DIY Nursing Poncho

We are expecting our baby girl to be born around the end of November! There have been many things we had to purchase or ask for in order to prepare for her arrival. The "Music Room" has now been turned into the "Baby Nursery". So, dad had to give up his personal space, but he was happy to do so for the baby.

Almost everything we have in the Nursery has been purchased from second-hand shops or been given to us by friends. It has been ten years since my first child was born. Over the years, those items were given away to people in need.

A little history-My son was born two months premature so I was not able to continue breastfeeding as long as I wanted for him. With baby girl I want to breastfeed for at least one year. In honor of that...I have chosen to make a DIY Nursing Poncho!

A friend gifted me about a yard of fabric printed with sea turtles and another with coral reef sea life. I have been pondering what to create for over a month. So, I did what any intelligent woman does...browse www.Pinterest.com and www.Google.com! There really was a lot of tutorials for the Nursing Cover with the boning in the neck area (so that you can view baby). This did not suit my needs because it did not cover all the way around the body. If I have to lift my shirt or something odd like that, then I want full coverage. I seen a tutorial for a Modern Nursing Shawl made from knit material. This looked great and got me thinking about how to make mine out of non-stretchy cloth material. I wanted to make a basic poncho style cover!

DIY Nursing Poncho Tutorial (beginner)
Due to me being nearly six feet tall and what most people call "Plus Sized", I opted to make mine a little wider and longer to ensure proper coverage. This is a very simple and easy tutorial.

1) Cut two rectangle strips from fabric- I used 30 x 35 inch rectangles. Most women could use 18 x28.

2) I followed this pattern of sewing- Basic sewing pattern for poncho.

3) Then, I created a very simple rolled hem around the outside edges of the Nursing Poncho. I used no more than 1/2 an inch total.

4) Next, I finished cutting the neck hole. I cut the extra material off and did another simple rolled hem all the way around the neck hole and reinforced the two areas where the material was sewn together.

This was my first attempt at creating a Nursing Poncho.

You can wear this on both the shoulders or with one arm outside of the poncho and off only one shoulder. The neck hole is large and allows for privacy from passers-by or you can lift to check on baby.

If I can make one, anyone can! Happy nursing!