Yup…I’m pregnant! My husband and I are expecting a little boy, due two days before our first wedding anniversary in August! Since I’m tall, long in the waist, and its my first pregnancy I don’t have much of a bump at this point (my doctor said not to expect much of one until around 23-26 weeks), but my waist has thickened quite a bit (3-4″ larger than before I got pregnant) and while they are still big on me, maternity pants feel far more comfortable right now.
Background
The Style Arc Andy is a slim leg maternity pants pattern…basically the maternity version of the Style Arc Elle. They are the type of maternity pants that go over the belly and have a stretchy waistband panel. Almost like a built-in belly band.
I struggled a lot during my first trimester, and all I could do was focus on basic survival. I spent sooo much time in bed feeling awful. If I didn’t know I was pregnant I would be convinced that I was terminally ill. Some women seem to love pregnancy and just breeze right through it. I am not one of those women. You could not pay me enough to be a surrogate. Unisom + B6 helped a lot with the motion sickness and nausea, but I still felt terrible. I have no idea how some women successfully hide it from everyone for months, because I looked and felt like such a wreck I had to disclose to a few people at my job very early on. Of course numerous older women in my life would take one look at me and accurately guess right away what was going on!
Due to the hormones, inactivity from feeling so exhausted/weak/dizzy, and eating way too many carbs every 2-3 hours because of food aversions and nausea, I gained 10-15 pounds during my first trimester. (I never realized just how active I was before!) Very little of my original wardrobe was suitable at this point. I have never had an easy time buying RTW pants but I was so exhausted and bloated and needed something to wear to work and out in public. I ended up buying and then returning a ton of RTW because most of what I bought fit really badly, making me feel even more frumpy and awkward. It seems that 99% of pregnancy-friendly “pants” are just leggings and sweatpants, and I really wanted pants that looked like regular pants. Once I was in my second trimester and starting having some almost-normal days again I started working on getting back my strength and making plans for sewing again! I still haven’t gotten that second trimester “burst of energy” they talk about, but life is definitely starting to feel a bit easier and more “normal” again. I feel fortunate that I was able to easily conceive and everything looks good so far (despite being considered high risk due to “advanced maternal age” and “elderly primigravida”). He’s bouncing around in there like a happy little puppy, completely oblivious to all the chaos he’s causing!
Materials
The fabric I used for the pants was a navy viscose double knit/ponte from Gorgeous Fabrics that’s been sitting in my stash since 2016. The pattern description says it is for stretch wovens, but ponte is structured enough to work as well. In my opinion the slight vertical stretch makes it work even better.
For the waistband I used a nylon/lycra activewear knit from Fabric Mart, purchased way back in 2015.
These pants are extremely wash and wear friendly. One of the best things about making your own clothing is you can treat the fabric thoroughly before sewing with it. I washed on warm and dried on high to get rid of as much shrinkage as possible, and the fabric is no worse for the wear. SO much of my RTW ends up shrinking despite carefully following the care instructions…one pair of pants from Amazon seemed to fit ok, then shrunk 2-3″ in the length after being washed on cold! I’ve found this problem has gotten significantly worse since the pandemic. Maybe manufacturers are taking more shortcuts now.
For the waistband elastic I used a 5/8″ wide black buttonhole elastic from Cleaner’s Supply, along with a 3/8″ navy button.
My husband noticed that the fabrics don’t match in color (the waistband is lighter than the pants) but this seems very common in RTW maternity pants. These maternity pants are over $200 and they have a very different color waistband. My shirts will cover it anyway. I’m just thrilled to have something that is machine washable, long enough, good quality, and will still fit in a couple of months…and they cost me only $26 to make. The only $30 and under maternity pants I’ve found online are either polyester or leggings, and none of them come in tall sizes either.
Fit
Fitting adjustments were as follows:
- I used a size 14 for the waist/back yoke, then tapered out to a size 16 at the hip/thigh/leg
- Removed 3/8″ length from the upper part of the front crotch curve
- Added 1/2″ to the upper back crotch curve
- Added 2″ width to the leg opening, making these more of a slim straight leg rather than a true slim leg
- Added 1.5″ to the length. Due to the vertical as well as horizontal stretch of my fabric, I ended up removing 1.25″ after hemming and left them a tiny bit on the long side just in case if there’s any future shrinkage. Yet when I compared them to the paper pants pattern after sewing, they were still a bit longer. I think the fabric relaxed a bit during construction.
