MsEithne

Have made many scrubs in my life (three doctors in my immediate family).

First, make sure of what (if any) hospital rules are that might apply. Then find out what exactly your DD wants in the way of pockets, neckline, sleeve length, reversibility, etc.

Find out if she wants cotton or would rather go with cotton/poly. If she's working in a hospital, some units are deliberately kept warm because the patients in them are prone to chill (for instance, burn units are often kept warm because when a person has large open wounds, they tend to get chilled easily). Pure cotton can be more comfortable under those circumstances because it breathes better than cotton/poly.

I just used a hospital scrub top that vaguely fit the specific person I was sewing for, took it apart to use it as a pattern, measured the person, adjusted my pattern and made a test set out of the cheapest woven fabric I could find. The test top can be just slapped together because all you are doing is testing fit.

Keep range of motion in mind! Your DD may have to stretch, reach, squat, kneel, bend and lift with as little interference from her scrubs as possible. Depending on what she's interning in, of course!

Once I had a good pattern, I copied it onto mat board so that I could just lay it on the fabric and draw around it using tailor's chalk (the triangular sort). The chalk makes a thick, easy to see line and you don't have to worry about it washing out because you cut just inside the chalked line. It's a lot faster than pinning or pattern weights. Punch out holes where you need to mark match points (for instance, for the pockets).

When making the real thing, use heavy duty construction. Flat felled seams, reinforce the top of the side vents (if you use them), neckline faced and sewn down. Scrubs are supposed to be washed in hot water and dried in a hot dryer, so all edges need to be adequately protected.

Many people prefer the feeling of an elastic waistband but elastic wears out pretty quickly with the washing requirements. My family all liked the way I did their waistbands, which was a drawstring waistband. I pieced a ten inch or so piece of elastic into the middle of the drawstring, so that it was easy to replace when the elastic started to go.

My other "secret" for comfort in the pants was to put a gusset into the crotch seam. I flat felled the seams. It made the pants a little bit baggier in the bottom/thigh area but it provided for great range of motion. The pants were already loosely cut, so it wasn't a noticeable thing but it made squatting, etc, easier and less likelihood of ripping out the crotch seam.

Pockets are useful but some people don't like them (and some institutions don't allow them). Standard scrubs only have one breast pocket on either side (they are reversible) but I usually put in two pockets on each side (a total of four pockets). You can sew in the pockets on each side at the same time if you use heavy starch and an iron to glue the pockets into place. I suppose now you could also use Elmer's wash-out school glue the same way.

Some scrubs have patch pockets at hip level as well. Some people like them, other people hate them because they get caught on everything. Maybe make one top with extra pockets and one without, so that your DD can figure out which she prefers?

I used muslin as interfacing for the necklines, to give them some stability and resistance to sagging. Back when I was making lots of scrubs, fusibles just didn't hold up to the laundering requirements but that may have changed with newer technology.

Depending on the institution rules and on where your DD is working, you may want to avoid putting her full name in a visible area as a security precaution.

Hope this helps.