Over the years, I purchased a few vintage patterns, and even if I don’t make them up, I enjoy seeing how they’re made, and what things have changed over the years.
One day a few months ago, I saw a neat vintage lingerie kit on eBay. I couldn’t resist!
I would have loved this if it had been the bra kit! However, this was the long leg girdle. It’s not anything I will make to wear myself, but still. As I said, I couldn’t resist it.
Doesn’t this look amazing?
Even though I wasn’t planning on making this up, I was still excited to open it and look at everything. I have to say, I was a bit disappointed. It’s old. It’s discolored. It’s very stiff and rigid.
Here’s everything that was in the kit. The pattern and instructions are in great shape. But the fabrics leave a lot to be desired.
The power net was the oddest part of the kit. It was so stiff and had no drape to it. It was also discolored from age.
Can you see the discoloration at the bottom of this piece of power net? The whole folded side was this yellowish color.
The tricot that was included in the kit was still lovely. No age showing on it at all.
The lace and elastics were stiff and aged as well. 
Other than the pattern and instructions, these girdle clips were the only good part of this vintage kit.
It was a fun trip down the vintage lingerie lane, but for the most part I’ll stick to newer patterns and materials.
Happy creating!
This lovely lace is from B,Wear (as you can see in this photo from their website). In the descriptions, it says it comes straight from France. Ooh la la!
I love this lace!
This is so very pretty. It’s a lovely soft lace with some stretch in one direction. I have just a bit left over, but I’m thinking it will be enough for some bra cups.
It’s a treat it is to teach in this store. They just had their grand opening at the end of June. It’s a beautiful new facility. One of the best features is the classroom is on the main floor. 
First thing when you enter the store, there’s a mannequin advertising the bra and panty classes wearing the tiniest bra and panty set.
The classroom was all set up and ready for us! We had our fittings there behind the screen.
Four women signed up, and I was happy they all left with well-fitting bras.
One woman was really having a problem with her fit. No matter what we did, her bra wasn’t fitting. After two attempts with alterations both times, and the end of the class nearing I suggested flexi-wires. Once we put the flexi-wires in her bra it fit her perfectly. It was amazing the difference the wires made in her bra fitting. 
Here’s my croquis wearing the line drawing of the dress. One thing about trying on clothes this way is it won’t account for any adjustments I make to the pattern. I won’t be using one size. I’ll be blending sizes together to get a better fit.
I’m still not sure about the shape for me, but it might be one of the most comfortable dresses I ever make. I definitely think it’s worth trying.
To be honest, I’m still not sure. I think it falls somewhere in-between the two colors. And I like them both too, but I decided this was closer to coral.
I used a peachy colored elastic on the legs to match the copper of the cups and band, but I wanted the rest shades of coral.
Oh, I still like my KS2286s. They have a bit of a ’80s vibe to them, they’re still adorable.
Oh, just as adorable!
Here’s the full set of matchy matchy.
Just lovely.
Oh, it’s another love for this. The lace is so delicate and so pretty.
I had everything for this bra from a leftover kit, well everything except strap elastic. So I had to use beige, which doesn’t look quite so light and different in person.
Above is the Freja bra I made.
Back to the Josey II. Here’s the back. I do have to say, I prefer copper over beige. It’s a warmer richer color.
The colors are so rich and vibrant.
This looks like an adorable hipster, but it sits much higher on. 
I looked around, but I couldn’t find the color of lace I wanted, so I dyed this lace using Burnt Orange acid dye. It turned out perfectly!
You see, that’s a full coverage back. What the pattern shows is definitely not quite what you get. Still, these have been a favorite of mine for years now.
Oh, I think these are cute.
You can see these have full coverage too, but they sit a little lower over the leg.
That is some perfectly matching matchy matchy.
Bra Builders is still carrying this lace too. You can find it 
Yes, I love this. It’s such a rich deep color. The color is one of their Legacy colors: Burnished Copper. I think it pairs with lace beautifully.
Here’s the back.
Oops, I see some threads I missed snipping. (smile)
Isn’t this the most lovely material? This comes from B,Wear.
Oh, I really love this! This fabric is is very similar to duoplex, but is a bit firmer. The lace actually comes in three colors. Pink, blue, and a mint green. Oh, they are all so pretty!
It would have been a dream come true if there had been matching power net too! However, I had some light pink in my stash that I was happy with. White would have worked as well, but I preferred the pink.
I loved using this light blue thread to match. This was a happy solution because lavender thread didn’t quite match. It was too purple. Gray didn’t match either – it was too gray with not enough purple in it.