Spring Tops

I've been busy sewing a few tops for myself in these last few weeks.

There is a reason, you see, I'm carrying a sweet little surprise in my tummy (yay!) and wasn't ready to announce it publicly until two weeks ago.  So, some spring tops that hide a growing middle section were in order.

I started with Made By Rae's Spring Ruffle Top tutorial and I made a few modifications to it.  This gal made some perfect changes - eliminating the ruffle sleeves, minimizing some of the pleats and reducing some of the flare.  So, I followed her lead and made the same modifications.  I also ran across this picture on Pinterest and loved the style so much!  So, for this first top I just have one giant pleat in the middle.

Can you see it?  It's a little hard to notice with the pattern.  I may try this version again in a plain fabric.  I love the style - it's conservative in the top and hides a belly (whether pregnant or not!).  Plus, tank tops are a must around here in the summer time.  So, I'll try again with linen, I think.

Anyway, here's another version too.

This time I added just as many pleats as Rae suggests in her tutorial in the front.  I did eliminate the pleats from the back, though.

This fabric was on sale at Joanns  few years ago and I was so drawn to it.  I'm glad I picked it up because the color works well for me, I think.  Plus, it's a lovely voile type fabric that drapes so well.  I wish I had more! 

Here's the style of the top without the cardigan. 

I asked Jesse to take these photos of me outside.  Ha!  That poor man puts up with so much.  I did four outfit changes during that session so I could show these tops off.  It's not like he did it with a good attitude though, so I won't give him too much credit.

This little top I found on Pinterest.  What a great find!  Here's the tutorial over at Make It And Love It.

This one has become a quick favorite.  I found this nice coral/red interlock knit at Joanns and it's just perfect.  I love the stretchiness, the weight - fabulous.  This shirt came together in about an hour.  I very much recommend this tutorial if you need a quick addition to your closet.

Last, but not least, is a Circle Top.  I think I came across this tutorial over at Sweet Lemonayde when I was googling for spring top tutorials a month or two ago.

This one is like a circle skirt made into a top.  It requires only three seams total!  Very simple, and again, not a bad addition to the closet for a very small amount of fabric and time.

I'll probably do this one again, but I'll make the sleeves much longer - maybe long enough to hit the elbow.  It doesn't feel short when I'm wearing it, but after looking at this picture it's bugging me a little.

I submitted the coral dolman and the brown circle top into Made By Rae's Spring Top Sewalong - of course I added them at the last minute on the very last day!  It's my first bloggy sewalong contribution.  It was fun to enter and be apart of the group.  Over 400 people submitted tops this year.  If you need some inspiration for spring or summer tops the Flickr group is chock full of great ideas.

By the way, the pregnancy is going well.  We got to hear the heartbeat about two weeks ago and are anticipating the arrival of our new little one in October.  We're so grateful and excited!