Half Shirt Tutorial

I know what you are thinking- What is a half shirt? At least that is what I thought when a friend was telling me about them. Turns out they are an amazing innovation for the nursing mother. You wear it under another shirt, so when baby is hungry, you pull the one down and the other up, and can nurse while still being covered (if you have ever gone searching for modest nursing tops that don't leave you exposed all over the place you will understand what I am talking about). My friend had found hers at Mod Bod (I think this is the one), but they only came in a few colors and can be a little pricey. So we decided to make our own.

 We took a regular (cheap) shirt, and cut it off about two inches below the original. (It ended up being 15 inches from the highest point on the shoulder, slightly arched).

 Finished cut- see the slight arch. You can use whatever length feels good for you- just try on your shirt and mark where you want it, making sure to leave room for a hem.

 We sewed a simple hem around the bottom. It ended up being between 1/4" and 1/2" depending on the elastic that we were using.

 Make sure to leave a gap to thread the elastic through. (To measure the elastic, I had my friend wrap it around herself til it felt comfortable, and added about an inch to sew it together). After the elastic is in and sewed together, close the opening.

Finished product. This was our sample to see if it would work, and it did. The Mom is going to find more shirts in fun colors to add to her collection. She recommends a slightly tighter fitting shirt, cause after all, it is an undershirt, so just buy whatever size you would for an undershirt. These would also work well for undershirts where you want the layered look with out all the extra bulk and lines.