Hello everyone, I’m so sorry for the big gap since my last post on here. Whilst this little space on the internet has been gathering more dust that Miss Havisham’s banquet table I have been busy moving to a little chalet bungalow in the woods and making it to the halfway mark of my first pregnancy! What with various ‘new- house issue’s and the extreme tiredness that seems to have come hand in hand with making this little person I haven’t really had my brain in a nice calm creative place conducive to much sewing or blogging. On the plus side the hubby and I are now experts on septic tanks, gas tanks and dodgy water pressure! We love our new little house and are very happy to be starting our family here in the fresh air!
I will be back very soon with the final installation of Fun With Fit for any of you who have been patiently waiting for it but first I thought I would share my first maternity make with you all.
Excuse the slight crumpledness, its made from a lovely softer than soft cotton batiste that feels like the well loved cotton of a vintage dress but does get a little wrinkly when worn, to me the feel of the stuff it is totally worth it. I bought this fabric from The Cotton Patch and embroidered it on my beloved husqvarna.
I used Mettler 60 wt cotton thread and coats 50wt cotton for the embroidery as they give a much less shiny, more hand-worked look than the more commonly used rayon embroidery threads.
This is a slghtly altered version of the first sewing pattern I have released which is the Emmeline tee. I made this more baby-bump friendly simply by slashing and spreading the width of the hem, I took photos as I did this and will do a tutorial soon as its exactly the same alteration one would perform for wider hips or a fuller tummy. As my bump grows a different alteration will be required for patterns like this where the front is lengthened in order for the hem to remain parallel to the floor despite the bump pulling the fabric up. This works for the time being though as the baby really isn’t huge yet I just seem to be rapidly expanding all over because I cant stop baking biscuits…!
I also added a back yoke to this particular tee, partly as it made the embroidery I wanted to add to the back look a bit more at home and partly because I didn’t have enough fabric to cut the back out in one piece!
Emmeline is now available in printed form as well as PDF which I am so happy about as I know a lot of people (myself included) prefer this to printing out and sticking together all those pages. For a chance to receive a free copy just make sure you are following me either on facebook or instagram and pop a comment below, I will pick a reader at random! 🙂
After a few tangles in the brambles and a run in with his first tick Gatsby has well and truly adjusted to life as a country pooch and is delighted with his new garden 🙂
Thanks for reading
74 responses to “A house in the country, a baby bump and a giveaway.”
I love it! The emmeline tee pattern is on my ‘to get’ list so would love to win one! x
This is lovely Ami! How fab to be able to make your own maternity clothes x glad I’m not the only one eating too many biscuits! It’s been crisps and cheese for me too x
Welcome to the countryside, the ticks have been horrendous already this year!!!! Loving the embroidery!!!
Xx
I had my first baby 8 days ago and i’m excited for you 🙂 all the best xxxx
Can’t wait to see what little makes you end up creating for your new little one!
Great top would love to win the pattern.
I would love to win this pattern – I keep your card safely in my sewing basket as my inspiration, I would love to be half as good as you one day! I’m sure that you and the family will be very happy in your new country house, I cant wait to see the beautiful baby clothes that you will be making soon 🙂
Really love this especially your embroidery.
I’m 36 weeks pregnant…. looking forward to sewing again once baby is here and I’m less uncomfortable! Congratulations and best wishes to your pregnancy! Xx
You look lovely! I’m expecting around the same time with my first! Congratulations! Excited for the maternity alterations tutorial.
what a lovely ’emmeline’! I would have never thought you didn’t do the embroidery by hand (I heard you never sleep!). You truly have a gift for designing…any person who can make more than two types of any pattern and have them look totally different, is talented! Can’t wait to see all the cute baby clothes you come up with! Congrats on all the great things that are happening in your life!
Congratulations! Love your top!
no need to apologize. I was five months into my First pregnancy before I came up for air. As always, Ami, your taste is exquisite! Congrats on your upcoming little one. You are about to experience a love like no other!
Congratulations! Moving into the last month of my second pregnancy, I can assure you that making a human is exhausting work. Any little thing you can do to ease your burdens is well worth it. I love the cross-stitching on this top!
congrats! congrats! How exciting. I just adore the embroidery. It’s very Swedish feeling to me. It looks fab on you. I agree with you on muted, flat over shiny threads. Definitely looks hand embroidered. Look forward to whatever fun you share blogging as time and energy allows. Rest up!
Congratulations on your baby bump, and the move. I love this top. It’s so pretty and crisp. I love seeing your makes for the pretty details you include.
Fantastic adaptation, beautiful embroidery.
Lovely to see you looking so serene in your embroidered Emmeline Tee – you seem to have adapted very quickly to your Country Mouse phase – congratulations again on the baby.
