belly cover

Out of necessity, I sewed something I think is awesome. I know it's nothing you've never seen before, but I didn't have one - so it's new to me!

I made a "belly cover" also known as a belly band or "the lower portion of a shirt."

It has been working wonders on my work uniform of loose jeans that are immodestly low and shirts that are becoming too short. I have plans of making an extra short shirt to wear over this belly cover since it's very tall, I think it will make for a cool pregnant silhouette.
Construction: This is a two-layer tube of stretchy fabric. I didn't want to worry about hemming stretchy fabric - what a pain - so I made this belly cover by folding a tube of fabric in half, sewing together, and then re-positioning the seam in the center of the cover (on the inside) so I have a clean, folded edge at both top and bottom.
More specifically, I cut a rectangle (26" X hip measurement"); sewed the 26" sides together to make a tube with the seam in the back; then, folded the tube in half so it was now about 13" tall and sewed raw edges together; then, I repositioned the seam so it would be hidden on the inside, in the center.
It's still a little big, but I'll grow into it.

**Though it sounds ridiculous, I'll admit I have been waiting years to modify my wardrobe into pregnancy clothes. I am going to make those awesome skirts with stretchy waistbands, more stretchy belly covers, and some cool stretchy shirts. Basically, everything will be stretchy. That's one of the reasons I love this belly band so much because it was the first thing I had to make to accommodate my new size. Many updates to come...

The only downside I've noticed is that it makes me look more pregnant than I did before I put it on - though definitely more pulled together.