Ok, so am I a little obsessed with Dear Stella’s Confetti Sparkle line?  Yes, maybe I am.  This is the last of 3 projects I’ve made (so far) with their beautiful metallic gold dot fabric, and look at that, it’s for me!  (see Yuki and Kaya’s holiday dresses here)

The pattern is from Anna Maria Horner’s book, Handmade Beginnings: 24 Sewing Projects to Welcome Baby (affiliate link).  The book has lots of sewing projects for little ones, but it’s also got its fair share of patterns for expecting and nursing moms.  This top is called the Mariposa Dress and Tunic and is perfect for breastfeeding.  It can be made as a maternity top/dress or not.  I’d been looking for some tops that worked well for nursing and was excited to try this one, especially after seeing this beautiful dress by Miriam of Mad Mim and this fun top by Meg of Sew Liberated.

I thought it would be fun to make something dressy enough for the holidays but casual enough to wear comfortably while caring for (and nursing) my baby.  The glamorous Confetti Sparkle in Cream as a Mariposa tunic turned out to be the perfect combination.

I generally stuck to the pattern in size medium/large, but made some adjustments for fit.  I ended up taking the bodice in a little and adding some tiny gathers to the front skirt piece.  The top crosses in front and wraps around and ties in the back.  A bit of elastic in the back also helps bring the top in under the bust.  You can also tie it in the front, but I prefer it in the back.

There is a modesty panel as well that makes nursing, well, more modest.  Somehow my modesty panel doesn’t fit perfectly – mostly because of the adjustments I made to the bodice – but it also seems a bit long, so if I make this top again, I’ll have to shorten the “straps” of the panel.

I haven’t actually tried nursing in this top, but I imagine it will work quite well.  I love that I can feel dressy and comfortable at the same time.

As Christmas quickly approaches I feel like my “to do” list is getting longer and longer.  I hate how this season sometimes ends up feeling a bit stressful, but it’s always worth it.  I’m looking forward to a lot of fun family time, which is really the best part of the holiday season for me.  Whether you celebrate Christmas or not, I wish you all peace and love as we close out another year.  I’m very much looking forward to a new year – new adventures with my family and more sewing and more blogging!  Very best wishes to each and every one of you!  What are you looking forward to in 2014?