Something for me

I don't usually have any great desire to sew for myself, but sometimes it's hard to find clothes I like that are in my price range. My current wardrobe is in desperate need of a makeover. Being pregnant means my choices are that much more limited, so a couple of months ago I bought this pattern:

(Yes, you can see crayon scribbles on the cover >:( )

It's not a maternity pattern, but I figure that it won't be too hard to alter for a belly, and I'll be able to use it later for normal tops. I also feel a need to dress a little smarter, including dresses and skirts, so I'm hoping I can use this pattern to make a maternity dress, a bit like this one:

I have a similar (but not maternity) dress from a few years ago, so I can attempt to copy the skirt section from that. I also want to add a horizontal panel under the wrap - I don't like really deep necklines and it will be handy for breastfeeding too. Here is some fabric I bought today for my first try at the dress:

That's my hand there to give a sense of the size of the print.

It's a slinky knit - polyester at a guess, but my local fabric store where I bought this is pretty hopeless with labelling their stock. It was cheap enough that I won't have too many qualms about hacking into it for an untested pattern. I'm trying not to get my hopes up too much that it will be wearable in public, although with the new boots I bought today, and a birthday party to attend on Saturday, it would be great to have something nice to wear!