Maternity tops can be expensive but t-shirts are really cheap. Wouldnt it be cool if they were one in the same? They can be when you take an ordinary t-shirt and turn it into a cute maternitiy top. Even if youre just a beginner at sewing you can easily sew these types of shirts, and with a few assorted embellishments, you can make each one of them look totally different.
Even a long-sleeve t-shirt works well to make an easy maternity top you can sew without trouble. To start, try the shirt on, then mark the area of the shirt just below the bodice - right above the belly area. Lay the shirt on a flat surface and cut straight across this line. Remove the bottom portion of the shirt and use it as a pattern to make the replacement piece.
Although there are many different types of material you could use to make a t-shirt maternity top beginners will likely find it easiest to use t-shirt material. Since you could find it hard to get an exact match to the color of the original its a good idea to choose a different color for the bottom of the shirt. And, when the maternity top is finished youll see that the two-toned shirt is quite adorable. Theres no need to remove the hem from the shirt piece which you removed. Fold the material you want to use in half and lay it on a table. Position one side seam of the t-shirt against the fold of the material. Cut across the material, but instead of staying up against the t-shirt piece as you cut, cut the hem a little longer. If the hem of the t-shirt piece, for instance, has a one-inch hem, then theres another half-inch behind it. Plus, when it comes to maternity tops, some women prefer them to be a little longer than regular shirts. So, keep these things in mind when you decide how much longer to cut the new fabric. Allow enough to fold over a half-inch, hem an inch, and any extra you want for the length of the new shirt. If the t-shirt was initially a little long you might not need to add any extra length. The new shirt will need to be much roomier than the old one so make this happen by cutting the new piece a little wider. As you cut from the fold of the material over to the opposite side seam, continue cutting a little further. Add a few more inches then turn and cut up the side. The new piece should now be a little longer and several inches wider. Its an important step to mark the new and the old pieces. Use chalk or a disappearing ink marker to do this. Mark the side seam, which is the fold, then mark the opposite side seam. Make these marks near the top of the new piece. After marking the side seams, fold the material in half, then mark the front center and back center. Be exact with these markings. On the bodice piece of the old t-shirt, near the bottom edge where it was cut, mark the same things: front and back center as well as the two sides. Hem the new piece by folding it under a half-inch, then an inch, and sewing along the hemline. Now pin the unhemmed area of the new piece to the cut area of the original t-shirt bodice. Align the marks, and in between them, pin the new piece to the old. Since the new piece is larger its necessary to make tiny puckers so that theyll fit together. After pinning the center fronts, center backs, and sides, begin pinning the rest together by making tiny pleats and sticking a pin right in the pleat to hold it. Stitch all the way around the two pieces to finish the top. Make each shirt you redo look different by using bows, buttons, appliques and even paint markers to create various designs and patterns. Youll find these shirts to be really comfortable and super easy to make!
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