A Jennuine Life: Mother Being Inspiration

Today I’ll be sharing a project I hope you find inspirational for Mother Being – Nursing.  I had originally intended to share a refashion using two button down shirts, but in the meantime I rediscovered a pattern for a nursing top that I have been searching for forever.  It was in the same book that Lindsay from The Cottage Home made her Early Empire Cinch from – Handmade Beginnings by Anna Maria Horner.  I went to pick it up to make the cinch and there it was – the long lost pattern I had seen while browsing at a Barnes & Noble with my (at that time nursing) daughter!  Serendipity indeed!

Here’s where you’ll be posting your creative entries – Mother Being Flickr Group.  Please note that this is a new pool for the nursing fashions you’ve created.  If you have any trouble getting your project uploaded, please feel free to send your photo and description to me at deshazer(dot)jennifer(at)gmail(dot)com. 

As a reminder, the guidelines for entry are for your project to be:

• Sewn in 2011:  It doesn’t have to have been made specifically for this competition, but let’s keep it current – sewn in this year.
• Photographed on a person:  Preferably on you, but since that can get difficult – just do your best! 
• More than just embellished:  I’m not saying that every stitch of the project has to be sewn by you, but if you’ve just added rosettes to an existing maternity top, then this doesn’t count.  Refashions are great – let’s see some ingenious transformations!  If you’ve used a pattern, let’s give credit for it!

Jenn of A Jennuine Life: Four Corners Nursing Blouse From Handmade Beginnings

Okay, ignore the fact that I am obviously pregnant in this photo.  This would actually work quite well as a maternity top – especially so if you were nursing while pregnant.  This pattern came from Handmade Beginnings – 24 Sewing Projects to Welcome Baby by Anna Marie Horner. 

It’s the Four Corners Blouse.  It’s a really cool pattern, especially if you’re a quilter because all the cuts are rectangles.  Whip out your rotary cutters, girls!

I made mine entirely from my stash – I had to get a little creative on the yoke because I couldn’t quite eek it out of the contrast fabric, but luckily I had another orange fabric that would work to piece in at the center and sides. 

I like the loop and button detail along the yoke and placket.  If I hadn’t been using buttons from my stash I think I would have tried to pick up on the little bit of periwinkle blue in the Japanese fabric and they should be 1/8″ smaller.  But these work.  My husband pointed out that our daughter Arden has a thing for buttons and zippers and these would probably drive her crazy since they don’t work!