When it comes to discreet feeding I haven’t found anything nearly as helpful as a breastfeeding apron. I first saw this a few years ago at a mother’s group in Albury when another mother wore hers whilst feeding her child. A bit of an entrepreneur, this mum suggested it might make a good fundraising activity, and she happily passed the apron around for us all to look at.
Now I have to admit that I took one look at this apron and thought, I could make that and very cheaply too. Having given myself the challenge I went to Spotlight that day (I lived on a farm at this point and knew I wouldn’t get another chance for at least another fortnight) and bought the supplies.
Here follows a simple tutorial on how to make your own breastfeeding apron. Another tutorial on refashioning an existing baby wrap into an apron can be found here.
You will need:
- Fabric (about 65x112cm)
- 30cm boning
- Buckle
- Sewing machine
- Thread
- Scissors
- Face washer (optional)
What to do:
Cut two 5x112cm wide strips from the bottom of the fabric and set them aside.
Overlock or zigzag stitch all edges of fabric.
Pin 5-10mm on 3 sides leaving one long side.
Before hemming on bottom corner on underside of wrap cut your face washer in half diagonally.
Overlock or zigzag stitch the cut edge and pin into hem.
Sew hem as usual. This provides a handy wipe up option for any post breastfeed dribbles.
Fold over 2cm along long edge and pin. Sew.
Find the middle of the long edge and measure 15cm on either side. Mark with a pin.
Using long strips cut in step 1 fold in half length ways, right sides together and pin.
Leave one at 61cm long and sew along long edge. Turn right side out. Reduce other strip to 20cm and sew along edge. Turn right side out.
Fold 20cm length in half and slide on buckle.
Pin to underside of apron, on left hand side of the first 15cm marker.
Sew in place. For strength sew a box and then cross diagonally through each corner of the box.
Feed through boning from right hand side until in the middle of the two 15cm markers so that the curve is curving away from the underside. Pin in place.
Sew 61cm strip along both short edges to finish neatly, folding the fabric under slightly. Pin in place on right hand side of second 15cm marker, sewing as in Step 8.
Voila! All done. This is a very handy addition to the nappy bag and is machine washable on a gentle cycle. You will need to fold up apron with a little care though. If you fold it up in thirds you can then roll the boning up and use the straps as a tie.
Originally posted 2014-03-10 22:24:30.