Congratulations three-fold; on your growing bump, on such a beautiful top and the Emmeline in printed format. I’d love to win a pattern please x I am now following you on Instagram too x
Congrats Ami, I was excited to see your new post in my inbox this morning…..you have been missed!!!
Maternity top is lovely.
Welcome back! I must admit I had started worrying about you. Big congratulations on both the new house and the bump.
Aash – septic tanks and dodgy water pressure – I know them well. I am well acquainted with ticks too. When we moved to France from the U.K. I was horrified by them – they are much more common here than where we lived before. I realised the usual flea treatment was useless against ticks and had to change brands and buy some specially shaped tweezers that make removing them easier if they manage to get attached. Yuck!
I see you are progressing through pregnancy looking graceful and charming as ever. I hope the tiredness abates soon as you might not get much time to catch up on sleep afterward! 😉
I adore this top! I really hope you post some tutorials on more maternity sewing!
You’re looking love with a bump I must say!
Congratulations again on the house and baby x
Stunning simple country style. Just love the gorgeous embroidery. Where can I buy Mettler 60wt thread? I live in Australia and I will possibly need to buy it over the net.
Congratulations! And gosh, that embroidery is beautiful. Would love to be in with a chance of winning the pattern, thank you for the giveaway.
Wow! The pattern looks beautiful and the embroidery is stunning! I would love tho win that pattern because I’m trying to make more clothes that I can wear daily. (to many dresses not enough casual tops)
Congratulations my random picker chose you! Looking forward to sending you an Emmeline pattern! Send me your address on an email and I will pop it in the mail. ami@amelialoeden.co.uk Happy sewing!
Congratulations! That’s very exciting news. I’m pregnant too (32 weeks) and wishing I could wear elasticated everything all the time right now! That embroidery is great, I’m very jealous of your machine!
How lovely and massive congratulations to you both.
Beautiful top and so pretty with the embroidery – followed on both Facebook and Twitter 🙂
the countryside looks lovely…as does your little top
I don’t do Facebook or Instagram, but I’d like to congratulate you anyway! Your top is lovely.
Beautiful! You always make such lovely, delicate things – I am always envious (in a nice way!)! I’d love to know more about your embroidery machine. I’d also love a nosey in your new country house – please do share some photos with us!!! It sounds lovely.
Hope all is going well with your pregnancy – you look fantastic. I am on the final count-down…37 weeks!! Eek!
Oh, and I’d love to win a copy of your pattern 🙂
Your embroidery looks stunning on this woven tee. How cool to make your own maternity pieces. Great prize for the giveaway!
Oh, how lovely! Congratulations on everything – the baby, the country move, the gorgeous top – you are glowing:) and Gatsby looks super happy too – not surprisingly….
Gorgeous embroidery! Would love to win the pattern as it looks really versatile. How lovely to have moved to such a pretty place in time for bumps arrival 🙂
You look so beautiful!
I love the pattern 🙂
While my treatments are no closer to getting me pregnant I hope I look half as good as you do when something works!
<3
Congratulations Ami – so much going on for you and you’re still managing to create such lovely garments. The embroidery is gorgeous and the colours are perfect. I’ve got my pattern and fabrics but have yet to make a start – hope to next week though. Pregnancy is a wonderful time Ami and with such an incredible gift at the end. Hope you get some time to put your feet up.
Such a gorgeous top Ami. You are so talented. Congratulations on your pregnancy, so exciting for you. You will be a yummy mummy! Very best wishes for a wonderful life in the country. it is the best :). Gilly
Huge congratulations on your baby bump and new home x
Congratulations on your first pregnancy. I love what you’ve done with the top and would love to make one like it for my daughter who is expecting her first child on Halloween!! Thank you for the giveaway.
What exquisite embroidery, and I love the fact that you’ve made it look soft and vintage. So, so gorgeous x
Congratulations! You look stunning and its nice to see you back 🙂
congratulations! Although I will confess of guessed from your Pinterest 🙂 you must be due just before me (I’m nearly 16 weeks… Eek, where did that go!) looking forward to seeing some more gorgeous maternity styles that I can steal from you!
Beautiful top! I really enjoy seeing all your versions in different fabrics and styles. Your new home sounds so lovely! Enjoy this special time in your life.
Congratulations on your pregnancy! The embroidery on your top is gorgeous. I look forward to reading the blog post on how to alter the top for a bump as i’m 25 weeks and would love to make some maternity tops.
Congrats on the baby, and the house. Can’t wait to hear of your country adventures!
