Month: April 2013

Something Other Than a Bra

~ Michelle

I must admit, I’m a bit of a bulldog when faced with a problem. I simply won’t give up, although I do say that I’m giving up from time to time. I stubbornly stay at something until I figure it out. That’s how I’ve been with getting my perfect bra pattern. But even I need a bit of a break every once in a while.

Here’s my latest distraction:

Wine Cart

This wine cart was one of those wonderful finds. My dear hubby and I were out hitting some garage sales and I saw this. I fell in love at once, and the price was incredible – only $15! I wondered why it was so inexpensive, but when I got home realized it wasn’t level. One of the wheels wouldn’t go in all the way. After trying many ways to get that wheel in all the way, I figured I had nothing to lose and gave it a whack with a hammer. The wheel went in and I haven’t messed with it since.

The one thing I didn’t love about this cart was the color. I’m not a fan of pine. I prefer darker woods. So, this one finally is getting a makeover.

I painting it with Reloved Chalk Paint in Midnight. I’m not done yet, but it’s looking so much better. You can see the original color of the pine on the tray.

The cart is going to be solid Midnight, but the tray is going to be Midnight on the outside, and Barn on the inside. I may mix the colors a bit to get a darker red, but I’ll decide after the first coat of paint.

Tray

I’ve cut out some flowers to do a decoupage on the bottom of the tray as well. So, still a little work ahead of me, but I’m liking it so far.

And on some sewing news:

In some other surprising and sad news, ELingeriA is closing. They’ve set a closing date of May 31st. Currently they’re offering 20% off most items. Again, just click on their name to go to their website.

I will be sad to see them go.

And just an update, I worked on my new bridge over the weekend. I’m still not sure I’ve got it just right, but being as determined as I am, I know I’ll get it. Norma’s book , Demystifying Bra Fitting and Construction, has been a tremendous help. Without a doubt, I recommend it.

Happy creating!

Lowering the Bridge

~ Michelle ~ 12 Comments

So, I want to take a quick look at where I was at: the new longer wires I’d tried weren’t fitting properly and it was almost like giving up all the ground I’d gained in getting a proper fit; the bridge wasn’t going all the way back to the chest wall – and I was really beginning to wonder if it was really possible!

I put in yet another call to Bra-Makers Supply with another question. And guess what? Bridges really can go all the way back to the chest wall! I’ve had success!

Something that would have helped me tremendously is Norma’s new book: Demystifying Bra Fitting and Construction. I’d read on someone’s blog (I can’t remember whose blog to give her credit (sorry!)) there is a great section in the book on bridges, and that one section alone made the whole book worthwhile. It really is a great section! I’m hoping to have some time either today or Saturday to try it out. And even if you’re getting a great bridge fit, there is so much information in the book. Well done, Norma! and thank you!

However, I did have more success this week with my bridge. Is it perfect yet? Not quite, but it is actually all the way back to the chest wall. I think I just need to tweak the shape now.

Here’s my most recent Shelley.

Bra front

Most of the materials are from Bra-Makers Supply, but the lace is a wonderful lace I found in Merckwaerdigh’s store.

On this bra I lowered the bridge by 3/4 of an inch. This gave the bridge the room it needed to go all the way back to the chest wall. I also overlapped the wires at the top of the bridge. I tried a tester earlier in the week without overlapping the wires but I still wasn’t getting the bridge all the way back. So, now just to tweak the shape a bit. Even my hubby said this is the best fit he’s seen me get yet.

bra side

Here is the side view. I re-made my Shelley pattern for this bra, but still need to take a bit out of the underarm area – there are a few puckers there, but not so many that it’s unwearable. Everything else was really good. Well, I may move the straps in a tiny bit.

bra back

And the back. I am really loving the new way of attaching the straps. As promised, I took some step-by-step pictures to show what I did.

Top elastic sewn on

When attaching the upper band elastic, don’t take the elastic down around the curve to the hooks & eyes; end it at the top of that curve. This has been trimmed to be nice and neat.

new shoulder elastic pinned

Take some elastic – I’m using the same bottom band elastic here – and pin it on with the little scallops facing outward. Can you tell I like to pin things securely?

shoulder back pinned

Put a ring or slider on the elastic and fold it over. Since the rings & sliders come in sets, I’ve alternated which ones I’m using and they both work great. Here it is from the inside of the bra. And again I pinned it.

strap attached

After sewing it on with a zigzag on both sides of the elastic, I attached the strap. It gives a nice professional finish to the bra.

close up shoulder attachment

Doesn’t that look nice and neat? I will definitely use this again and again.

Next to try again with my Shelley with a couple of tweaks.

