There are an increasing number of makers of maternity clothes, but you still won’t find the same variety of styles that you’re used to in regular women’s clothes. So, if you have a creative streak and some free time, supplement your wardrobe with some handmade pieces.

Maternity clothes that you make personally are made to fit your body: your chest, your hips, and your shoulders. The pants will have exactly the right rise and the legs will skim your shoe-tops at just the right spot; shirts will button neatly over your breasts and the sleeves won’t be too short, too tight, or too long.

However, nice looking and stylish maternity patterns for the maternity clothing are usually very hard to find, especially if you’re not an “average” size. So, it is wise to take the normal patterns that you like to use, and have on hand and change them so they can be used as maternity patterns.

You can get fabulous clothing patterns from the Internet. Most maternity dress patterns will cost around ten dollars. Also, watch for sales in your favorite stores if you want to buy several or if you want more extensive designs since these may be more costly.

Keep in mind when making maternity clothing the most important consideration would be comfort. A one-piece dress is often a good choice but it should not be very short, even if minis are in style. Easy skirt patterns can be found to make for comfortable skirts, you will need room for expansion as the pregnancy grows.

The fabric of the pants should be comfortable and easy to move in, this is important because of the swelling that occurs in pregnant women especially during the summer months. A jumper would also be an excellent maternity clothing article as well as loose style coats and capes. These clothing items should be simple in style and in a dark color, also avoid large fabric prints.

Cotton is an excellent fabric for making and sewing clothing using machine clothing for mothers to be. Whether the weather is cool or warm, cotton is very comfortable, easy to launder, and is a fabric that “breathes.”

Making alterations with your own clothes for your maternity wear is also a way of saving money on maternity clothes. However, the trouble with this is that if you’ll need to change them back after the pregnancy; they may never look the same again. Essentially, you’ll just add an elastic panel to the front of your pants or additional fabric to your tops.