I still have a few projects left over from 2018 I want to get done. I decided these would be the first sewing projects I finished in 2019. As well, I have a free House Morrighan pattern hack for you this week. See the bottom of this post.
Clover Briefs
There was a pair of House Morrighan Clover Briefs that were mostly sewn sitting on my cutting table. They were waiting for the bands to be put on the legs. That was it. But Christmas came, and visiting, and New Year’s, and we went to the mountains. There were a lot of reasons I wasn’t sewing. Those Clover Briefs waited for me though.
These are adorable too. I made them in the reverse of the color block I made my first ones.
Although the bands for the waist and legs are easy, and do look nice, I still prefer lace trim for finishing my panties.
Here they are from the side.
And from the back.
Well, I can say, I definitely don’t like how the bands are flipping up in the photos. Good thing they don’t do that when they’re on me. I’ve got more to fill them out than my display.
Another Clover Boybrief for Em
Em loved this pattern too. So much so, she requested another pair. Instead of the Clover briefs, which I prefer, she asked for the boy-leg opening.
She also requested a color combo, and for them to be finished with bands. Em prefers bands to lace trim.
Here are Em’s Clovers in pink and ivory.
Oh, these are darling! When I was sewing them together, I wasn’t sure how I felt about the two colors, but seeing them on the display, they look great!
Here’s the side view.
And the back view.
Oh, they are sweet. And it’s nice to see panties that fit my display perfectly.
Just so you can see all the ways I’ve made the Clover boy briefs, here’s a collage of what I’ve done with the pattern.
Happy creating!
Yes. This was my favorite Challenge make.
How could I not want to sew something with a little silver and tan pup like mine? There are so many panels coming, but not until Spring. We all will have to wait for a little bit for this adorableness.
I keep going back to the 
Oh, I’m loving this too.
You can still see some kitties, but you can also see the black and grey material without the cats that I used for the back. It still gives some visual interest, but doesn’t take away from the front of the bag at all.
I really like the back of the bag too.
Don’t they look great? I’ve also used iridescent rivets.
That adds just a little more bling to the handbag. And this faux leather is lovely to cut. It’s very soft.
The Handmade tag had to be positioned just so one of the kitties was looking at it.
A lot more bright colors. All the fabrics I used to make Em’s Miss Maggie’s came from the Cat-i-tude line of fabric.
Don’t you love all these options? I do. Also, I really like the shape of these. For boyshorts, these actually work for me. There is some curve built in.
I made these up from some cotton Lycra I had in my stash. I also tested the pattern for Em in CL.
I really liked this pattern and knew I’d want to make more for myself. Em also requested more. So this style is a hit with both of us. It was time to have some fun with the pattern.
Here’s my Ruby bra. The same lace I used for this bra, and a previous Angie bra, was now being used to make the Clover Boybriefs.
I’ve used black and black cherry cotton Lycra for these, and rather than bands or elastic as the pattern calls for, I’m using black lace trim. I’m loving these panties!
Here they are from the back.
Oh, this is a lovely set. I need to hurry up and get all my gifts sewn up so I can finish a second pair for me, and for Em.
It was a pleasant surprise to find I knew the other students. We’d all taken either the Beginner Bra-making class or Shelley class at Central last year. And of course, we’d all taken those classes with Jeanette of Sew Uplifting Bras too. It was like a class reunion.
This is the manual we were given. It has the complete Drafting course in it, as well as a bunch of other great resources.
We also got a full set of Long wires, and a complete set of Classic patterns (all the sizes). There were sample packs of duoplex and power net, a notebook, a binder (shown above), a set of curves, and a bra kit with findings. All in a great bag. I’m pretty sure that was the best swag bag ever.
By the end of the first day, we’d all been measured and learned how to measure someone else by measuring one another – all under Jeanette’s instruction. We were almost ready for Day Two, but before that, we had homework to do.
Day Three built upon Day Two. We were starting our lower cup draft. Well, we needed our frame to be done correctly at this point, and the one I had with me in the class still wasn’t corrected. Things weren’t fitting together. Again, Jeanette pointed out what I’d done wrong on my frame. I was back to the drawing board. Literally. I’d had a little more practice drawing frames by Day Three after Day Two’s homework, so it went much more quickly. I was on track in no time. We finished the day with a draft of our lower cup, our upper cup, and lots of information on how to do adjustments if needed.
