Nursing Tee

I spent ages trying to decide if it was worth sewing my own nursing t-shirts. My current wardrobe staples consist of a pair of stretchy skinny jeans, good for sitting and playing on the floor and a nursing t-shirt. Add a brightly coloured cardigan and my outfits are completed.

In the end I decided to give it a go using a tutorial by So Zo what do you know based on the Coco pattern. I made this ages ago - before christmas but have only just got round to blogging about it now! 

I decided to use the Breton t-shirt pattern from the Great British Sewing Bee: From Stitch to Style Book and adapt the pattern to create my nursing t-shirt. My husband bought me this book as a treat, post labour, and I liked this pattern straight away.

I traced a size 14 based on the pattern measurements tracing two front pattern pieces. One was left mostly the same, except I cut off the sleeves. The second I cut at the empire line, adding a seam allowance. Adapting the pattern was surprisingly easy, as there were only 4 pieces in total and one additional front piece.

The fabric I used was a floral print polyester jersey from Minerva Crafts, which I chose because it was cheap. I originally picked it to make a Cordelia Maternity camisole but didn't need it in the end. I managed to squeeze my pieces out of a metre of fabric, with none left over!

The construction of the t-shirt was easily adapted and did not take me very long. There was lots of trying on in the process to ensure that the fit was good. I did find that whilst the t-shirt fit very well at the hips and waist the neck was really, really gapey. I actually took around 2 inches from each side for it to fit correctly. If I make this t-shirt again I will make sure I grade down on the pattern at the bust.

I was happy with the fit of the final t-shirt. Unfortunately, I only wore this t-shirt once before it shrunk in the wash!! I've never bothered to pre-wash my fabrics but now I am convinced of the need. Lesson learnt!

Sadly, I don't think I'll be making another nursing t-shirt as my breasfeeding journey is slowly coming to an end now that the little man is approaching a year old. I'm back at work in two weeks, which has left me wondering where all the time has gone!

I've got a backlog of blog posts coming up which I hope to post in the not too distant future.