1st Place Tie: Kate Fifelski from Ypsilanhti, MI

1st Place Tie: Lily Richter from Kentucky

With winter just around the corner I thought it would be nice to share with everyone a few of the nursing jackets I've made using different Elizabeth Lee Designs.

To make the purple raincoat I used the ELD#206 jacket pattern. I really like this jacket and usually reach for it first in the spring and fall. The deep pockets are so handy and the raincoat fabric is very lightweight. This was the second ELD#206 jacket I made and I found with this fabric I could eliminate the double overlay on the front. In hindsight, I wish I had added a hood to this jacket.

For the lightweight cotton knit jacket, I started with one of my all time favorite ELD patterns-the 205. If you wear turtlenecks this pattern is a must (see the striped knit turtleneck I'm wearing with the raincoat.) Turning the turtleneck pattern into a pullover hooded jacket was surprisingly easy. I do suggest using a size or two larger than normal at the side seams so you have plenty of fabric to pull in around your waist. I really only altered the pattern overlay slightly. I made the overlay similar to one used in the ELD#206 jacket pattern (love those deep pockets.) I also added a double-sided hood so seams would not be exposed, a drawstring waist, and a little tie at the neck for decoration.

The final jacket was made using the Nettie pattern. This pattern has lots of room built into it and I knew it would be perfect for a Sherpa Polarfleece jacket. I didn't deviate much from the tunic view. Again, I just added roomy pockets to the overlay, a hood, a drawstring waist, and elastic on the cuff. I embroidered snowflakes randomly on the pattern pieces to add a bit of interest.

Other ELD patterns that would work well for a jacket include: Marge and ELD#110. So even if you just have one ELD pattern, it is very possible you could make a nursing jacket too.

2nd Place - Linda Skiff from Newcastle, ME

I have been sewing since I can't remember when and designed my first outfit at age 5. Over all those years I have never seen patterns with better explanations and illustrations than Elizabeth Lee patterns. They are written by someone who really understands home sewing and the need for efficiency! I have been planning on entering the Millennium sewing contest since I first saw it announced. My only problem was I couldn't decide which one of Elizabeth Lee pattern sewn outfits I felt was the best. I love them all. I have made a few outfits that are tricky marriages of Elizabeth Lee patterns. I enjoy the individuality and creativity of those creations, but the ones I want to share, that are my favorites, are the unaltered classics made straight from a single pattern. There are several reasons why these dresses work for me; the designs, the material, and the price! I like the way the prints of these dresses obscure the nursing openings. In my mothering wardrobe, prints create the most successful outfits. You don't have to worry about that peanut butter stain you got just before heading out the door because it blends right in! Both dresses were made from bargain materials. The full skirted polka dot dress made from NC 204 cost $3.00 and the slip dress with underlay and sheer layer made from NC 301 cost around $11.00. Whenever I wear these dresses I always get comments about how nice they look. I have also included a photo of my complete Elizabeth Lee wardrobe, many items sewn while I was on hospital bedrest in my last pregnancy. It was the first time the nurses had seen anyone bring a sewing machine to the hospital! I had to keep my mother running to the material store for more projects to keep me sane.

3rd Place Tie: Nicole House from Brooklyn Center, MN using NC#206

I wanted to tell you again how much I appreciate your patterns! I'm also looking forward to the new one you're developing. I can't wait until it comes out!

I'm submitting my entry for the sewing contest. It's my version of the NC 206 coat. When I first got my pattern I didn't visualize the coat in fleece- I saw it in "junk jeans." The jeans either have holes, don't fit, or are otherwise unwearable but still have lots of good fabric left in them. (I saw the idea at a sewing expo.) I used approximately 5 pairs of old jeans that I already had, (a bonus since I didn't have the money for fleece at the time) and "lined" it with a plaid flannel that I also already had. It isn't a true lining, since I put the pieces wrong sides together and constructed the jacket as if I used fleece. I used my machine to decorate the baby panel and the upper left front. I decided to eliminate the waist drawstring. I also added a detachable hood, using the hood from another pattern.

My coat was warm enough to wear to all of last winter (even in Minnesota!) And it will definitely come in handy this winter-I'm expecting our 4th child in April and I'll probably need the extra room the baby panel will give me.

3rd Place Tie: Laura Vasquez from Huntington Beach, CA

Enclosed are photos of my new nursing wardrobe. The first set of photos shows me in a medium #104 blue/white stripe lightweight flannel. I got the 108-inch-wide material free from another mom about six years ago and made sheets from it for our queen bed. I had just enough left over for a short, sleeveless nightgown, so I trimmed the bodice and base with lace to match the sheets.

Then I jokingly told my husband he'd have to come find me in the sheets. The second group shows a medium #207 dress with the tulip top. The dress is a flowered turquoise washable rayon. I made it following the "Maternity Magic" instructions and used it during my on-site contract for a month and then at each Mass during the last few months of pregnancy. It's also been well used since then for nursing at Mass. I also made a matching headband by covering a length of ½ inch wide elastic with the rayon print.

One photo shows me in the navy/white Marge t-shirt and matching headband, with our newest baby, Amaru Martin Vasquez, in the #202 sling that I made for our second son (Matthew.) Amaru (an Inca name) was born on the 4th of July, very appropriate as my husband Pablo, originally from Peru, just became a U.S. citizen on May 9, 200l.

Another photo shows me in a medium #207 navy knit with matching flowered vest front. Amaru was one week old in this photo, and I was still pretty tired, as you can tell from the photo! But he was always a good eater and now at about 2 ½ months is about double his birthweight.

The last group of photos shows a matching set of medium #201 short flared coverup, skirt, and nursing swimsuit out of a blue and gold swimsuit print that I got on sale at a discount store. I was rather nervous about making a swimsuit, but it all came out and fit rather well. I also made a non-nursing suit with this pattern from a beautiful floral swimsuit print (modeled by my sister-in-law Mel.) She liked the fit and pattern so well that, when I have time again, I'm going to make another suit for her using the blue/gold print, (I bought a lot of material) and a higher-cut leg.

I talk about your patterns to all the pregnant and nursing moms I meet, and I take your catalog and request cards to my OB/Gyn's office and to the pediatrician's office whenever I go. Keep on making those great patterns and helping us nursing moms to nurse comfortably, discreetly, and inexpensively!