DIY Ruched Maternity Shirt Tutorial

No, I’m not pregnant!

Remember that big secret I had to keep awhile back.

It’s Katie!

And I promised I’d make some ruched maternity shirts for her.

Here we go:

I started with thrift store shirts of the same color. One had a nice v neck, yet it was too short and had a small hole in the bottom, so this will be used for the bodice. The other was nice and long but we didn’t like the neckline so this will be used for the bottom of the shirt.

Both were good brands and cost twenty five cents each. It’s so easy to take a risk and start cutting at that price!

First cut off the sleeves then pin and sew sides to fit. Leaving some room for growth, of course.

Next cut the empire waist. Leaving a quarter of an inch for a seam.

Cut the bottom of the other shirt using the bodice as a guide.

Pin and sew the side seams in the bottom piece to match the width of the bodice piece.

 If you are keeping the existing hem, be sure to start at the bottom so it will be nice and even.

Right sides together, pin and sew the bodice to the bottom piece.

Get some quarter inch elastic.

Cut two pieces that are the length of the side seam when the elastic is stretched out.

Use a zig zag stitch and start sewing the elastic to the side seam of the shirt. Stretch out the elastic while sewing and you’ll get a nice gather.

After stitching, it will look like this:

Next cut the sleeves to the desired length.

Right sides together, pin and sew sleeves back into the sleeve casing.

And there you have it, a nice ruched maternity shirt.

And here’s what I hope it will look like on Katie:

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