Are you ready to learn how to make the best nursing cover? I hope so!
When Jack was born, I looked at quite a few different styles of nursing covers, and for awhile, the only ones I found were nursing cover aprons. Sure, they were super cute, but there was one big problem — they didn’t cover my back! I don’t know about you, but whenever I nursed Jack, it was very difficult to keep my back covered, while trying to hold him too. I found myself avoiding nursing in public, or I would always make sure my back was against a wall or a chair. If you don’t care about that type of thing, good for you! But I did, and I hated it.
So I started searching the Internet for how to make a nursing cover, and kept coming across nursing infinity scarfs. I didn’t necessarily want something I could wear as a scarf (I really never wear scarfs ever), so when I found that shawl style nursing covers were popular. I knew I had to make it. It provides full-coverage, you can easily pull back the top of it to look at your baby, and the fabric is so lightweight. Best of all, you can make it for less than about $5, and it only requires a little cutting and one stitch. So even if you have no clue how to sew, I am willing to bet you could figure out this easy nursing cover. I made one of these when I had Jack, and gave one to my sister as well. We both had so many people asking where we got them, I thought I’d share my experience making it with all of you.
I originally found a tutorial that I tweaked a little bit from The Coterie Blog. However, I was recently told that this website no longer existed, and I was asked to create a more in-depth tutorial. This is really the easiest nursing cover shawl out there, and I think it only takes about 15 minutes (or less!) to complete!
Materials:
1 yard of jersey knit fabric, any color or pattern, that is about 60 inches wide. I always try and buy this when I have a coupon at Joann’s Fabric. However, my favorite place to find jersey knit is in the remnant pile. Those are always marked 50% off their lowest marked price and you can almost always find some.
Matching Thread
Scissors
Sewing Machine (or a needle)
Instructions
1. Fold your fabric in half – right sides together – and cut the fabric to be 25 inches by 30 inches. Make sure the 25-inch side is the folded edge.
2. Starting at the top of the folded edge, measure down the side about 12 inches and place a pin at the 12-inch mark. Then, pin the rest of the way down to the unfolded edge. The 12 inches at the top is for your neck hole.
3. Sew up the pinned side until you reach the beginning of your neck hole, then backstitch to put it in place.
4. Turn inside out. Enjoy!
These are great baby shower gifts, and they are very inexpensive!
Ann says
hi, do you think it will work with woven cotton? thanks
Ann says
silly question, how do we wear the poncho? trying to figure it out and it doesnt sit well.. is the seam suppose to be on the side or middle? thanks
Katie says
It should be on the side!
Katie says
Hmm, I’m not totally sure! Let me know how it turns out!
Linda says
Thank you for sharing of your time and talent. I love this and am going to hopefully pull it off for my granddaughter for Christmas.
DNPP says
hanks for this. I’ll be sewing a couple for my 2nd baby! Just wondering , can we keep eye contact with the baby whilst feeding when using this cover?
Katie says
Hi! The top of it is very stretchy, and I found I was able to look down at my baby pretty easily.
S.MARDHIAH.S says
Hi Katie! Thank you for sharing the idea. Really love it! It looks easy for me as the first timer try to sew a nursing cover. I hope u can share more images of the nursing cover from the back view n also left/right view. Thank you again and Have a Nice Day!:)
Katie says
Thanks! I will try to share some more images soon!
T says
Unfortunately, by the time I got here the link to the visual tutorial had died. I’m expecting my first, and I would love to make myself some nursing covers. Could you post some more pics, so I could get a better idea of what you did?
Katie says
Thank you for letting me know that the website is down! I just bought some fabric today and will hopefully have a visual tutorial up very soon!
Katie says
Hi! I just updated this with pictures. Please let me know if you need any help!
Nicole says
I was curious if you knew if this size would work for “plus size girls as well? I would love to make one but I was thinking I need to increase it up to 40 inches but I was not sure. Thank you.
Katie says
Hi! I haven’t made one, but I’d imagine increasing it to about 40 inches would work perfectly 🙂
Nicole says
Thank you, I will give that a try 🙂
Brianna says
I have been planning on making this for our third. I just clicked on the pin that I found and realized it was Katie from church that made this! Well done Katie, it looks super easy and cute!!!
Katie says
That is so funny! I’m glad you found the tutorial – I really loved my nursing cover. So exciting that you are expecting your third – your little girls are darling!
Karin says
I used her tutorial to make one of these right after I had my baby girl and I have LOVED it!!
Katie says
I’m so glad you made this one too! Isn’t it the best?! I lost mine so I made another one, even though I have no use for it right now…ahaha.