Elasti-size, Part 1?

I've been in a sewing funk since we've been at the new house, I can't say why, however, yesterday I managed to set the ol' machine to work, even for a little while. I had hoped to accomplish much more than what you see below – I'm no tutorial-ist, so I give you 'before' and 'after' –, but first there were problems with the elastic thread (for another project) and then both Z and M woke up from their naps.

Do you see what I have to work with here?

So months ago, someone blogged about ruching (this year's style?) a big shirt for maternity wear, and I've been on the hunt for a suitable shirt since. Enter the JCP maternity clearance rack.

Since I'm no longer pregnant (thanks be!) and baggy clothes are terribly unflattering, I elected not to model my results: I decided to use a 6" piece of leftover elastic (and cut another to match, though in hindsight I should have used something longer) that I found in my sewing box. It took me two tries each to get the sides tolerably passable, but mercifully, zig-zag stitch is easy to rip out. That makes doing it a possible third time not seem like such a horrible prospect.

Shirring this skirt for the girls, along with this shirt skirt for me, were my follow up projects. I may run out of elastic thread this weekend, if I can ever get it going.