Maternity Scrunch Top (Example: Prego, and not)

 People have asked me these questions several times, about the maternity scrunch top. "What does it look like when you're not pregnant? Does it look too full and frumpy? How much does it stretch? Will it look okay when I'm not expecting and don't have a large belly?" Well, there are a few variables but I'm hoping these pictures and descriptions will answer some of those questions. And at least give some visual answers to satisfy curiosity! :-)


I will say that it may depend on the type of fabric that is used and how much stretch it has in it. I have what I call a 'midsize fullness' for the belly, and its what I commonly use. I re-sized from 'really full' to a little 'less full' when people started asking if they could wear the maternity top whether they were expecting or not... Or at least if it could be worn for pregnancy and postpartum. Some had asked if it could be worn all through pregnancy. From early on, all the way through, and after... At first I was a little overwhelmed with the idea of making an all-in-one/multi purpose top. I thought.."Well of course you can't have it fit all the time! From really tiny, to very round... how was I supposed to do that?" But after thinking on it a little while, I decided to try and make it work as far as it was able. The idea was to get the fit just right for fitting the figure when it was early on, and not so round...and then being able to fit to full term as well. Just a little tricky ;-) lol! I re-figured this belly sizing thing about a year ago, and I used 2 prego friends to test out three different belly sizes for me :-) We started with my original cut, which was the fullest. Then we went to the mid-size, and then the small. The consensus was that the small was too small, the medium seemed good, and the full seemed like it had extra room in it, possibly more than needed. This picture taken about a year ago, was the first mid-size belly cut. It is modeled by my friend Tasha, who was about 8 months along. Since this time, I've been using the mid-size belly cut.

These pictures below were taken yesterday. They are of me, wearing a size 8 maternity scrunch top, that has the mid-size belly cut. I am modeling it while not prego. And then, with a maternity pillow, like seen in maternity clothing stores. :-) Pictures taken by my friend Bethanie.

As we can see, it is loose. Looks fairly decent, but is still loose. In the picture below, I'm pulling at the looseness...

And now to try on the maternity pillow...

Fastening the velcro behind the back, and the adjusting the pillow.

Now to pull the top over the pillow belly haha :-)

 

More pictures...

 Now, if you had amazingly stretchy fabric, you just might be able to make a slightly loose, regular tank and have it stretchy for maternity. Like this fabric below... I don't know that I've ever had something stretch so much! Tried this earlier today and was like.. wow! Bought like 20 yds of it, so... it will be around if you want a top out of it :-)

Q and A below.. 

  Q.  What does the maternity scrunch top look like when you're not pregnant?
Does it look too full and frumpy?

  

A.  It may be a little loose when not pregnant, especially if you slim down a lot after baby. In this case, you may NOT want to wear the maternity cut all the time. 

Q.  How much does it stretch? 

A. That all depends on the fabric. There are many differences among swim fabrics. If it is not one of the more stretchy fabrics, it will need to be cut loose enough to fit to full term, and in turn, may be too loose for wearing when not pregnant. If it happens to be very stretchy it could be cut less full, and stretch all the way to full term. A top like this would be the most versatile. HEAVY WEIGHT FABRIC WILL NOT BE FRIENDLY TO STRETCHING A LOT, AND IS NOT RECOMMENDED FOR MATERNITY. HEAVY WEIGHT WORKS BEST FOR THE ICE SKATER SUIT. 

Q.  What size should I get? 

A. The size is usually determined by your chest and hip measurements (in inches). And I will generally use the midsize belly cut. Which will give the most use as far as I know :-) If you know that you get really large with baby during your pregnancies then we may decide to go with the original full belly cut. ((Note to self: Make a maternity top with the full belly cut and model it while not pregnant)) Even moms who do get really large, if they were not going to be full term in the Summer, because they were due in the winter..and wanted to also use it postpartum for the following Summer, they might choose the midsize belly cut, which is the one-size-fits-most cut. Unfortunately I cannot guarantee that it will be absolutely perfect all the time, because I don't know exactly what season you'll be expecting, if you want it for several pregnancies, and what different shapes at different times your body will be going through. But I sure try!! I sure think on it too much, stress over it, and sure try for perfection! All I can do is offer what I know and hope that helps you in your decisions :-)

I hope this was helpful in answering some of the questions that have been directed towards this style!! 

EDIT: side note.. I'm going to update the Etsy listing to have an option for each size to have both options. A midsize (one-size-fits-most) cut, and a full belly cut. So the customer can choose which they'd like.