Ami, Congrats!! A lot of new and exciting news in your life, it all sounds wonderful. Don’t worry about the blog, just enjoy!
great pattern, would be perfect to get me ready for summer
Congratulations on both the little one and the maternity top! Couldn’t help but wonder if the color of the beautiful embroidery is a clue to the gender of the baby. 😀
Ami glad to see you’re back. I was wondering what happened to you. Big congrats to you & hubby on new home but especially new baby. I adored being pregnant with both my babies, it’s a wonderful but all too brief time in your life. Treasure every minute and think of all the new stuff you can sew.best of luck with your new life and keep us all posted. PS I’m still enjoying the sewing
How wonderful a little one on the way… A new house, and ticks are just the nastiest things… Poor Gatsby 🙁 Life is but a dream…..
Ami glad to see you’re back. Big. Congrats to you & hubby on new home but especially new baby. I adored being pregnant with both my babies, it’s a wonderful but all too brief time in your life. Treasure every minute & think of all the new stuff you can sew. Best wishes. X PS I’m still loving the sewing
Goodness that embroidery is lovely. How do you do it?
Congratulations on your wonderful news!
I recently received your pattern and can’t wait to make it! I treated myself to a lovely liberty print fabric. It’s so nice to see it made up in different fabrics.
I’m new to following peoples blogs as well as sewing and must say I love your blog and useful tips.
Thank you and good luck with baby and new home.
Happy that you are well and very great to hear that you are thriving with 2 major life changes!
I hope you new home is a lovely as your last home appeared to be.
All the best
J
congratulations on your pregnancy, this is a beautiful maternity top, and im excited to see any baby items you
make if the future. i would love a emmeline tee pattern as just started sewing myself and would love to attempt clothing 🙂
Love this, it’s very pretty. I’d love to win a copy, and already follow you on IG.
Congratulations my random picker chose you! Looking forward to sending you an Emmeline pattern! Send me your address on an email and I will pop it in the mail. ami@amelialoeden.co.uk Happy sewing!
I would love to win this, it’s looks such a lovely versatile design.
Many congratulations on your pregnancy, I love that you’re customising your own maternity wear and can’t wait to see what baby clothes you make 🙂
So beautiful! I love the embroidery on the tee. Congratulations and welcome back to blogland!
Just received my Emmeline Tee paper pattern and I have to say, it’s simply lovely. Clearly a lot of thought and love has gone into both the pattern design and the way it’s packaged. One to treasure! In fact that’s probably the main reason to trace it before use.
But, oh where to begin? A knit, a crepe de chine? I think that’s something for me to ponder over a glass of wine tonight.
And congratulations on your pregnancy. I hope you get time to make a few maternity dresses as you will definitely be grateful that you did in a few weeks’ time. I think the best thing I did was to buy two metres of Liberty lawn and just drape a sort of shift dress with room for bump and it was just what I needed to get me through the hot summer – there comes a point when you just can’t be doing with trousers any more…
Wow! That embroidery! It’s gorgeous!
Congratulations to you both. The top is lovely especially with the embroidery that you have done on it. Will be ordering mine soon. Can’t wait to see what you make next.
Congratulations. Beautiful embroidery on your top.
Congratulations and welcome back to the blog. Beautiful top and love the embroidery.
Hi Ami. I have been following your facebook,Instagram and blog and was very excited to hear about your pregnancy. I have been working my way through your block pattern as I am very petite with very narrow shoulders so making my own block has been fantastic. Thank you. I love everything that you post from pictures of Gatsby to pics of your woolly socks. Keep up the good work, we all appreciate your commitment to your blog. Dawn
Dear Ami,
Congratulations to your first pregnancy!! I know it is a feeling you almost can’t describe. I’m now 18 weeks pregnant with my first child, so your maternity version of the Emmeline Tee comes excactly in the right moment! As does the printed version so I can order it from Germany…
Hope you are both well 🙂
Kathi
Congratulations! And you look so lovely in your modified Emmeline. I could have really used your tutorials last year when I was expecting. So hard to find good maternity clothing.
I’ve been stalking this pattern for ages and would love to win the paper version!
Congratulations on your bump. Love the top, the embroidery is exquisite.
Really love your style 🙂 the embroidery is so pretty on this! I’d love to win the pattern – would make a sequin top and some silk versions for work!
I love your embroidered version – I’d love to win the pattern and see what I could come up with as it looks like a very versatile design.
Congrats on your pregnancy and moving to the country! Hubby and I hope to be buying our little country paradise soon as well! Your embroidered tee is lovely. I would love to win this pattern as I need more basic but customizable designs in my pattern arsenal.
congratulations! Lovely top too 😉
Looks like a lovely warm weather wardrobe addition! Congratulations!
What a great time in your life! Great custom blouse to wear for years…a new very versatile, easy to sew pattern on the market.. new house in the country where you will have many many years of holidays, special days and creative days…and a new little one…just think of all the fun new sewing! Congrats on everything! K