This is my final installment of Everyday Maternity and my hope is that I’ve given you some ideas for dressing affordably and stylishly during pregnancy.

As apprehensive as I was about plastering myself and my style all over the web, it’s been fun! Especially because you all are so kind with your compliments. Thank you! It looks like a few posts regarding my pregnancy fitness routine and hair styling will be coming to H*T in the near future…stay tuned.

Today’s non-maternity-turned-maternity apparel idea involves a little tweaking. This is House*Tweaking after all. I found this super soft, casual and comfy striped tee at Target a few weeks ago.

I tried it on in one size larger than I normally wear and found it to provide adequate baby bump coverage and I fell hard for the stripes. On clearance for less than $8, I decided to bring it home with me.

Once I got it home though I realized that something was off. The bottom of the non-maternity shirt needed some oompf.

See how the bottom hem is stretched away from my body? I immediately thought of ruching the side seams in hopes of bringing the bottom of the shirt in closer to my body. I googled around for ‘diy ruche’ and found this very simple, very easy-to-follow diy tutorial for side seam ruching. I guesstimated how high I wanted the ruching to come up on each side the shirt and went from there. It took me about 15-20 minutes to measure, set up my sewing machine and ruche the sides.

Of note: I do own a sewing machine and know how to use it but I’m far from a pro. You could easily diy this project by hand with a straight seam if you don’t own a sewing machine. It just might take a little longer.

This was my first time using any sort of ruching technique. It was quite easy and I love the results! It was just the extra detail my clearanced, non-maternity tee needed. Can you see how the side seam ruching brings the bottom of the shirt in around my body more?

I decided only to ruche up about 6″ on either side of the tee to allow my belly to expand more over the coming {third trimester} months. Post-pregnancy I could ruche further up the seams once my belly shrinks. {In fact, I think more ruching is in my future…pregnancy or not.} So this shirt will take me beyond my baby bump days!

The newly ruched striped tee looks great on its own or layered under a jacket as seen here. And it cost me less than $8!!! That’s a lot cheaper than all the ruched maternity shirts I’ve been seeing at specialty maternity shops.

In more apparel news, Susan is the lucky winner of the Shabby Apple giveaway! She’s dying for a pair of UGGS but maybe the Andes skirt will hold her over. ;)

Even though you may not have won the giveaway, don’t forget that Shabby Apple is offering a special 10% off discount to all House*Tweaking readers for the next 3 weeks. Just use the coupon code HOUSETWEAKING10OFF at checkout.

So, there, you’re all winners. Have a great weekend!

FYI – I was not compensated in any way for mentioning Target or Shabby Apple. I just love sharing great places to shop!

images: Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

I’m back with another easy maternity look to try: flirty shirts. Flirty as in a little girly. Not as in midriff baring or bra strap showing. Those would be bad maternity wardrobe choices. Bad, bad. Very bad.

Instead, I prefer flowing tops with high waists {much like these comfy dresses} and/or ribbon ties above the belly. The key here is to make sure that the top hits you at crotch level – for lack of a better description – or lower. {Yes, I realize everyone is looking at my crotch now. Oy.} Anything shorter will result in what I like to call the ‘umbrella’ effect where the shirt will poof out from the most prominent part of your belly…like all the old maternity shirts did back in the day when there weren’t as many options.

Of note: The red door in the background is our apartment door. I like the color. I’m thinking it wouldn’t look half bad on the Underdog’s front door with the red brick exterior and gray metal roof. What do you think?

To keep things balanced and to avoid looking frumpy, I pair these types of shirts with fitted bottoms.  Leggings, jeggings, fitted jeans…you get the idea. I’ll be honest. I’m going to have to invest in a pair of maternity leggings or skinny jeans soon. There is some squirming and deep lunges involved in getting these babies on at this time. Once they’re on they’re fine but I don’t think that’s going to last much longer.

THE OUTFIT:

• button-up cotton shirt: FREE {a Wet Seal gift from my sister a few years ago}
• jeans: $30 {Mossimo at Target}
• leather boots: $50 {Macy’s}

All pieces from this outfit I’ve had on hand for years. That’s why I’m going to need some maternity skinny jeans soon!

This is my favorite non-maternity maternity outfit to date. It’s comfy, easy to wear and I can’t get enough of the deep navy silk. The kimono-esque top has a ribbon tie just above the belly. It was meant to be tied in the back but I thought the bow looked cute tied off to one side of my bump. This was another happy accident I found at a local shopping mall on Black Friday while Handy Hubby was spending some gift cards.

I like the contrast of the deep navy against the bright white jeans. The cognac leather boots {which aren’t shown very well here} pick up on the caramel tones of the floral print. I love this color scheme for an interior as well. Hmmm…maybe in the Underdog?

THE OUTFIT:

• navy silk blouse: $7!!!! {Rue 21 – I couldn’t say no to $7}
• white jeans: $15 {Walmart}
• leather boots: $50 {Macy’s}

I wore this outfit to HH’s 15-year high school reunion a few weeks ago. I was the only prego there. Good times.

Try hunting down flowing flirty non-maternity tops to dress your bump. They’ll transition easily into your post-pregnancy wardrobe and beyond!

FYI – I was not compensated in any way to mention the items above. I just love sharing good stuff!

images: Dana Miller for House*Tweaking