December Customer Spotlight :: Corinne Daut of Peek-A-Boobtique

We recently welcomed our first Girl Charlee staff baby, Finnian, and we think our December Customer Spotlight makes the perfect accessory for his mom Renae and all new moms out there! Corinne Daut of Peek-A-Boobtique started her own business when she realized that her nursing cover did not provide the coverage and discreetness that she needed. She decided to make her own, and now sells her stylish nursing covers on Amazon, Etsy, and in a few shops in her home state of Delaware! 

About Corinne ::

My name is Corinne Daut. I'm a married mother of two daughters. I first learned to sew in high school in a home economics sewing class. I asked for a sewing machine that Christmas, and I have been sewing on my own ever since. I have been "self teaching" and expanding my sewing abilities for over 10 years. While I was pregnant with my second daughter, I pulled my sewing machine out of the garage. I guess I was nesting. I made an apron-style nursing cover with boning in the top, and planned to use that after my daughter was born.

Before the birth of my second daughter, my husband and I decided that I would take some time off work (I'm a registered nurse) to stay home with her. I really wanted to breastfeed her for at least one year, and I knew that being home with her would make that at lot easier. When she was about two-months-old, I realized that my apron nursing cover was just not going to cut it. It was difficult to fold up and put in my diaper bag because of the boning. It was really obvious when I pulled it out to nurse my baby. I felt like I was drawing more attention to myself every time I would put it on to breastfeed. So, I brainstormed a little and came up with the idea to make a nursing cover that was a little more like a poncho. I went to my local fabric store and bought some plain solid black jersey knit fabric. After some trial and error, I made my first poncho nursing cover. I loved that I could actually just wear it out and about and no one would even realize it was a nursing cover. When I had to feed my daughter, I would just sit down and slip her under the cover. It provided more coverage than my old nursing cover, it was more comfortable, and more stylish.

My friends and family commented about what a great idea it was and encouraged me to start selling them. I opened my Etsy shop on July 1, 2013 and began selling my nursing covers and some headbands and crib shoes I also was making for my daughter. Within a few months, I realized that I was selling more nursing covers than anything else, so it made the most sense for me to focus only on making and selling the covers. I wanted to offer striped and printed fabrics, and my local fabric store had very little to offer. I came across Girl Charlee Fabrics while searching for striped jersey knits online, and I have been buying all of my fabrics from Girl Charlee ever since. I started out buying about 15 or 20 yards at a time. As my business grew and I signed up for a wholesale account, my fabric orders grew too. I recently had an order of 200 yards of fabric delivered with the fabrics still on the roll!

My youngest daughter is now 20-months-old, is still nursing, and I haven't gone back to work as a nurse. I love that my business has allowed me to breastfeed my daughter for so long. It has also allowed me to earn my own income. The most rewarding part of owning Peek-A-Boobtique is reading reviews and receiving messages from my customers telling me how the covers have made them so much more comfortable breastfeeding in public. I love feeling like I'm helping other moms just like me to breastfeed their babies. Peek-A-Boobtique nursing covers are now available for sale on Etsy, Amazon, and in a few local boutique shops in my home state of Delaware.

Visit Peek-A-Boobtique's Website, Etsy Shop, Facebook Page and Instagram @peekaboobtique.

We hope you have enjoyed reading about Corinne. If you would like to be featured in our next Customer Spotlight post, email gcblog(at)girlcharlee(dot)com and we will get in touch.

~ Heather & The Girl Charlee Team