Summit Peak Hoodie Nursing Hack

Hello New Horizons Fans!

I’m Sarah, self-professed Portlander pants addict and blogger/seamstress over at www.sewingwithsarah.com. Last year, I had the opportunity to test the TAMI Hoodie, and share my nursing hoodie hack with you. That hoodie has gotten a lot of love over the past year, and it’s made me so happy to see all the nursing hoodies that have popped up- I love empowering other mamas to feel good about themselves!

Since a girl can never have too many nursing hoodies (goal: stay warm AND feed baby a the same time!), I knew as soon as I saw the line drawing for the Summitt Hoodie, that it would make the perfect nursing top to add to my closet.  

You could adapt the method for the TAMI hoodie and use it on the Summit- but where’s the fun in that? I decided to add a new method, and share it with you, that utilizes the princess seams and invisible zippers for a more discreet nursing option.

Ready? Let’s do it!

To start, you’ll need the following

• Two invisible zippers, 7-9”. You can also use longer zippers and shorten them later.
• An invisible zipper foot. This makes putting them in much easier! A standard zipper foot is also recommended, but not required.
• LIghtweight interfacing or fusible straight stay tape.

Step 1:

Sew the front bodice and front side bodice to the pocket pieces, per the tutorial. STOP when you get to the part where you are instructed to sew the front to the side front- this is where my instructions will differ.

Step 2:

Hold the front bodice A piece up to yourself, and make a mark for where you want your zipper to start and stop. Since we are all proportioned differently, this will be a personal choice. I didn’t want my zipper to extend all the way into the armpit for comfort, and I wanted it to stop at least 1” above the top of the pocket, to keep things simple there.

Mark your front bodice pieces on each side, and then mark your side front (Front Bodice piece B) pieces as well. To figure out where the corresponding markings should go on the side front pieces, you can walk your seams, or use a measuring tape. In this example, I’ve started 2” below the armpit and ended 2” above the pocket, but after sewing, I decided that this wasn’t quite long enough for easy access, so I would recommend going a bit higher and a bit lower.

Step 3:

Apply fusible interfacing/stay tape along the seam line on the wrong side of your front A and B bodice pieces, on both the left and right side, to stabilize the opening where the zippers will be inserted.

Step 4:

Follow the pattern instructions for inserting bodice piece B into bodice piece A. You may want to clip/pin the pocket together, so you don’t get things all twisted and confused (ask me how I know!) . Sew bodice A to bodice B together at the princess seam, but STOP at the marking you made for where you want your zipper to start. Do not sew below your marking yet.

Step 5:

Iron your zipper to prep it for insertion (the package explains how to do this. You don’t want it all curled up- you want to iron it flat so it’s easier to stitch close to the teeth). Sew in your zipper on the left side (as it’s facing you), with the right side of the zipper to the right side of the fabric.

Here’s what it will look like from the wrong side:

The zipper stop will be right at the marking you made, and the extra zipper tape at the top will extend above the mark behind the seam you sewed at step 4. If you haven’t sewn in an invisible zipper before, it’s best to practice on a scrap. Stop when you get to the second mark you made for where you want the zipper to end, and back stitch.

Step 6:

Flip your zipper tape over, and twist it so the right side of the zipper tape is right sides together with the other unsewn edge of your bodice. Make sure the zipper stop is in the same place as on the other side, and then sew this side of the zipper in.

You may want to baste it first to make sure it will end up correctly- invisible zippers are easy to get turned around!

I found it easiest to sew this side from the bottom up for a few inches, and then from that point down to the mark you made for where you want that zip to end.

View from the wrong side:

Here’s what it will look like from the wrong side after it’s all sewn in:

And from the right side:

Step 7:

ZIp up your zipper and check to make sure that the top stops match up, and that you stopped at the same place on both sides. If your zipper is significantly longer than you need, make your own zipper stop by sewing back and forth over the teeth a few times. Then cut it and move it off to the side.

Step 8:

Switch to a regular zipper foot, or a standard foot. Starting as close as possible to where your zipper stitching stopped, with the zipper end out of the way, continue your seam to the pocket marking on the pattern (which is below the top of the pocket).

Step 9:

Repeat for the other side, and follow the instructions in the pattern to complete your hoodie!

Note: I haven’t included a zipper guard, or a modesty panel, but you could add those features if they are important to you!

I hope that was helpful- please feel free to ask any questions or tag @sewingwithsarah when you share your nursing Summitt’s on social media so I can give you a virtual high five! Nurse on mama!