Pants

• 1). Find jeans or pants that you would like to turn into maternity pants and make a note of the colors. These could either be favorites already in your closet or inexpensive thrift or discount store finds. Unfortunately, after adding the maternity panel, it will not be possible to turn the pants back into regular pants, so choose pants you won't want to wear after the baby comes.
  
  
• 2). Find fabric for the maternity panel. The fabric doesn't have to be an exact match, as the panel will generally be covered by your shirt, but it is best to try for colors in the same family. The fabric should be stretchy, soft and lightweight---keep in mind that this will be next to your skin, so choose the most comfortable fabric you can find. You'll need about 1/2 a yard for each pair of pants.
  
  
• 3). Draw a chalk line from the bottom of the zipper to the side seams of the pants.
  
  
• 4). Cut out the tummy panel, leaving 1 inch of extra fabric at both side seams. Try the pants on again to make sure the tummy panel is correctly placed. Adjust, if necessary.
  
  
• 5). Use the tummy panel you've just cut from the pants to measure the new stretchy panel. Add an extra 1 inch at the bottom and sides for seams and an extra 1 1/2 to 2 inches at the top for inserting the elastic waistband.
  
  
• 6). Set your machine to sew a stretch stitch. Place the 1-inch elastic at the top edge of the maternity panel. Turn the fabric over to cover the elastic. Sew the fabric and elastic together along the edge of the elastic. Remove from machine, turn, and sew the other edge of the elastic.
  
  
• 7). Sew the maternity panel into the pants. Turn the pants wrong side out and pin the panel to pants, right sides together. Sew a couple of stitches from the waist edge and then back-tack. Sew the panel into place, stopping about 1/2 inch before turning at the bottom and at the other side seam. Back-tack at the other waist edge to complete.
  
  

Tops

• 1). Start with simple knit tops, such as T-shirts or polo shirts. Find fabric that will match or coordinate to use for adding side panels.
  
  
• 2). Cut a 1- to 2-inch strip vertically from the hem to the underarm seam on each side, just enough to remove the side seam.
  
  
• 3). Cut two side panels the same length as the strip you cut from the top, and 5 to 8 inches wide, depending on how big you want the finished top to be.
  
  
• 4). Hem the bottoms of the side panel pieces.
  
  
• 5). Pin the side panel pieces to the existing top, tapering slightly as you go closer to the underarm seam to create a maternity or A-line shape.
  
  
• 6). Sew the panel into place, starting from the hem and going up to the underarm. Trim excess fabric, if necessary. Repeat Steps 5 & 6 for the other side of the top.
  
  

Babydoll Tops

• 1). Start with a T-shirt, tank top or tube top. Cut just under the bust line (not necessary for tube tops).
  
  
• 2). Select a fabric that coordinates with the top. Try mixing solid tops with patterned fabrics and vice versa.
  
  
• 3). Cut a piece of fabric wide enough to wrap loosely around your tummy and long enough to cover from the bottom of the cut top to below the belly. Add an extra 1 inch at the top for the seam and another 1 inch at the bottom for hemming. This project is best done after you are showing, so you can make the top the perfect size. If you want to make it ahead of time, you will have to do some guesswork as to what size you will be.
  
  
• 4). Hem the bottom of the fabric piece. Sew the the ends together in a seam, creating a tube of fabric.
  
  
• 5). Working wrong sides out, pin the fabric to the bottom of the top, aligning the seam of the fabric with the side seam of the top (if there is one). The fabric will be bigger than the bottom of the top and will need to be pleated. Add two pleats in the front and two pleats in the back to make the fabric fit and create a babydoll shape. Sew the fabric to the top by hand or with a sewing machine.