldn't hurt! There's no reason not to look good for yourself at home.

adultsearch from NYC, NYC on December 11, 2011:

Voted this up! This is really helpful. A friend of mine is contemplating on whether to just use her husband's old stretchy shirts or buy new ones. She's stay home but it wouldn't hurt to have some real maternity dresses, right? :)

Rose Clearfield (author) from Milwaukee, Wisconsin on November 03, 2011:

Thanks! Sounds good!

LucysMom on November 03, 2011:

I love this hub! I wish I had seen it when I was pregnant. I'll keep in mind for the future!

Rose Clearfield (author) from Milwaukee, Wisconsin on October 30, 2011:

Thanks! Honestly I don't sew a lot and will be more likely to take your method if I do get pregnant in the future. I think that most people are likely to use a combination of methods for acquiring maternity clothes so it's still important to keep things like that in mind.

Kitty Fields from Summerland on October 30, 2011:

Voted up and useful! Great patterns you have listed here. I wish I would've thought about sewing when I was pregnant...I'm pretty decent at it and I might've been able to save more $$$. What I did to save money was go to Ross, TJ Maxx, and Marshall's and find shirts that weren't maternity but were roomier and bought them a couple sizes larger than my own size so that they would fit over my belly. :) Great hub!

Rose Clearfield (author) from Milwaukee, Wisconsin on October 20, 2011:

Best wishes with your new baby! Please pass on the hub if you have friends/family who are pregnant. :)

kikalina from Europe on October 20, 2011:

Wish I read a hub like this earlier! Pity I have a 7 week old baby and do not think I will be wearing any maternity clothes any time soon!

Rose Clearfield (author) from Milwaukee, Wisconsin on October 01, 2011:

Thanks Prasetio and Htodd! Have a great weekend, too.

htodd from United States on October 01, 2011:

Great post....Great post

prasetio30 from malang-indonesia on September 30, 2011:

This was so beautiful and I'll show this to my sister. Thanks for share with us. Have a nice weekend!

Prasetio

Rose Clearfield (author) from Milwaukee, Wisconsin on September 30, 2011:

Yes, for sure! Thanks!

Sarah Carlsley from Minnesota on September 30, 2011:

These are great tips. Not many people know about target donating what doesn't sell to goodwill, but there's a lot of great stuff to be had because of it! Wonderful hub :) Very helpful!

Rose Clearfield (author) from Milwaukee, Wisconsin on September 28, 2011:

Thanks, I try! Hopefully it'll be me that needs this advice within the next couple years, and I'll be able to get something out of this research as well. Thank you!

Cloverleaf from Calgary, AB, Canada on September 27, 2011:

You're such a good friend to listen to all your pregnant friends' needs and share your findings in a hub. Well researched info and links. Great job, randomcreative! Voting up!

Rose Clearfield (author) from Milwaukee, Wisconsin on September 24, 2011:

I agree! A lot of the newer clothes today are much better than they used to be. Thanks!

Kimberly Schimmel from North Carolina, USA on September 24, 2011:

Maternity clothes are much cuter than they were twenty or thirty years ago! Great links to resouces.