I am finally back to sewing after recovering from a C-section! I have wanted to sew something for weeks. With my mom's help, I did manage to make a pair of yoga pants to get me through the weeks following childbirth when nothing fits. We love Baby Jane and she is such a good little sleeper, I can fit some sewing in here and there! I am 7 weeks postpartum and adjusting to a new body with some tummy squish but without small bust adjustments.
I loved the fit of Simplicity 1469 so much, I used it as a starting point for this nursing shirt. I used the under bodice, the back and the sleeve pieces to form my pattern into a wearable shirt. The biggest change I made was the undershirt piece with elastic I can pull down for nursing access. Baby Jane is such a messy eater I found myself still getting soaked every time I fed her in my nursing dress. I wanted to be able to pull the fabric completely down, out of the way. I much prefer this to the nursing holes in Simplicity 1469.
This is another Art Gallery print, 'Paparounes in Crimson', and I am totally obsessed with it! I decided it was a little loud, so I paired it with an Art Gallery knit solid. I think it balances the print out nicely, especially the contrasting neckband. After seeing the way my nursing dress has stood up to laundering, I don't want to buy any other knit fabric for my projects.
I would love to say there will be many more of these shirts, but my meticulous nature really slows me down. I sewed this shirt start to finish (including threading the coverstitch and serger) in 4.5 hours. This time, I wrote down the instructions in order so I don't have to do the guesswork again. I would love to make a nightgown in this pattern. I've given up wearing nightgowns when company is over because mine are impossible to nurse in. (And thankfully, we've had a lot of company and help over the last couple of months.)
Oh, and I'd like to note that I made this shirt completely on my serger/coverstitch machine!