You probably noticed from the photos that waistband is rather loose at this point, and the back waist is definitely a bit baggy, but I’m reluctant to mess with it as I am sure I will be filling it out in the not so distant future.
Construction
I made this entirely on my sewing machine, and then hemmed them using my coverstitch machine.
I chose to go with the buttonhole elastic option for the waistband. I am not entirely happy with it as it is soft so it tends to roll when taking the pants on and off, but at the same time I like how it is going to allow for plenty of adjustment as my body continues to grow. When I sewed the buttonholes in the inner back waistband I used a lightweight cut-away stabilizer on the wrong side of the fabric and trimmed it away afterward. It worked out great! When making the waistband elastic casing I traced a line 5/8″ away from the folded edge of the fabric with chalk, then used a 3.5mm length and 2.5mm width zigzag stitch to create the casing, making sure the edge of the zigzag stitch just hit the chalk marking. I went with a zigzag instead of a cover stitch because despite my waist getting much thicker I’m still pear shaped and wanted the extra stretch for getting over my hips and thighs. A cover stitch stretches, but a zigzag gives more durability and stretchiness.
I found there’s one mistake with this pattern. The front crotch curve has only a 1/4″ seam allowance, but every other seam allowance on this pattern is 3/8″. Not a big deal to fix, but just something to be aware of.
This pattern has a faux fly. I did a double line of topstitching for the fly, and then a single line of topstitching 1/8″ away from the edge for the front and back crotch curve. I topstitched 1/4″ away from the edge for both the upper edge of the yoke and the outer side seams. (I pushed the seam allowance towards the front when I topstitched the outer side seams, instead of to the back. This helped with some of the bulk created by the back yoke). The topstitching at the outer side seam helped make sure those side seams stay very flat and in place.
When I attached the waistband to the pants I used a 4.0mm length and 2.5mm width zigzag stitch. I pushed the seam allowance up towards the lycra and topstitched in place fairly close to the seam line, again using a 4.0mm length and 2.5mm width zigzag stitch. Then I trimmed the seam allowance after stitching.
Conclusion
I LOVE THESE PANTS. I’ve got two more pairs in black ponte cut out and ready to sew. They’re a cinch to make and I feel so much better having them to wear. They’re slim without being tight and pair well with looser fitting untucked dress shirts (my go-to work style right now). There’s so few modern maternity pants patterns on the market, and I am so grateful to Style Arc for offering this pattern. Highly recommend it to the other pregnant ladies out there!
Clothing Engineer 
Congratulations Anne! What happy, happy news you bring to us. Thanks for sharing it as well as the details of your pants. As usual with your makes, they fit & flatter you perfectly.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Congratulations on your baby and glad you are feeling better.
I have missed reading your detailed, well-written posts and delighted you are back. You are truly a sewing “engineer, ” someone we can learn something from.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Congratulations but sorry to hear you are feeling so unwell. Your pants fit so well, I struggle to fit pants. Best wishes for the rest of your pregnancy as you prepare to welcome your little boy.
LikeLike
Thanks! They claim pregnancy isn’t a disability, but I have sure felt disabled…!
I find that using a good ponte does wonders for not only comfort, but fit. I also love the ease of wash and wear, no ironing required aside from a quick blast with some steam. I am all about making life easier these days!
LikeLike
Congratulations -on the baby, not the pants…or….well, both of them, actually. BTW, WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!?
LikeLike
Living life offline…since last June I got engaged, married, moved, and now I’m pregnant! I spent this fall settling into married life and had all these great sewing projects lined up for my Christmas break…I finally had a sewing space with plenty of room to work in…and then I was too sick and miserable to do anything 🤷♀️
LikeLiked by 1 person
It is so good to hear from you!!! I have missed your amazingly detailed and informative pattern reviews. I read every word of your maternity pant review – even though i will never need them. They are gorgeous blue pants. Glad you are feeling up to sewing and moving through your second semester with fewer sick days. Congratulations on your marriage and pregnancy!!! Sounds like you are really happy!! Hope to hear more pattern reviews from you and updates on baby. Are you still teaching?