Happy creating!

Still Looking for Perfection

~ Michelle

Well, I think the title says it all. However, I feel a little trapped in the try-try-again scenario, I know going back to RTW bras isn’t the answer either, especially knowing my cup & wire size do not match.

So what progress have I made in the last week or so? Well, remember my pretty bra  – the black Lycra with swirls and the flipping underwire? And I mean literally flipping; I’m not trying to cover up a swear word. I had a thought what I could do to make it wearable. I pulled out my underwire stash and compared the bra’s cradle to the different sizes – I knew 38 was too small, and 44 too large. I found one that fits quite well. It’s not perfect, but it is wearable – and still a closer fit than RTW.

Duh

So pretty and still wearable. Not perfect though!

And on the topic of underwires… I thought I found my perfect fit, but when I wore the couple of bras I’ve made with that size of wire, they’re doing what started all my alterations in the first place – causing a deep ridge under the bust. So, they’re either too big or too small. Since they’re not digging into me at all, I’m thinking too big. This really is another area of challenge for me.

This week I continued with my idea to use my Sewy Rebecca pattern and make a Classic Full Band bra pattern. I made the adjustments after making a tester, and here’s the result.

Bra Front

Isn’t that pretty? I love the fabric – so glad Lycra and I became friends again. Overall, it’s a pretty good fit. I’m still not getting the bridge all the way back to the chest wall. I’m starting to wonder if that’s going to be an elusive myth that I search for all my sewing days!

As a side note here, I did put a call in to Bra-Makers Supply and had a talk with Beverly about how I was not getting the bridge all the way back. She suggested I try a cup size up and band size down. I tried it and the band did fit better, but the cup was too big. Maybe I’m in between cup sizes. And still no bridge contact!

Bra Side

Anyway, I’m going to have to encourage myself a bit with the progress I have made. I do have a larger cup fitting into a smaller wire, and it is nice and neat looking. I do have a better band for me, and the straps aren’t falling off my shoulders – which they did in RTW too. So I am making some headway here.

Bra Back

I really like the black elastics with this material. But I can see one area here that I didn’t notice when I wore it – that gap under the arm at the side. Again, the problem is a difference in my shape and the mannequin’s. There is no gap when I wear the bra.

New Way to Attach Strap @ Back

And this is a great little way to attach the straps. I learned this when I had the private lesson a few weeks back. When attaching the upper elastic to the band, rather than run it down the strap curve, leave that until after the upper elastics are sewn on. Then use the bottom band elastic.

Pin the elastic on outside of the band covering the strap curve, attach a slider or ring here, fold it over and pin it so it doesn’t move on you, and sew it on. I really like this look – it’s a very neat look.

And if that wasn’t clear, let me know, and I’ll post pictures of next time.

Finally, the burning question of the week? Did this new pattern with a straighter upper cup give me a little more lift? I think it did. I also looked through my stash of patterns to see if I had a straighter upper cup in any of the other ones I have, and didn’t find one that was straighter.

Happy creating!

A Tester, A New Pattern, and Duh!

~ Michelle ~ 2 Comments

Do you ever do something, and then wonder, What was I thinking?’ Well, I was either over-thinking or not thinking at all!

Here’s the lovely bra I made:

Duh

You saw a bit of this last week. It’s lovely, the fit is pretty good. I’m still not quite getting the bridge back to the chest wall (Grrrr!), but it’s almost wearable.

Almost. Did you notice that. I did wear it and here’s what my problem was: the underwire was flipping up at the front under the bust and twisting along the bottom of the bra! What? This was a completely new one for me. I had no idea what wasn’t working. And it made it a bit uncomfortable.

So a call to Bra-Makers Supply and a question for Beverly. It kind of felt like deja vu – her answer was similar to one from a long time ago in my journey – something was either too big or too small. Last time it was the wires, this time the cradle.

And yes, duh! The cradle was too big. I have no idea what I had been thinking but I did not use a 38 cradle – used a 44 and folded it to take away some of the width. I eye-balled it, but clearly not well enough. There was an inch in there that needed to come out. It should have been so simple – use a 38 cradle and make it the same length as the 44.

So, one bra that is in the pile to take apart and redo. I don’t love fixing my mistakes, so I have a pile of them and they wait for me. That bra is now in the pile. I’ll pin a note to it so I don’t forget why it’s there.

So, this week, I made a tester for my friend. Thankfully, she is an easier fit than me. Her cup and wire size match. That makes it a LOT easier. However, I did up a 30 F for her, and the band is too big and cup too small. I do know her wire size, so I can figure out where to go from here for her.

