Bits and Pieces: Nursing Cover

Before I had Annie I had great hopes of breastfeeding. It didn't work. Before Maycie I decided I was going to try even harder to make it work, and once again it didnt work. But before all of that with my hopes high I made a hooter hider, knowing that it was something I would need. My sister-in-law gave me some instruction on how she made hers and I looked on a couple of websites, put it all together and it turned out pretty good, if I do say so myself. So this hooter hider tutorial is a combination of all of the information I gathered. There are probably simpler ways to make one but I tend to make things harder thinking they will work out better. I was very pleased with the result in the end and that's all that matters.

Stuff you need:
Material: 1 1/4 yds (I used 2 different fabrics so it looked finished on both sides. If you choose to do that you will need double the material.)

Ribbon: 1 1/8 yds
Rope: 26"
Cut material to the following measurements:
Measurements of Hooter Hider: 38 1/2" x 27"
Measurements of bag: 21" x 8"

Fold edges on 3 sides(the 2 short sides and one of the long sides) 1/2 inch and press and fold over again, press and sew. You wont sew the other long side now as that is where you put the boning later.

I cut the corners on the long side after pressing so it wouldn't be so bulky and easier to fold and sew.

At this point you would measure the width of your boning and fold your material as you did your other 3 sides making sure you leave one of the ends open so the boning can slide in. Once your boning is in, sew vertical lines on either sides of the boning to keep it in place.

The straps:

I used ribbon so I didn't have to fold and sew straps. I measured how long I wanted the ribbon and doubled it over so the two ends would be next to the boning. The measurement (before folded over) of the long end is 28" and the short end is 10 1/2".

I sewed the ribbon twice next to the boning so it would support the weight of the material. Then you will sew your snaps on. I purchased the kind you hand sew on. I don't know if there is any other kind. On the long strap my snap is at 2 1/4" down from the folded end.

With the short end I sewed one snap where I thought I wanted it to be and then added more above and below it just in case I was wrong. Then sewed it twice next to the boning as shown above, the same as the long end. The measurements of the snaps from the folded end are 1", 1 3/4", 2 1/2", 3 1/4".

And that's it, hopefully it made a little sense.

Now the bag

Cut out your piece of material at 21" x 8". Fold in half and sew on the 2 longs sides starting at the top on one side and sew all the way down and on the other side start an inch from the top and sew all the way down. This is for the opening for the rope. I also did a zigzag stitch on the outside of my straight stitch to reinforce the sides.

You now fold the top about 1/4 of an inch and press and then fold 1/2 of an inch, press and sew all the way around.

You will have an opening for your rope. Feed the rope through and tie a knot on both ends so it doesn't fray. I also used some liquid stuff you get at the fabric store to put on the ends so it wouldn't fray.