Thursday, January 14, 2010

Hooter Hiders on sale today... or... Make Your Own!


Today at Baby Steals, Hooter Hiders (breast feeding privacy covers) are on sale for $14.99! (deal has ended). I had made a very similar nuring cover from my left over fabric and some left over bridal boning, but at this price, I think buying it would be a good deal, especially if you don't sew! Some items tend to sell out quickly! But, if you want to make one, here's how I did it! I love this style with the boning in it so that you can easily peep down to see what's going on down there, and if you are new to breast-feeding, it makes it easier for you to have both of your hands under there, while still being fully covered and get the little guy/gal latched without exposing yourself!

They are very simple to make:
This is a picture of me using the first one I made with vintage, grandma's attic-style fabric (below/left). All you need is about 3/4 yard of 45" wide fabric and about 12 - 16 inches of boning (depending on how large of a curved peeping area at the top you want): It's basically just a big square sewn together, with a neck strap! Instead of the metal belt loop closure like the Hooter Hider uses, you could tie your neck strap into a bow, or use velcro or a snap to close it instead. I actually prefer a snap INSTEAD of the belt loop because it is SO much easier to undo with only one hand if you need to undo it while still holding your babe! You can either make your own sewn fabric tube for the neck strap, or use a different material like a thick ribbon.
1. With the patterned side (the "right" side) of the fabric on the inside, fold your fabric in half and sew the 2 sides that are perpendicular to the fold. Be sure to sew your boning into the top edge on one of the fabric sides about 1/4 inch down (parallel to the raw top edge), sewn onto the "wrong" side of the fabric.
2. Flip it inside out and fold the fabric at the raw top edge inward 3/4 inch all the way around, and press/iron it to make a nice folded top edge (your boning will be encased in the fold). Lay your fabric down on the table flat, with your two sewn edges being on the far right and far left, pin the un-sewn top edges together, so that your nicely pressed, folded top edges are matched up.
3. Then, on either side of the boning, pin the neck strap pieces so that the raw small end is sandwitched and hidden between your folded/pressed top edges, and the straps are sticking out perpendicular to your folded/pressed edge - be sure the strap pieces are inserted 3/4" - 1" inward (if you choose to do the metal belt loop style closure like the Hooter Hider, make sure the shorter neck strap piece already has the metal belt loop thingy sewn in place - fold the shorter strap in half with the metal thing at the fold, then sew a line straght across to seal it into the loop).
4. Then, the final step: sew your folded/pressed edge together at 1/2 inch inward, making sure you sew through the inserted edges of your neck strap pieces... and you are DONE! You can also sew over the areas where your neck straps are inserted again, to reinforce them.
Sorry if the instructions seem too simplified - let me know if any of it is confusing and I can clarify!
: )
When you make your own, you can choose Organic or Bamboo fabric! JoAnn Fabrics and Fabric.com have some Organic fabrics on sale right now! Fabric.com has free shipping on $35+ orders and some hot sales right now... and at JoAnn's they say that their "entire stock of fabric is on sale" right now and, with coupon code JAFSA1050, you can get free shipping on your $50+ order, and with coupon code JAA1040, you can get 40% off one regular-price item at JoAnn!

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