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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Sooooo precious!
(Excuse my ingnorance here, but is Katie your daughter by any chance?)
Very cute! Why didn’t they have cute clothes like this when we were having kids – all I remember were tents and big bows. Hahaha!
Yep, Katie is my daughter. I did a post on her Rustic Chic wedding last September that you can see here if you’d like: https://chicenvelopements.wordpress.com/2012/02/14/rustic-chic-wedding/
and now she’s going to be a mom in October. I can hardly wait. She’s 28 and I think that’s a perfect time to become a mommy!
I agree, where were all these cute clothes back when I was having babies. I love how the girls show off their baby bellies. SO CUTE! These shirts are super simple to make!
Oh wow. Great tutorial. Looks dead comfy to wear. And congratulations to Katie!
That’s so neat! Loved the step by step. So helpful as I’m trying to teach myself to sew 🙂
I’m so glad you found it helpful. I love the refashioning kind of sewing because you can take advantage of finished collars, hems, and other embellishments that would take a long time to do from scratch. Not to mention how economical it is. 🙂
Happy Saturday Night!
Beth
So wonderful! And such a great secret to keep! Congratulations all around and isn’t Katie lucky that she has you to make such wonderful custom made clothes for her!!
Thanks mom! I cant wait to try it on!
Hi Katie,
Can you post a picture of you wearing the Runched maternity shirt your mom made for you? Thanks, that would be helpful. 🙂
Hi Roseanne,
Thank you for your interest in this shirt, I wish she could wear it for you, but her little boy is now almost a year old.
Let me know if you have any questions about the construction, and I’ll try to answer them for you.
Beth
Hi Beth!
Thank you for replying! I wanted to know what setting do I use the zig-zag stitch? I am a plus size petite and I have a hard time trying to find tops and bottoms that fit me. We are having our 6th and last child, and I was trying to find tutorials to help me custom fit maternity tops and bottoms. Do you have any other suggestions or tutorials that would help me? Thank you very much. 🙂
Congratulations, Roseanne, on your sixth child! WOW!
I used a medium zig zag on my machine at a #3 stitch length. I hope that helps. Let me know if you have any other questions.
Beth
Very cute and creative!
Paula
Thanks Paula!
Adoraaaable!! I’m so pinning this to me “when the time comes” folder 🙂
Oh good, it would be soooooo quick and easy if you didn’t have to combine two t shirts. Just sew the elastic up the sides and DONE!!!!
Have a great day!
Beth
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I tried this. First let me say, I have taught myself to sew by tutorial and trial and error. I did great until I got to the sleeves. I just have no idea how to measure I guess. They got all bunched up and wonky. So I ripped them back off and made a tank top.
Thanks for the tutorial. The top is super cute.
I likd the top it is giving me an idea!!! I would like to know how much elastic t measure to cut!! I don’t know the measurement!! How much do I stretch the elastic!!
Thanks
Sandy
Cut 1-2″ off the measurement you desire
Figure out how long you want the ruched section to be and then subtract 1-2″, stretch it the length of the area you want to ruch and sew
Great tutorial!