First of all, if there are any men reading my blog, this post is not for you. Instead, go visit my dad's blog,
CreationPath (although you still won't escape the nursing theme!!).
...Now, I would not normally post pictures of my underwear on the Internet. :-) However, I made this tutorial in hopes that it will be helpful to other nursing moms. Since I've started breastfeeding, I've found that nursing bras are generally
A) hard to find in the first place
B) plainly utilitarian
C) not of the style I'm used to wearing
D) expensive
Since I am a big fan of breastfeeding, and Douglas and I are hoping the Lord will bless us with many children, I did not want to spend the rest of my pre-menopausal days wearing ugly bras. ;-) A few weeks ago I decided to convert some "regular" bras into nursing bras by way of some front-closing bra clasps. You could also use nursing bra clasps, but for whatever reason I like this kind better.
I ordered these from
Sew Sassy Fabrics. I'd recommend stocking up when you order, since shipping is on the expensive side. For what it's worth, the black clasps that I ordered seems to be a bit sturdier than the clear ones.
You could really use just about any style of bra, provided the cup will bend easily to uncover the breast for nursing. (Test this when trying on bras.) This particular bra comes from Target and sells for around $10. It is part of a line from Gilligan O'Malley, called 'Everyone's Favorite Bra' or something like that. It is particularly suitable for this project because of the ring at the top of the cup. Plus, they have a variety of colors and prints so you can choose something a little more sassy if you like. (I'm showing a plain beige in this tutorial because I
really don't want to post pictures of my sassy underwear on the Internet.) ;-)
First, unpick the stitching at the top of the cup to release the plastic ring.
Next, cut the lingerie elastic just below the loop sewn near the adjustable slider. (You could also unpick here, but it was sewn so tightly I found it easier to just sacrifice that little bit of elastic.) Cut the remaining loop off of the slider and discard.
Remove the plastic ring from the elastic and replace it with one half of the new bra clasp (making sure the clasp is facing the right direction). Re-loop the elastic through the slider as shown, then pull tight to make a new loop.
Stitch down the new loop. A zipper foot will be handy to get up close near the slider, but don't stress if you don't have one. Just make your loop a little larger.
Slip the other half of the new bra clasp through the top of the cup (making sure it's facing the right direction), fold over, and stitch in place. If you choose a bra that doesn't have a plastic loop like this one does, you could use extra lingerie elastic or matching ribbon to sew a loop at the top of the cup to hold the clasp.
Ta-da! A finished nursing bra. Now that you've got out your thread and needle, you could make it more feminine by adding lace, bows, ribbon rosettes, or whatever. It irks me that nursing bras are so unattractive, when women will be wearing them at a time when they're not in the greatest shape and they really need something extra to feel pretty! So have at it, Moms!
Labels: motherhood, sewing
