Making use of scraps: A nursing bra

With 1.5 metres of this lovely slubby hemp cotton jersey, I now have a nursing-friendly t-shirt, a nursing bra, and the most perfect little baby leggings (Brindille and Twig Footie Leggings) you ever did see. The shirt was the intended project for the fabric, and I’ve already blogged about making it here. The leggings took maybe 20 minutes once I’d traced off the pattern, so there’s not much to say about them, except that baby socks are stupid and these are PERFECT for leaving the house with a newborn.

The bra, however, is filling a major need in my life. I had three nursing-friendly bras with my first baby, but one of them now has a broken hook, so a new bra was needed. And particularly needed was a nice, claspless, super-comfy bra for sleeping in, not something with structure or support or anything. Really just a holder for breast pads so the bed doesn’t get covered in milk. The Rad Patterns Lucky Lingerie fit the bill!

I checked out the Rad Patterns Facebook group to see if anyone had made a nursing bra with thi pattern previously, and indeed thy had. Using elastic along the edge to keep it springing back was suggested, but I figured I wanted this bra immediately and didn’t want to go get notions. I’ve somehow still never purchased clear elastic, probably because it never occurs to me until I need it, and then I don’t want to go buy notions. For mostly the same reason I used the same fabric for lining and exterior, but also because it’s soft and stretchy and bulk wasn’t really a concern.

Instructions for this pattern are photos, which was mostly fine except that I found the side-seams explanation pretty confusing. But of course, sew-er logic prevailed and I got through. It’s nicely designed to have all the seams enclosed in a simple and straightforward way.

For the fabric straps option (which I went with because comfort), the instructions have you baste fit and ensure the length is good. Which I did, but I forgot that comfortable in the day time is rarely ever tight enough for nighttime. I ended up having to shorten both straps significantly after a night of wear, so the bra is no longer seamless. I took this photo directly to show how much I had to take out, but of course that means there are milk stains. Woopsies.

I also skipped interfacing the straps, because comfort, not support, was the priority here.

I am quite enamoured of the back peekaboo, less so with the twist on the front. If I make another, I might cut the front on the fold and skip the twist; see if that still holds up. I might do this because another comfy ballet-style bra would be nice to have, but I might not as other projects are calling my name.

Pattern: Rad Patterns Lucky Lingerie - Fabric strap and band option
Size: Medium, regular cup
Fabric: Dusty rose hemp cotton jersey from Blackbird
If there is a next time: Shorten straps for nighttime wear, refer to this make. Would like to try clear elastic for support. Try cutting front on fold and skipping the twist.