I'm sorry I haven't posted in ages... We have started a whole new adventure. Austin and I found out just before the semester started that we are pregnant! We are so excited, but it's made life a little more crazy than usual. Between full-time school, part-time work, and full-time incubating, I've been one tired mama! I finally put up my last post after leaving it in draft mode for a couple of months. I promise I'll finish it eventually. :)
Meanwhile, I've been having lots of fun pregnancy adventures! All-day-long morning sickness and drowsiness have not been very fun, but other things have been! My first prenatal appointment was Friday. It was absolutely wonderful. We got to hear our baby's tiny, little heartbeat, which was incredible. Everyone says it's an amazing experience, and it is. I couldn't help tearing up a little bit.
I am just over 13 weeks along, and I'm getting to that cute-but-awkward stage where pants are too tight but maternity clothes are out of the question. I was lucky enough to stumble onto Megan's amazing pregnancy blog--DIY Maternity--soon after I found out I was pregnant, and I have bookmarked half of her tutorials to try later! I finished my first project, easy maternity pants, and it was very successful! I didn't really take enough pictures to write up a tutorial, but I thought I might do a step-by-step how-to.
Start out with a pair of pants (jeans, cords, etc.) and a piece of jersey fabric in a similar color. I had an old t-shirt that was ready to be upcycled, so I used that. My pants were on clearance at a thrift store, so they were just $4. Not bad, right? Most maternity pants are sooo expensive!
Step 2 involves cutting off the extra fabric. I removed the belt loops and the thick portion above the pockets. The zipper also has to be removed. Be careful not to cut out any bits that are holding things together! After you've done all that, machine sew the zipper area shut. You don't want an awkward hole there!
Step 3 is measuring out your elastic and jersey material. You need the jersey to be twice as wide as the elastic, but hey need to be the same length--about two inches less than the distance around the waist of the pants you're using. This means you'll be stretching the elastic to fit the jeans while sewing, but it is worth it. This way, the elastic is tight enough to comfortably keep your pants up.
Notes: As I said, view the tutorial here to see Megan's full photo how-to. She used a thicker elastic, so I followed her lead. Mine was a 3 inch elastic, and I feel like it's perfect. It doesn't cut into my growing belly the way many waistbands do, but it holds up the pants without a problem. I imagine a thinner elastic would work just as well, but Megan seemed to think it would cut into your belly. That is exactly what I don't want, so I followed her advice. :)
Step 4--Sew! Separately sew the elastic and jersey into continuous circles. Fold the jersey (pretty side out) over the elastic. Keep the pants right side out as you sew the elastic on. The tutorial I used sewed the jersey and elastic onto the pants at the same time, so I pinned them in place in a few places around the waist to make sure everything would be evenly stretched. Sew around the waist, flip the waistband up, and you're good to go!
It should look something like this:
I'm on my own today, since Austin is at work, so these are the best I could do picture wise. I wanted to show off the final result, though!
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| The thick elastic waist is surprisingly comfy! My growing belly is picky these days, but I really liked these! |
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| I'm sorry this picture isn't better! I just wanted to capture the whole look. |
In the upcoming weeks, I'm hoping to do some clothing tutorials, more on decorating on a budget, a few favorite fall recipes, and pregnancy updates.
Before I sign off for the day, here's my first belly shot! I can't believe I'm 13 weeks along and haven't taken any. It's the best I can do on my own, but enjoy!
Thanks for reading, guys!
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