LikeLike
Thank you! I just work at an independent school as staff, not as faculty. I’m so glad I don’t have a public facing role. I have no idea how people who have long commutes and physically/mentally demanding jobs like RN in a hospital manage. Anytime I tried to “just push through” I would end up in even worse shape the next day. It wasn’t like lack of sleep fatigue, it felt like I was heavily drugged and no amount of earlier bedtimes and naps seemed to make it go away! Only thing that made it better was time. My doctor is like yeah, pregnancy is pretty awful! He did warn me that a lot of women have a really hard time in the first trimester and unfortunately I ended up being one of them.
LikeLike
Such happy news! We just had grandson number two 10 days ago. Those wee ones are so sweet. Congratulations!
LikeLike
Congrats to you as well!
LikeLike
Congratulations! I hope it is smooth sailing for you from here on. The pants look terrific on you! I love, love, love Style Arc’s pants patterns. The owner told me they worked for years to get the basic “slope” all the pants are based on just right, and I believe it!
LikeLike
Their crotch curve is remarkably similar to RTW. Everyone loves to go on and on about Burda but I’ve found Style Arc has the upper hand for pants, especially stretch pants. Lands’ End used to make the Starfish Bootcut pant (which I loved because it was an amazing fit on me) but after they stopped manufacturing it I had to start making my own again. I used the Style Arc Linda as my base pattern and modified it based on a pair of the Starfish Bootcut. The crotch curve was remarkably similar, just needed to add a bit of height to the back crotch curve and remove some height from the front.
LikeLike
Congratulations! Sorry to hear you’ve been hit so hard, and hope you continue to feel better as the weeks go on. It was lovely to have you back in my inbox, and (presumably) happy to be blogging again.
Cheers, Vanessa (King)
LikeLike
Just a fact of life I guess. It is a lot more physically demanding that I anticipated, but fortunately I have a lot of social support in my life. My parents are in their 80s and my mom was running over with food for me and my husband on a couple of the days when I was too much of a mess to cook!
LikeLike
Congratulations Ann!!! This is just the best news!! I haven’t been following sewing blogs for a few years and I missed your regular posts long before that. So, it was such a surprise to get your email just now – a lovely surprise that is!!
I wish you all the best for the arrival of your little boy and I know you will have fun making clothes for him.
Best wishes to you Annette (Australia)
>
LikeLike
Thank you! I happen to have a Jalie onesie pattern in my stash and wanted to make a cute coming home from the hospital outfit, but I’m not sure what size to make as my family tends to produce large babies. I was a ten pound baby and my mom said I was wearing 3 month old clothing from birth!
LikeLike
Congratulations! Your new pants look brilliant, and I hope the remainder of your pregnancy goes smoothly for you.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Congratulations, so good to find you in my email this morning. Do hope your pregnancy health improves so you can enjoy the experience. Always appreciate/enjoy your well written, detailed posts. All the Best to You and Yours.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Congratulations! Yes, it was great seeing your email this morning. I have really missed you on line and all of your great detailed instructions and how to’s on tricky sewing techniques.
All the best on your marriage and new baby.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Congratulations and many blessings to you and family.
LikeLike
Congratulations! Yeah, I remember when I was the ripe old age of 29 and pregnant and being told we were designed to be done with childbearing by our thirties…I mean, I guess I was, but so many women aren’t even married yet by then! I do wonder if it’s more of a difference if you are still having kids vs it being your first though. I know lots of very large families that they were still safely having babies in their late 30s and early 40s. Anyway, glad you are feeling better, and you must be feeling great, since you had the energy to make a fantastic pair of maternity pants! 🤯👍
LikeLike
I come from a long line of “broodmares.” My female ancestors were quite prolific. One of my great-grandmothers had her last (of 15 kids, 14 of which survived to adulthood) at the age of 48! And this was an impoverished woman living in a tenement apartment during the 1930s, long before the age of fertility treatments and good prenatal care. My mom had her last (me) at 43 and the doctor admitted to her after she gave birth to me “you’re my oldest patient, but also my healthiest.” An old friend of mine worked as an ultrasound tech for high risk pregnancies and one of her patients was a devout Catholic woman that married for the first time at 50, and conceived on her wedding night! From what I remember the pregnancy and birth went well and she had a perfectly healthy baby. I often wondered if it would make a difference for me starting out much later in life than all of them (I’m turning 38 in a month), but I guess not! I honestly think a lot of these fertility “truths” just have a lot of misogyny behind them and its just dusty old dudes loudly trying to justify their attraction to much younger women.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Somehow I’m just seeing this now — belated congratulations! And this is a fascinating comment from you. Lots to think about! Great stories! Wow!
