Maternity Shorts Refashion

Hellooo refashion! Man I love this stuff, I think its almost addictive.

Any of you ever been left frustrated while shopping for maternity clothes at the sheer lack of variety & "youthfulness" of what's out there? Much of what I've come across would leave a pregnant woman looking like an old maid! Thankfully in summer maxi dresses and stretchy tanks are a saviour, but there are slim pickings in the shorts department for a growing belly. ALL of the maternity shorts I have seen are knee (or just below knee) length, which is no good when you're 5ft nothing as they tend to hang somewhere around mid calf!

So, enter summery yellow thrifted shorts I picked up for 5 bucks. (The colour is washed out in the pics, so much brighter and yummier in real life!)

This was a total experiment but I will definitely be making more of these in the near future.

First step was to remove the waistband and zipper and end up with something like this...

Now, the fly in maternity pants is purely for decorative purposes and doesn't actually function, so once the zipper is removed a straight stitch right over the existing stitching will close it together.

Next its time to attach a fabulously stretchy band to the waist which will act as your new waistband. I raided my scrap stash and used an old white shirt, selecting white so that if I wore these with a white shirt the band colour wouldn't be visible underneath (but you could use any colour really). Using one of my maxi skirts as a guide, I cut a big fat strip of fabric that was tall enough to double over when being worn - you'll see what I mean in a minute - and wide enough to go right round the bump.

And ta da! I am amazed that these actually worked and they fit like a glove. These are one size bigger than I normally wear which is catering for a bit of extra bum & thigh I seem to have acquired this pregnancy. :(

So here's what I mean about the doubling over thing.....

I can wear the band folded down at the moment while the belly is still relatively petite, but as it gets out of control the band can be folded back up for more coverage!

I love these new shorts of mine. So summery and belly friendly all for 5 bucks and about an hour of my time.

Colour blocking anyone? 

Who says maternity wear has to be matronly!?

Maternity Refashion

Its refashion time friends! I love these projects - partly because the hard work is already done for you in the form of an existing garment and partly because its so satisfying turning something reasonably hideous into a perfectly wearable piece!

So today I started with a thrifted dress I picked up for around $5 at the Salvos with the intention of giving it a little loving.

Now that the belly is starting to grow (its amazing how much earlier you 'pop out' second time around!) I am in need of some roomy clothes to accommodate it. Clothes preferably without the ridiculous pricetag that comes with store-bought maternity clothes.

Ok here's what I started with...

A bit potato-sackey! (ok, a lot)

So, I got to pinching in the dress by attaching a strip of elastic under the bust to give it a little shape and to separate the bust & belly areas. But it was still a bit lack lustre...

Elastic pinching! (with toddler running underfoot 

so mind the weird look here!)

So I raided my scrap pile and cut into an old white shirt to add some neckline detail. I simply cut strips from the shirt and played around with placement before sewing it in place.

And the finished product? I love it! And will actually wear it so we have a winner! 

Yay for refashions! And double yay for inexpensive maternity clothes!