Jalie 2787

I've had this pattern in my stash forever and decided to try it instead of paying $40/shirt at motherwear.  I had this asian style lycra print that I thought would look good, as the shirt design gave me an asian feel anyway. I made the flutter sleeve version. 

While it's a great "theory" in nursing shirts, I just didn't like it.  The front panel is not high enough for my comfort, and the crossover pieces just need to be tighter.  The lower front just does not bode well for anyone who just had a baby (aka...me, lol).  

I would not wear it in public as when I wear it at home, I have this fear that my boobs will be popping underneath the crossover when I least expect it, and so far they have on occasion began peeking out.  

I did a little tweaking to the pattern and have changed the lower front to a more just-had-a-baby friendly tummy, and I think I'm going to tighten and lengthen the crossovers.  I made one version with the new front tummy style, and it was what I wanted, but the fabric was a rib knit and the crossover just stretched itself all out and did not regain its shape after washing, so I'm going to try this one last time with another lycra-type knit with my tweakings and see how I like it. 

My first attempt is above, and you can see it better if you click on it and see the big version.  And you might  see the lovely spaghetti sauce stains on it from when I made baked ziti the other night (god that pissed me off, lol). I will take a new picture of my tweaked version as soon as it's finished.

Part I Nursing Shirt Tutorial is Up!!

I disappeared for a few days, but I have returned! I had to finish the first module of my distance learning school before I could come back, and now I'm just waiting for my last test to be graded. It has three modules, but the first one is the longest.

Sorry this tutorial took so long, I swear whenever I plan something, life gets in the way...sigh.



So, if you want to learn how to turn a regular t-shirt pattern into a nursing shirt, here is part I. This part shows you how to create the extra pattern piece for the overlay. I have also included the text for part II and part III on sewing the shirt, but I am still working on those pictures, so they will be up very soon, but if you don't need a visual aide (which I require since I'm a visual learner), then you can easily finish on your own.

This particular pattern is how to do the "T-top" nursing shirt style. Basically, it is an overlay that is sewn down the middle of the shirt with one large nursing opening hidden underneath that you simply pull to one side or the other. This style is my favorite to sew and wear because people really can't tell it's a nursing shirt, especially if you use a print. Prints camouflage the overlay really well in this design.