DD will be doing internships this year and needs to wear scrubs. Have any of you made them, and if so, do you have any tips or patterns that you can recommend? She's tiny - a size 0 or 2.

Not sure patterns go that small. You may have to make some adjustments there. Scrubs are not hard and there are so many fabrics out there she will be the talk of her class. You may just start something and have to make for all the interns. I prefer the lighter colors because the darker & brighter ones fade so bad, if youre using 100% cotton. I made one that has stretch sides and the girls really like that pattern. The one girls nickname is Care Bear so naturally I made her a Care Bear top. No one else has one. Looking for old Strawberry Shortcake fabric for another girl but can only find flannel and new SSC. Good luck.

how about getting an old scrub, modify it and use that as a pattern?

KwikSew #3708 has an XS pattern - though I would make a test model unless you are good with measuring a pattern to be sure it fits. I think there is one in the new less expensive patterns at Wal-mart.

Maybe check the children sizes in patterns. Maybe there is a pattern in the costume section or even regular. They should be easy to sew. No darts, zippers, etc.

I have the same problem for my daughter...although I haven't made her scrub tops, I've made some jackets, and I've used older patterns and modified. I found those worked better for us....so before going to buy new pattern, check out your existing patterns....something may work for you. And check in the children's section as well. Good luck!!!

My sil isn't that tiny but I made her scrub tops because she was in the same situation that your dd is in and I had a blast at making them. Be sure that before you make a bunch that they are not going with one uniform color as some are right now. I do know she prefers to have the pants have the elastic at the ankles too and because she is so tall she liked mine because they fit perfect. The patterns are almost boxy so cutting them down should not be that much of a headache. Best of luck!!

Would a cotton poly blend work? Just thinking of something that might only need touch up ironing or none if "WrInkle Release" is used (love that stuff) as opposed to the ironing a 100% cotton would need.

yes, walmarts has the patterns for them and much cheaper than anywhere else. i want to say $2.50

also, just a thought.
join freecycle.org
in your area,and get maybe some free.

check the second hand shops, buy one, and use it as a pattern, just take it apart.

Oh, do her a great big favor and buy her Gray's Anatomy scrubs! My DD is an RN and all the hospital staff love these scrubs. They make every body type look great in them. DD has tried them all and I've made a few sets for her but fitting them to look not baggy or slouchy is a hassle.

If you want a poly/cotton like RTW scrubs, there are several fabric websites that carry them. Fabric.com usually has a few colors to choose from. Just google medical scrubs fabric. The fabric is a little heavier than the poly/cotton broadcloth you find at your local fabric store.

Personally, if I was making my own scrubs, I would want 100% cotton, and quilting cottons are very close to the same weight.

All of the gals that have done their internship in our office had to wear the schools color and had their school embroidered on them per the school protocol. BUT in our office we do NOT require they wear them. So even if you make them she may not be able to wear them. Here is a pic of the modifications I did to the V neck pattern I have from Kwik Sew for my DH.

[IMG]http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/b...irtforCarl.jpg[/IMG]

You should probably measure to make sure of her size. While the manufacturers of clothes have changed the way the size clothes (trust me I'm not a real size 6; anyhow compared to what the size ranges were a few years ago)pattern makers have not changed. I see alot of really skinny nurses here at the hospital wearing scrubs so I'm sure you could find the pattern just be wear about the sizing between clothes lables and patterns.

There are many patterns out there. Make sure that you can vary the colors. We always had to wear the dark blue. The different colors told the patients what your job was. Then we had to wear white lab coats it we wore lab coats.
Sue

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.

I made my DIL plenty of scrub tops out of cotton poly blend because she does not believe in using an iron and I didn't want people to think I made the wrinkles, too! I made her size small - I believe a Simplicity pattern which of course I can't find right now.l

My daughter, a CT tech, is a small size 4. Fortunately scrubs need to be a little roomy and not an exact fit. Joannes has some scrub type fabrics and I usually had no problem finding holiday fabrics. I usually had to alter the necks because the patterns were usually cut too low. We had a real blast when she had a strict hospital dress code but could get as wild as she wanted for her own scrub caps. Lately she has gotten some very nice quality scrubs at her local Big Lots. They launder very well, are pretty fade resistant.and very reasonably priced. The ones with ties at the waist are the only fitting her tiny frame needs.

Most scrub fabrics I've seen are poly cotton mixes.

I bought my two granddaughters who became RN's last year some scrub tops, pants and jackets at Walmart - prices are pretty good.

I agree with the information above, use poly cotton, measure her because the pattern measurements will not be the same as RTW size 0 or 1. Make sure about color, some places require a specific color, pockets, and sleeve length. I am tiny and have used child size patterns and they come out ok, the only difference is there are no bust darts. Also check on Amazon for scrubs, they are not that expensive and probably cheaper that what you can make them for.

This is fabulous info! Couple of thoughts -

Great idea. I do this with a lot of clearance RTW (ready-to-wear) that I buy off the rack. Saves the fuss of making a muslin and adjusting the fit; if it fits well off the rack, it will fit well custom-made, as long as I choose appropriate fabric.

I like to copy the pattern onto freezer paper, then just iron the freezer paper onto the fabric and use my rotary cutter.

Now *this* is something I'd like to know more about. Did you use a diamond shape, set pretty much center at the X seam in the crotch?

Scrubs are easy to make. I’ve been making mine since 1987. Simplicity has a good multi sized scrubs pattern.

I am a Retired LPN and enjoyed making scrub tops for holidays. (I purchased coordinating pants.) However. I found the cost to purchase was less than the purchase of fabric. The ones I made were one of a kind and special.

I make my daughter scrub tops for her job too. The patients and the staff love seeing her in those fun novelty prints. She has maybe 20 or so tops. Its funny because she always gets great reactions from the "Avenger" novelty print and a dog print where the same dog is printed wearing different colored sunglasses. I use McCalls 3253 (don't know if still available) and size Small fits her but she wears size L in women's T-shirts - it is a unisex pattern. Also, my husband took one of my cutting mats (that had worn out) and made a template of the front top pattern piece, drilling holes in template so that pocket line up is so much easier to transfer to fabric. Great idea husband of mine! Also I stitch a vertical line on each of the three pockets - she really needed that on her scrubs. Except for the top stitching, and a bit of stitching on the side seams, the entire garment is made on my serger. It goes together quickly. We live in CA and she lives in WA so opening up care packages with fun scrub tops always seems to make her day!

Landau sucks! Avoid them at all costs! I recommend the Greys Anatomy scrubs as well, they have tons of styles to fit lots of shapes and sizes. Pants with the knit or maternity type bands are way better than the tie ones that you have to keep retying.

Figs are also nice scrubs but ridiculously overpriced.

Spending many years in the dental field I have worn many scrubs as they have evolved. My favorite by far are my most recent variety, absolutely the most comfortable, wrinkle free, stretch 4 ways. no shrinkage. I prefer Sketchers or the Dickie brands. The pants are almost like Yoga pants.

be sure to check to make sure there is not a required color for her to wear. Sometimes schools and hospitals color code so that it's clear who is doing what.