Crafty Blogs

Saturday 8 August 2015

Quick and cheap breastfeeding top tutorial

Since the birth of my beautiful baby boy I've been struggling to find anything practical to wear. It's hard enough making yourself feel attractive post baby-bump, but if you're also quite self-conscious like me then breastfeeding in public can be a real challenge. I inherited a collection of breastfeeding tops from my very generous sister-in-law but have found many of them problematic and impractical. All of them are also maternity tops and so the majority are too large, some fit well but aren't my style. A few friends have suggested the 'one up one down' method, where you lift up a larger t-shirt and pull down a smaller vest top. I've tried it but I'm not a fan. I often end up flashing my tummy by mistake, and who said I wanted to wear baggy t-shirts anyway? They're just not my style either.

So this is the solution I've come up with. It seems to work really well so I thought I'd share.

First get yourself a cheap vest top. I've found some in charity shops for as little as 50p, but if you prefer to buy new you can find lots on eBay for under £5



Try your top on and mark on the front with chalk where your nipples are. Draw a 4" vertically, extending 2" above and 2" below the point of the nipple. You may want to make this line bigger depending on the size of your boobs, experiment to see what works best for you. 


Cut along the chalk marks with fabric scissors and then sew with a zig-zag stitch along the open edge to prevent fraying. Sew backwards and forwards a few times at the top and the bottom of the slit to prevent the fabric laddering or splitting vertically.
 

Now pair your vest with a matching cardigan. I recommend something with a high round neckline rather than a v-neck because it's more likely to cover the holes. Keep it mostly buttoned up and just unbutton and pull aside to breastfeed - simple as that!



Thanks for reading!

Love and luck LL x