Last Year's Dresses as Maternity Wear

I've recently re-worn a couple of the dresses I made last summer from vintage and repro patterns, and I thought I'd share how well they both work as maternity dresses, even though they weren't meant to be.

First is the 1970s Wrap Dress.  Since my first blog post on it, I removed the skirt lining and added narrow elastic to the bodice front edges to prevent gapping at the neckline.  Here is the dress as worn last summer:

I am so glad I altered the pattern to make it a true wrap dress, because here is how it looks on me now:

If I had made it as a faux-wrap dress like the pattern called for, it would not still fit me.  Plus I would have had to sew a zipper.  :p

As it is, the dress is still very comfortable, and I think it's still pretty cute!

I was also quite pleased with my hair on this particular day:

The second dress I just realized I could still wear is my 1960s Shift Dress.  Here it is as I wore it last summer:

On a whim I decided to throw it on, and here's how it fits now:

The fabric has a nice drape that lends itself to accommodating my expanded figure without looking stretched.  It's still easy to wear, though I felt more comfortable with yoga pants on underneath since my belly does raise the hem a bit.

Also, how great are these earrings?  I did not have this dress in mind when I bought them, but don't they look like they were made for it?

I bought them at a fashion show fundraiser for Bella Haven, which is a home in India that provides housing and education to young girls at risk of human trafficking.  The earrings were made by girls who live at the house.  They are made from rolls of paper, so they are quite lightweight.  I enjoy big earrings, but not ones that hurt to wear.