LikeLike
Aww congratulations what lovely news!
LikeLiked by 1 person
So many congratulations for you and your husband! I am happy that your life is going well, and perhaps the next part of your pregnancy will give you a clue about what those ‘other women’ talk about. All the best to you!!
LikeLike
It seems to have a wide variation. I just talked to some women who were like “I felt incredible the entire time! I had so much energy” But the others told me they had nausea the entire pregnancy and really struggled with everyday life. Still others told me that one pregnancy was awful and the next not as bad. Like a lot of parenthood, there’s no guarantees and you often don’t have as much control as you would like. I’m just happy that I’m finally starting to have some good days!
LikeLike
So excited to see a post from you today! I HAVE MISSED THEM. And then all the other happy, happy news you shared…a new family. How awesome. 🙂 Your body type will probably wear this pattern perfectly for the entire pregnancy, glad to see you already have more lined up. Ponte is the best for comfort in bottoms. Anyway, hope it continues to get better and you have the experience of a healthy first pregnancy as we only get it once. All the best and hope you continue to feel like sharing with all of us sewists that follow your makes.
LikeLike
I probably won’t be wearing these the entire pregnancy because I’ll be in my third trimester during the entire summer and will probably switch to flowy dresses at that point. Normally I am all about cinched waists and smooth tailoring, but this year I’m loving the boxy jackets, big shirts, and loose dresses! But I feel much better knowing I have these ready to wear for the rest of winter into spring, not to mention during postpartum.
LikeLike
So many congratulations on both your marriage and your “soon to be” little one!
The days will be long, but the years will be short ❤️
Cynthia
LikeLike
I remember a woman I worked with a while ago said “the daily grind can be grueling, especially when they are really young, but it really is over in the blink of an eye.” Her kids were in their late teens at that point.
LikeLike
Yea! A baby! Looking forward to creations not only for you but also baby engineer
LikeLike
I’m married to a software engineer and sister to a chemical/metallurgy engineer and a mechanical engineer, so I won’t be surprised with that DNA if he grows up to become some sort of engineer himself!
LikeLike
Congratulations on the baby. And that you’re feeling better!
! . Always Great to see a post from you.
LikeLike
Thank you! The past 2.5 months have been brutal but I’m finally starting to emerge out of the fog.
LikeLike
IN Australia the RTW pants is $395, wow . Congratulations, its lovely to hear from you. Miss your posts.
LikeLike
Yikes! I guess there’s not a huge market for maternity clothes at any given point so they don’t have the economy of scale. No wonder why so many people throw up their hands and stick to things like leggings.
LikeLike
Congratulations, Anne! I’m very happy for you. I’m glad you’re feeling better.
The last two posts (wedding dress and these pants) just made me miss you more. I’ve learned so much about fitting from your posts. The smallest adjustments here and there add up to a great fit and you are very good at it. You’ve always been great about sharing your supply sources.
I wish you and your young family the best!
Sue Jacobson
LikeLiked by 1 person
Congratulations Anne and wishing you all the very best.
It’s always a pleasure to read your engaging and informative posts. I missed your wedding post and have just caught up with that too, it was great to hear from you again.
LikeLiked by 1 person
So happy for you and your husband. Very best wishes to you. And your pants look great!
LikeLike
Many congratulations to you and your husband Anne! Great to hear that you’re now feeling better than during your first trimester. I too was an ‘elderly primigravida’ (first child at 34, second child at almost 39) and so are many of my friends. Great to see you posting on your blog again – your reviews are always beautifully detailed (and sewing is always beautifully done).
LikeLike
Thank you! I still don’t have my original endurance, but things are finally getting better and life is starting to feel a bit more normal again rather than a huge daily struggle. I feel like my creativity has been rejuvenated!
LikeLike
Congratulations Anne to you and your hubby, we are so thrilled to hear that you are expecting.
Loving reading your posts again and seeing your work.
All the very best.
Love Liz & Lyn and all @SA
LikeLike
Well hello there! You’ll be hearing from me again soon!
LikeLike
Congratulations!
LikeLike