Friday, August 25, 2017

Tweaked

I started this top about two months ago, wanting to experiment with some nursing friendly styles -- sure, you can just pull up any ol' knit top, but why not try something new? I cut it out using my self-drafted knit top pattern, making the necessary changes for a criss-cross top. However, I quickly halted the project when I realized that there was no way I could fit the top properly with a baby bump (and I strongly suspected the top would be too small until I'd lost a fair bit of baby weight). And I'm glad I waited! This top required a ridiculous amount of tweaking. In fact, after sewing up the side seams I wondered if it would ever be wearable. I'm going to blame the fabric, which is a not-very-stretchy slub knit. But it was only $1 a yard at Wal Mart, so I suppose I can't really complain!




This was going to be a basic top, with sleeve tabs as the only real feature. But as I tweaked, other details appeared. A pleat here, ties there, and a back "bow" to top it off. In the end I'm happy with the result. It works well for nursing  it's quite comfortable, and I like the style. I think I'll like it even better when I've shed a few more pounds of baby weight. *wink* I'm using it with a "half cami" -- a regular camisole that I cut off at the midriff to wear with low-cut garments -- but it would work with a nursing tank, too (the two that I have are on the thick side, so not ideal for layering under a top like this).




Besides all that, it was quite therapeutic to get back to sewing -- though I forced myself to deal with several mending/alteration projects that had piled up first! Now that they're out of the way, it's time to tackle the stash once again...


6 comments:

  1. That is so cute! :) I'd love to have one. I just had my 5th baby on the 7th and am remembering "Oh yeah... I need nursing-friendly clothes now!" ha! :)
    I came across your blog again last night. Hello! Sorry it's been ages!

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    1. Shannon,

      Welcome back, and congrats on your new little one! :-)

      I'm finding so many creative nursing tops/dresses in stores, but I'm just not willing to pay for them... oh well, all the more reason (excuse?) to sew, right?!

      Cheers,
      Shannon

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  2. Shannon,

    I am always inspired by your creativity! I love all of the extra details you have added to make your top special.

    -Sarah

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  3. Nursing tops are tough. It seems they're always boring, super expensive, or both! I've personally found sewing them to be more of a challenge than anticipated, so I admire you for sticking with this one. The results are great!

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    1. I completely agree! I've seen plenty of bland styles, and while some companies are getting more creative, the cost is just prohibitive for my thrift-store-sized wallet! :-) Thanks for the kind words -- I was certainly ready to throw in the towel there for a while.

      Cheers,
      Shannon

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