Sewing your own nursing cover-up is a great way to save money, and lets you choose a fabric color and pattern that suits your style.
This simple cover-up uses a rectangle of fabric with a strap that goes around your neck, similar to Bebe au Lait or Hooter Hider-style covers.
To give the cover-up the curved front that lets you peek at your baby during feedings, you’ll need a piece of polyester boning, sometimes called corset boning, which is available in the notions section of many fabric stores.
Supplies:
- 1 yard of fabric
- Matching thread
- 1/2 yard polyester boning
- Measuring tape
- Scissors
- Straight pins
- Large safety pin
- Iron and ironing board
- Sewing machine
Make the Nursing Cover-up and Strap
- Cut a piece of fabric about two feet tall and three feet wide. (You can make it larger or smaller if you prefer, for a custom or plus size cover.)
- Hem all four sides of the fabric using double-fold hems. To do this, fold each edge over about 1/2 inch toward the wrong side of the fabric, then fold each edge over another 1/2 inch. Press the folds flat, then stitch along each folded edge using matching thread.
- Cut a piece of fabric about 4 .5 inches wide by 30 inches long for the strap.
- Fold the strap in half right sides together, and stitch along the edge opposite the fold.
- Insert a large safety pin into one layer of fabric at the end of the strap. Turn the pin to the inside of the strap and push it through, turning the strap right side out. Remove the pin.
- Position the seam so it’s on the back of the strap and press the strap flat.
Attach the Strap to the Cover-up
- Fold the nursing cover-up in half widthwise. Insert a pin along the fold line to mark the center of the fabric, then unfold it.
- Pin the ends of the strap to the top edge of the back of the nursing cover-up, so that each strap is about 5 inches from the center of the cover-up.
- Try on the cover-up, and adjust the length and spacing of the straps as needed until the cover-up is comfortable. Leave an extra 1/2 inch of extra fabric at the end of each strap for hems.
- Remove the cover-up, and mark the area where you want the straps with pins. Remove the strap and the pin in the center of the cover-up.
- Hem the short ends of the strap by turning the fabric to the inside of the strap. Press each end flat, then stitch across it.
- Cut a piece of polyester boning that’s the same length as the spacing between the straps.
- Place the boning near the top of the wrong side of the nursing cover-up, in the area you marked with pins.
- Fold the top edge of the fabric over the boning, covering the boning with about 1/4 inch of fabric to spare. Pin the fabric in place, then stitch along the edge opposite the fold, enclosing the boning.
- Pin the ends of the strap to the wrong side of the nursing cover-up, as close to the ends of the boning as possible. Make sure the strap isn’t twisted, and has the seam facing up.
- Sew the straps to the nursing cover-up.
If you would like the strap on the nursing cover-up to be adjustable, you can add hook and loop tape (also known as velcro), snaps or even a decorative button and buttonhole to the ends. You can also use a D-ring, available in the notions section of many fabric stores. Be sure to make the strap extra long to accommodate these fasteners.
The copyright of the article How to Sew a Nursing Cover-up in Sewing/Needlework is owned by Christy Jones. Permission to republish How to Sew a Nursing Cover-up in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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