Crew neck t-shirts are pretty much a staple in my wardrobe and for several months I've been looking for crew neck maternity t-shirts, but with very little success. What I was able to find was more expensive than what I wanted to pay for a simple t-shirt. Meanwhile I was quickly running out of things to wear that would cover my ever expanding baby bump.
Well a few months back I saw this maternity refashion idea and decided to try my hand at it.
Step one: Buy a regular t-shirt 2-3 sizes larger than your pre-prenancy size.
I found some regular t-shirts on sale at Target for $5 (yes!) and purchased a couple 3 sizes larger than what I typically wear. The refashion I mentioned before only did two sizes larger, but let's be honest with twins I'm going to need all the extra growing room I can get :)
{Please excuse the awkwardly posed pictures. Apparently I haven't learned how to properly model the baby bump yet--haha!}
{before: front shot}
Believe it or not these t-shirts as is fit better than a lot of the maternity stuff I've tried on.
Step 2: Add some elastic to the side seams.
This is where I deviated a bit from the refashion idea I originally saw. She zigzagged the elastic right onto the shirt, but that leaves a big zigzag seam down each side of your shirt which I didn't like. Plus that would've required me to go to the store and find matching thread for each color shirt I'd gotten--yeah I don't think so. Instead I attached the elastic to the seam edges with a straight stitch. In my opinion this turned out much better! Attach the elastic starting just below the bust, then stretch it as you sew down the seam ending one or two inches from the bottom (all of this really just depends on your personal preference and how you want your final product to turn out)
{elastic attached with straight stitch}
{final product from the inside}
Step 3: Take more awkward pregnancy pictures of yourself to showcase your handy work!
This pictures don't really do the project justice. But the ruching really adds some dimension and interest to the shirt not to mention a little extra shaping which is nice.
{After: front shot}
{After: side shot}
{After side shot of another shirt I did}
There you have it--maternity t-shirts for $5.
{SIDE NOTE: These pictures are from me at about 5.5 months pregnant. Impressed with the bump? If you're thinking "she looks small for twins," then you aren't alone because I get told that ALL the time. The ultrasound tech has assured me that there really are two regular sized babies in there and I can assure you I'm getting bigger by the day :)}
