Friday, October 18, 2013

DIY Infinity Nursing Scarf

My cousin, Jen, had her second baby in June and when I was visiting this summer, I noticed an awesome infinity nursing scarf she was wearing. I asked my cousin where she got it and she told me her mom bought it on Etsy, but it looked simple enough to DIY. She was right!

I took measurements of Jen's scarf, bought some jersey knit fabric and made one myself for less than $10.

First, I bought a 30"x60" piece of jersey knit fabric, which I scored for 40% off at Jo-Ann Fabric. Their fabrics are almost always on sale, or there's a coupon for a hot deal, so I've learned never to pay full-price.

Second, I laid the fabric flat and then folded it in half to be 30"x30".


My fabulous mother-in-law has a serger sewing machine, so I ran all sides of the fabric once through to make a clean seam on each side. From what I've seen online, I think this step is optional as jersey knit shouldn't fray.



Then, half of one side (about 15" of the total 30", but it doesn't have to be exact) needs to be sewn together to create a hole for your head/neck to fit through. Two sides of the scarf's sides are open / left unsewn and the fourth side is closed when I originally folded the fabric in half. I used a regular sewing machine to close this small section together.

Bottom side of fabric square as shown above: folded over / closed
Left side of fabric: divided in half; the top section is sewn together / bottom section is left open to make scarf's neck hole
Top of fabric: open / not sewn
Right side of fabric: open / not sewn

That's it! How easy it that?





I have a few traditional nursing covers, but I like this one because:
  • it can be worn as a regular infinity scarf, pre-, during, or post-nursing a baby 
  • I'm a scarf-wearer anyway, especially in the wintertime 
  • the material is soft, comfortable and lays nicely
  • it doesn't have a wire loop inside, so the scarf folds small enough to stuff in a diaper bag if youre not wearing it as a scarf
  • the scarf covers the front, side and back of your body, compared to other nursing covers which only cover the front

I'm so excited to use my new infinity nursing scarf when Aden arrives. I think I'll be far more likely to wear this cover-up vs. saying "ah, screw it" like I did last time. When I was nursing Tory, I hated feeling so isolated by going to another room to nurse. Or, when feeding on an airplane, it was so awkward get that big ol' loop around my neck, then trying to keep Tory and myself covered. Nine times out of ten, my side boob would be hanging out in full view no matter how I positioned myself. I'm not a very shy person, so I really had no issue nursing in front of others, but I know people don't always feel the same way. I think my new DIY infinity nursing scarf will work so much better for all parties involved.

19 comments:

  1. Love this! Such a cute scarf too :)

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  2. That is awesome... Now if only I knew how to sew

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  3. I sadly expose far too many people to my boobs.

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  4. Girl you did great with this scarf! I love the fabric you chose and can't believe it folds up so well into a scarf...good work!

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  5. I cannot figure out which sides you sewed together! I must be a dummy!

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  6. I cannot figure out which sides you sewed together! I must be a dummy!

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  7. I don't understand which sides to sew either, can you help me?

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  8. I don't understand which sides to sew either, can you help me?

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  9. Thanks for the comments! I'll try to re-summarize directions here:

    1) Take you piece of 30"x60" jersey knit fabric and fold it in half. In the picture attached (and featured on my blog), the folded side is on the bottom of the image.

    2) As you are looking at the square (remember, the folded over side is on the bottom so that side is technically "closed"), divide the left side of the 30"x30" fabric square in half, about 15 inches. Mark it as so. You'll leave one half of this side open for the scarf neck-hole (the half closest to the folded bottom will stay open) and sew the top half of the left side. Does that make sense? In the picture, the neck hole is on the left side, bottom half. The top half of the fabric on the left side is sewed, according to the pic.

    3) The top side of the fabric square and the right side of the fabric square are left open (un-sewn).

    Hope this helps!

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  10. Ok I have made the cover up but my problem is I have no idea how to fold it up into a scarf because sadly I am not normally a scarf wearer. Please help. Your tutorial on how to make it was great.

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  11. @ Nahwahkah Romans: The best way I've found to wear the infinity scarf is to tie it together behind my neck. While wearing the scarf down as a cover, I grab the two corners on my front and lift them up behind my neck. Then, I tie the two pieces together behind my head. This is the best way I've found to keep the scarf in place.

    When I'm ready to use the scarf as a nursing cover, I simply untie it from behind my head and pull the sides down over my shoulders.

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    1. Thanks you so much. I never would have thought of that. I spent 20 mins the other night flipping it around and around getting nowhere...lol I love how it came out tho and can't wait to make some more and get to wear it. :)

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    2. I just made one, and I figured I could grab both end and slip one into the other at the front. you basically grab it, put it around your neck, tuck the end that is sewn shut in the end that isn't and it seems to want to stay nicely.

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  12. Thanks for sharing the steps, and your scarf is cute. With scarves turning into a lot more common in all seasons, these scarves will match correct in with your wardrobe. With this kind of infinity scarf which can make as a nursing cover, mommies will never be worried.

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  13. Do u have a tutorial video. My baby brain can't seem to comprehend the reading aspect of this. Ugh help I want to learn

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  14. Hi! Just wanted to say thanks! I've finished my scarf ready for number 2s birth (I could have done with it for number 1...). Really easy to make and looks great ��

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