Sewing is such a fun and satisfying way to bring out our creativity and our unique personalities, while also allowing us to create items that are useful, special to our life events, and often designed for loved ones.
Today on the blog our talented friend, Lynne Zachman shares how she created a nursing cover using TSM Luxury Cotton for her new addition! And better yet? She shares a detailed tutorial on how to create your own version!
We are always so happy to see your TSM creations and love seeing how you make it your own!
Creating a Nursing Cover (Tutorial):
I am a soon-to-be mom of 3 with an old nursing cover with holes in it…that’s not gonna work! I decided to use my old cover as a template for a new, improved, and much more beautiful cover! I have been frustrated for years with the size of the old one, so I decided to make it slightly wider and longer to provide better coverage for myself and my baby. For my body size, 1 yard of fabric is perfect! I can get 2 covers out of 1 yard using 36" as my width and half of the width of fabric (around 30") if using custom material from The Styled Magnolia. I love that sewing gives us the opportunity to create something not only beautiful but also functional for your lifestyle! I hope you find this tutorial helpful, fun, and easy!
Note: I used The Styled Magnolia’s luxury cotton for this tutorial but really any lighter weight fabric will work. This is a very forgiving pattern so even knit fabric could be used if you want! Have your heart set on a certain fabric? Go for it!
Supplies:
1 yard fabric – I used cotton woven but any light-weight fabric will do.
1 yard of 1" webbing cut into (1) 7" piece and (1) 27" piece.
(2) 1” D Rings
15” of 12mm wide boning – I could only find 8mm (See tutorial for how I made it strong/wide enough for the nursing cover)
1" strips of woven interfacing like SF101 – needs to be around 20" long
1) Prep the webbing so the ends do not fray. Nylon webbing can be burned at the ends. Cotton/woven webbing should be stitched at the ends to prevent fraying. Set aside for a later step.
2) Prep your boning if necessary. Here you can see I used (3) - 15” pieces stitched together using a zig-zag stitch. First, I stitched two pieces together overlapping them slightly, then added the third on top of that seam and zig zagged down the center again. Backstitching at the beginning and end.
3) Next, press the sides and bottom of your fabric to create a finished edge. I used approximately 1/2" hem with my fabric 36" wide x 30" tall. Using my iron to create a creased edge prevented me from needing to use pins or clips in the next steps for stitching! I love saving time by not needing to clip or pin! Stitch 1/8" in from the folded hem to hold in place. You will have 3 finished sides and the top will have raw edges.
4) Iron on your 1" strips of woven interfacing. I found that (2) 1" strips with a very small gap between them made it easier to roll/hem in the next steps.
5) Using the same double fold as the sides and bottom, iron the top (36”) edge down to hold in place. DO NOT stitch yet! We are creating a tube for the boning to go in and a space to hide our raw edges of webbing.
6) Add your (2) 1” D-Rings to the 7” piece of webbing. Fold the short edges over and offset them by 1/2”. Baste in place. This will help decrease bulk in the next steps.
7) Find and mark the center of your top edge with a removable marker or chalk. Place the raw edge of your webbing with the D-Rings under the folded top edge approximately 7.5" left of center. Tuck the raw edge of your 27” piece of webbing 7.5” to the right of center.