Supplement 271 - Model#70 - 2008
Hi there folks, me again. If you've read any of the more recent posts you would see that I've been sewing for a pregnant family member. Well, as you might expect, the baby is here now and the new mother's needs are changing. To help her out with her newest wardrobe transition, I figured some discreet nursing tops would be useful. Boy, some of those garments are expensive!
The Pattern:
It seemed a close fitting T-shirt was the way to go for the modifications I wanted to make. This particular Lutterloh pattern has proven to be the closest fitting T-shirt pattern I've tried. There is definitely negative ease built into this pattern. This nursing top has a double layer front so the inside layer can be pulled down for access. 
The green line represents where I folded the pattern down to create the inner front layer. For the top layer I cut a full front and cut the diagonal line later. The rest of the pattern, back and sleeves, stayed the same.
The Alterations:
To get the asymmetrical overlay I layered the two fronts together to make sure they were aligned properly then marked the slanted cutting line with chalk and my longest Lutterloh ruler. The red line below represents the approximate cutting line for the overlay. 
To avoid any stretching out at the top I did sew a strip of 3/8" wide clear elastic to the top of the under layer. The hem of the asymmetrical overlay needs to be finished before it is sewn with the under layer to form one front unit. Once the front layers are basted together the construction goes just like any T-shirt.
The Fabric:
This T-shirt is made up in a very stretchy rayon blend knit. Because this pattern is for a very close fitting shirt I would suggest that the fabric be lightweight, very stretchy, and have excellent recovery properties. Without lots of stretch this style of nursing top may not work.
This is what the top looks like underneath when pulled up for nursing access. The two fronts are sewn together at the side seams so it does raise up just a bit on the long side but there is still plenty of coverage to make this discreet. The elastic at the top of the underlay keeps the top from getting droopy underneath.
Conclusion:
This pattern has turned out to be my go to for most T-shirt styles that I would like to create. This is a great base pattern to apply a little slicing and dicing to come up with a new style. My next few nursing tops will come from this pattern but with a few different cut lines to insert discreet invisible zippers. We'll just have to see which style the new mother likes best.
Alright then, thanks for stopping by. I'll get to work on another version of this T-shirt so the new mommy will have some options.
Until next time, happy sewing from,
Ann in Calif.