One thing she commented on, that I haven’t loved either – she wanted more lift in the cup. I understand that – I need all the help I can get.

So, off to the drawing board again. I know from the Bra-Makers manuals that the straighter the upper cup, the more lift the cup has. Hmmmm. I thought about the patterns I have with a really straight upper cup. But none of them are ‘classic’ patterns.

I used what I knew from making my own Shelley pattern from the Designer Bras By YOU! CD, and did it backwards.

I used my Sewy Rebecca upper cup and put it together with the powerbar from the pattern.

With Power Bar

Then I re-drew it.

New Classic Upper Cup

I added the strap tab, and gave the top a nice smooth curve rather than the straight edge for lace. On this one (which is reversed, sorry) I also took in the under arm.

Here’s the tester I did with my new pattern:

Brown Tester

It’s almost there. I tried this one before I did any adjustments just to see how it would fit. I found out I did need to take in the underarm in both the upper and lower cups, take in a bit of the length at the wire line, and add a bit to the bridge depth. So, I’ve adjusted my pattern, and I’m off to cut out my new pattern.

I do have another pattern that has an ever straighter upper cup, so I may do this same technique with that pattern this week too.

Happy creating!

Starting All Over Again?

~ Michelle

That’s how I felt – like I was starting all over again. And I wasn’t thrilled about it either.

I’ve been very close on every bra I’ve made, but I wanted better. I wanted perfect. You’ve all heard that before!

So, a few weeks ago I checked on the old Bra-Makers Supply web site to see if there was a teacher who lived close to me.

I found a teacher, and did a Google search to see if she had a class  happening near by. I found a class too! And it is happening just over an hour from where I live, and in only a month’s time. I felt like I had hit the jackpot!

I called the school where she teaches and asked them to have her contact me. She called me the next day, and after our talking for a bit, she said I didn’t need the beginner class and then offered to come to my home and give me a private lesson! I was ecstatic!

It only took a few weeks from that initial phone call until I had an official Bra-Makers’ teacher! And in my home!

So we spent all of Friday and Saturday together. She told me one thing I already knew – I was close, very close.

So, we worked together over two days and I think the best thing out of the whole weekend was finding an even better wire size for me.

Let me show you what I mean:

38 - 44 Regular Wires

Here is the wire I’ve been using compared with the wire that usually fits my cup size. The smaller wire better fits me, but the larger wire fits the cup better. That has led to numerous alterations to my basic pattern.

However, that smaller wire is also lower in the underarm, and really wasn’t giving me the support I needed there.

I had put in a call to Bra-Makers and asked Beverly about it and she suggested a Vertical wire, and said the corresponding wire to the 38 was the 40 Vertical. However, the 40 Vertical wire felt too tight at the outer base of it. So I went back to a 38.

With the teacher here this weekend, we talked about it and then decided to try a 42 Vertical wire (42V) to see if it was a better fit. I really didn’t think it would be. I thought it would be too big, but it was perfect!

42 Vertical Wire to 38 Regular Wire

I’m not sure if you can see that or not, but I have the 38 wire on top of the 42V. I drew a bright pink line at the top of the 38 wire so you can see the 42V comes up higher at both the center front & underarm. This now gives me the better coverage I needed, without coming in too much at the base & side.

But I was in a panic for days trying to figure out what changes I was going to have to make to my size cup to fit this new wire. I did find a bit in the Bra-Makers Manuals on how to adjust for this, but wondered if I was going to make the cup too big seeing how I’m always adjusting smaller.

Then I had a thought today to compare it to the wire charts and see what size it was closest too. And it’s closest to a 44, which is the wire size that corresponds with the cups size I’m using! What a relief!

That got me cutting and sewing again!

Want to see one more wire picture?

42 Vertical Wire to 44 Regular Wire

Here’s the 42V on top of the 44 wire. The 42V comes up a little higher, but is narrower too. When measured, they’re the same length. Wire problem solved.

So, I don’t have a completed bra yet. I have a tester I did and it’s very fun material:

Tester Bra

This is a Lycra, with a non-stretch lining in the cups for support. I’ve decided I prefer the non-stretch lining to interfacing – it’s a much lighter feeling cup with more flexibility, and I think, even more strength than the interfacing gives.

I’m making the Pin-Up Girls Classic Full Band pattern, and from there I’ll make a new Shelley pattern.

List of Adjustments

Here are the adjustments I’ll need to make. I really didn’t want to start over, but felt that would give me the best fit using this new wire. Thankfully, I’m not starting over in knowledge! I’ve learned so much in the past year. Hopefully I’ll have my new bra done tomorrow. I’m planning on taking the day to sew.

Happy creating!