Megan Nielsen Pefect Nursing & Maternity Top

Last weekend I finally found a few hours to make a much-needed item for myself. Somehow during my last pregnancy I managed to survive with only one long-sleeved maternity top. It must have been a combination of working in an office three days a week, putting on a lot more weight and so feeling warmer in general, and the fact the winter of 2008 was much milder than the one we're currently shivering through in Melbourne. This winter, at home with Jack, I'm spending more time outdoors and wearing a cardigan over a teeshirt just isn't cutting it. I needed more sleeves in my wardrobe.

I bought Megan Nielsen's Perfect Nursing & Maternity Top pattern online months ago. This is the first adult-sized PDF pattern I've used and my printer wasn't happy about it. We're having communication issues at the moment and it took my printer about 90 minutes to print the required 21 pages. Grr! I think it's a problem with the latest driver update, I'll have to try uninstalling it and starting again from scratch.

Once I finally managed to collect all the pages, tape them together and cut them out everything else was a breeze. As suggested I constructed the top on my overlocker - another thing I haven't done before. I always sew stretch seams on my sewing machine first and then just use the overlocker to finish the seam edges. It was tricky to figure out how to get the right seam allowance when my overlocker has a very narrow throat plate (narrower than the seam allowance) and no measurement markings, but once I figured out the edge of the fabric should be a smidge past the throat plate I managed to construct the top with no problems.

I did set the sleeves on the sewing machine before overlocking as the armhole required stretching to make it fit the sleeve cap, and I was scared to take the step of overlocking before being sure I'd matched the pieces up properly. It went together fine, no unpicking here!

One technique I really loved was a smooth way to finish a stretch neckline edge without a coverstitch machine. It involves fusible hemming web and gives the fabric the stability necessary for an unpuckered twin needle finish. It's the best finish I've ever done on a stretch neckline.

So, what does my version of the top look like? And why did I choose what's obviously a short-sleeved summer top pattern to make the winter top I needed?


(Excuse bra straps.)

I added extra sleeves! It would have been simple enough to extend the short sleeve piece down to wrist length but the huge bold print of the fabric isn't something I want to slather myself in from east to west. So after finishing the top following the pattern method, I sewed two long, slightly tapered tubes from the black fabric I'd used as a contrast and sewed them to the inside of the finished short sleeve edge. This makes it look like I've layered a black top under the leafy one (especially because of the rounded neckline of the nursing modesty panel) and it'll be really easy to unpick the tubes once the weather warms up and have a short-sleeved top instead. Two for one!


Here's a gratuitous belly shot. Nothing helps a seven month pregnant woman slip into a room unnoticed like swathing herself in a huge lycra print. I was hoping to find a cotton or polycotton jersey for this top, but once I saw this print I had to have it. I'm not certain what the lycra content is but it's quite high by the feel of things. Hope I don't sweat to death in it in summer!

I'm also wearing my refashioned maternity cords, based on a free Megan Nielsen tutorial. I'm dressed top to toe in Megan!