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Ruffle maternity top: $3 XL Target t-shirt into maternity with ruffles

Check how I made this cute ruffle maternity top with ruffle shoulders using a $3 XL simple tee from Target. Perfect for a growing bump, since I will probably only use this tee for only a few more months, budget-friendly and so cute!

maternity ruffle shoulders

A few weeks ago I shared this picture on Instagram. And today I am going to share a little tutorial on how to transform an XL t-shirt I got at Target for $5.00 into a cute maternity friendly with ruffle shoulders!

I am so happy with how comfortable the t-shirt is now and thanks to how stretchy the fabric is I know that it will fit me even after my belly gets bigger. Even tho I feel like I could not get any bigger right now =]

maternity tee from t-shirt
Ruffle maternity top

Are you ready to make your own?

Ruffle maternity top process

the t-shirt

1

As I mentioned before I started with an XL t-shirt, I normally wear Medium size so if you try this you should at least get a shirt 2 sizes bigger than your normal size, 3 sizes would give you a lot more material for your ruffles, so just get one as big as possible!

cut the pieces

2

Try your shirt on and pin the sides so you can see how much you can take from there, after that fold your shirt in half to make sure both sides would be equal and cut as shown in the pictures. Double-check the fitting under your arms and leave a 1/4 inch for seam allowance.

making the ruffles

3

Cut the shoulders to your desire height and round the corners, they would be a lot longer than needed, but we'll cut the excess when attaching to the shirt. Also cut stripes from the sides of your shirt (the wider you can, the better). Make a small fold on both sides and zigzag the edge to prevent fraying.

sew one of the ruffles

4

Make ruffles with your stripes, and pin them to your shoulder piece. I pinned mine 1/2 an inch below the seam of the shoulder so that you can see the ruffle better.

sew the second ruffle
topstitch the ruffle

5

Sew along the top of your ruffle and pin the second row, it's Ok if you have room in the top of the uncovered fabric, because when you place the ruffle in the shoulder you will need seam allowance anyway (notice in mine there is about 1/2 on the top)

6

Sew the sides of your shirt and try it on backward so that you can pin the shoulders better, I decided I didn't want the shoulder piece all the way around my arm, so I only left 3 inches total on the bottom, sew it and then zigzag stitch all the way around to prevent fraying, I folded the 3 inches under the arm and topstitched.

7

The last part is to add the elastic on the sides, measure from where you want the elastic to start and how short is comfortable for you. In my case, I added 2 pieces of elastic 3 inches shorter than the length I was going to sew it too. I pinned the elastic on the beginning, end, and center and run it through the machine using the zigzag stitch. Just make sure you pull the elastic when sewing it so that gathers the fabric once it's in place.

maternity tee

I made this refashion very fast when I figure I had nothing to wear to go to a small bridal shower, and since it was not a fancy party, I just needed to wear something that would fit. But with my growing bump, even that was a big ask, since nothing really fits me anymore.

maternity ruffle top

So, it's time to do some more upcycling and add a few more items to my maternity wardrobe =] I also made another Blue Jean skit that you can try here.

Oh, and if you are looking for more DIY top ideas with ruffles, check this top I made with a ruffled neck.

Have a sunny and lovely day!

Themblogideas

Thursday 19th of July 2012

So cute!! xoxo

Amanda

Wednesday 11th of July 2012

Just happened to stumble across your blog on Passionfruit. I absolutely LOVE your blog. So glad I found it. You look adorable. What a great top too. Look forward to being your newest follower :)

Joy

Wednesday 25th of July 2012

Thank you for following Amanda =] glad you found my blog!

Kim

Thursday 5th of July 2012

That shoulder! Yes! And I don't even have to be pregnant to reap the bounty of that one. YAY!

Joy

Wednesday 25th of July 2012

Exactly! I want to do this for some of my pre-pregnant t-shirts too! so I can have pretty shoulders after the baby is born =]

Jody

Wednesday 4th of July 2012

I love the shoulder detail, I am going to give it a try - I'm not pregnant but I'll add the details to a normal shirt

Joanna Orlikowska

Wednesday 4th of July 2012

What a great maternity shirt! And what a pitty I couldn't sew when I was pregnant! I am learning now, so maybe will use this tutorial when pregnant next time! :D All the best to you three and do not worry about the size - it's not so difficult to loose the additional weight after giving birth :)

Joy

Wednesday 25th of July 2012

Hopefully you'll get to use it next time, or just add the ruffles to any of your t-shirts now =] Have a lovely day!

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