Nursing Shawl

Made By Marzipan’s Stylish Nursing Shawl:

• is made from lightweight, wrinkle-free jersey
• features a classic cowl neck that allows you to peek at baby
• has a shawl style that provides coverage without drawing attention
• does double-duty as a carseat cover

Begin by folding the yard of fabric in half so that it is 30 inches long. (I chose to cut my fabric to 30 inches wide at this point, but it’s probably best to wait until you’ve finished sewing. That way you can try on the garment and decide just how much coverage you’d like before you cut.)

So, your piece of folded fabric should be 30 x 36 inches. We’re going to cut a neckhole  that’s 10 inches wide on the fold. So measure 13 inches in from the left side and mark, then mark again at 23 inches. (Again, I chose to cut my fabric first, so my measurements are a little different on the video).

Lay the folded fabric on a hard surface and sketch a neckline between the two marks. The trick to making a cowl neck is that the front neckline needs to be deeper than the back neckline. The front should be about 5 inches deep. Be careful to only cut through the top layer of fabric.

Trace a neckline on the second layer of fabric. The back neckline should be about 2.5 inches deep.

Find the circumference of the neck opening by measuring with a flexible measuring tape. Follow the curves carefully to get an accurate measurement, then add one inch for seams.

Cut the 1/4 yard piece of fabric to the length of that measurement.

Fold the fabric in half widthwise, right sides together, and sew along the short end to make a tube. Use a ball-point needle and a zig-zag stitch when sewing knit fabrics for best results. Set aside.

Next we’ll make the ruffle. This is optional, but I think it adds some interest to the garment. Ruffle the 1/8 yard strip of fabric by sewing down the center with a basting stitch. Leave the thread long and do not backstitch.

Adjust the ruffle by pulling on the threads. Pin to the garment. (You may trim the excess fabric if it’s too long.) I pinned mine off-center for an asymmetrical look. Sew in place with a straight stitch.

Now we’ll add the cowl neck. Fold the tube piece in half, wrong sides together.

With the garment right side out, lay the raw edge of the cowl piece inside of the neckline and pin, overlapping the fabrics by about half an inch. Line up the seam of the cowl with the shoulder area. When you’re finished pinning, it will look like a turtleneck.

Sew the fabrics together, using a zig-zag stitch. Sew directly over the raw edge of the neckline for a cleaner finish.

Fold the cowl neck down. I like to add a single stitch to tack down a couple spots on the cowl, to help it keep its shape without having to fuss with it every time I put it on.

Finally, add decorative buttons to the ruffle strip.

Now you can try on the nursing cover and trim it width-wise as needed. Be sure to cut an even amount of fabric from both sides. (Knit fabric won’t fray, so you don’t need to finish these edges.)

Click to check out Made By Marzipan’s other sewing projects for baby.