A while ago, I made this tunic, which I am wearing for only the second time today.

The first time I wore it, a couple of months back, Mike told me that I looked ‘ready to give birth’, which I took to mean that it made me look huge! And I know why – this pattern should have been made from a more slinky, drapey fabric, whereas my cotton/spandex fabric is quite substantial and doesn’t have a lot of drape. So it looks a tad puffy.

However, a couple of months on, it now fits me much better. I definitely feel better in it.

The origin of this tunic is in a similar one I bought long ago from a charity shop in Oxford. (Actually, I think my mom bought it for me.) I loved it, and for a while when I started seeing Mike, it was my go-to outfit for those nervous days with him when I didn’t know quite how dressy or casual I should look. That tunic, which was a pretty turquoise colour and draped nicely, felt pretty like a dress without actually being a dress. ‘Oh, me? I didn’t dress up, what are you saying, this isn’t a dress, is it?’

Alas, it met a sad fate with a bottle of bleach while being laundered over one Christmas. My mom felt so bad that she picked the ruined tunic apart and made a pattern from it, which came to life again as the perfect maternity piece.