Something I’ve heard and read repeatedly is: To get accurate measurements you have to start with a well-fitting bra. It’s so true. Jeanette brought fitting bras with her, so we all started with a well-fitting bra to get our measurements. And it works!
On my drafted bra here, I added a couple of features just because I could. I gave this bra a Gothic arch, and a thinned band under the cups. This draft is for a Horizontal seam. This seaming is the basis for the ‘Heather’ bra. The Heather bra is actually a Wacoal bra. It’s the Retro Chic Full Figure Underwire Bra.
I thought it would be fun to see how the same lace can look very different used in different ways. I’ll be using black duoplex and power net for my newest bra.
I really do love this bra. It’s kind of funny, but my hubby is taking all the credit for this bra because he brought the lace back from Amsterdam. We all know there’s a little more to the bra than just lace. But he’s having fun taking credit.
It’s a very pretty pop of color.
Even though I used the same lace on both of these bras, they definitely look different. Do you have a preference? Let me know which one you like best.
These are a basic black cotton Lycra. And you can see the front opening.
The sling is a light blue. I chose that so it would show up better in these photos, and so it wouldn’t be a headache to sew black on black, on black, with black thread.
I altered the front pattern to be a front-opening panel. And I cut two front panels. Then one piece is flipped so it becomes a mirror of the other. The two pieces are basted together, making sure there’s an opening on each side, and on opposite sides. Then they can be used as one piece. After basting them, I add the sling just as I would normally add it according to the pattern.
And here they are from the back. (Again, lightened. The seams just wouldn’t show otherwise.)
My son also let me know when I made him his last pair of Michael’s that he didn’t like the band. He found the elastic too firm for his liking. Now to be fair, he’s a personal fitness trainer, so probably doing a little more movement while wearing his. So this time instead of elastic, I simply made a band out of the same cotton Lycra.
I’m sure he’ll find this more comfortable.
Here are the Michael underwear showing the front and mirrored inside front openings both opened showing the blue sling behind them.
They are darling! I didn’t finish the hem on these, as these were only to see how the sizing would be. They fit perfectly.
You can see, these are a cheeky little panty.
You might be wondering, ‘What is going on with that waistband?’ Well, tired sewing was happening. Somehow I didn’t realize the whole time I was attaching the waistband that it was inside out, so the raw edges are outside rather than inside. I started to rip it all out, but then decided these were only to see how things fit, and they fit just fine. They can even be worn this way. I have tops I’ve bought that have edges that look like this.
If these look a tad shorter than the pair above, it’s because these have been hemmed.
And when they’re hemmed, they’re just a bit cheekier from the back.
They are really darling. They might not be my everyday panty, but I’ve heard from a few testers say they love them under trousers. Whether these become an everyday panty or not, they will be a wonderful addition to any lingerie drawer.
Oh these are sweet.
And that cheeky back view:
Happy creating!
This is the new Amethyst pattern.
I thought of a few ways to use lace on the Angie. I’ve seen people use it laid horizontally across the lower part of the cups. I’ve seen people use lace on every other cup piece, and on every cup piece. None of those were what I wanted to do for this one. I didn’t think any of those options would showcase this lace the way I wanted. So I decided to cut out the floral part of the lace, and applique it onto the cups. A little Misty Fuse to hold things in place, a small zigzag, and they look lovely.
Yes, this lace goes beautifully with the black cherry duoplex. I really like this! You can also see I’ve added a strap tab to this Angie. I like the strap tab addition and will likely continue to use one.
This is not my bra, and not my photo. It is beautiful though, and shows you can use lace in different ways than just on the upper cup. If you want to see the most stunning lingerie, go look at the post I linked above. The bras are amazing.
You can see here, although the front is black cherry, I’ve used black for the back band and all the elastics.
The band has a downward hike to it.
Most of the Watson’s I’ve made, I’ve fused a stable interfacing to the front cradle, but for this one I’ve used sheer cup lining behind it. (The lining was from my stash.) I love how it looks. You can hardly see any difference between the front cradle and the cups.
The back band is a dark navy Lycra. It has a lot of stretch, similar to power mesh, which is what I’d used for Em’s Watsons.
I’m really happy with how this turned out. And I hear Em’s sister is happy too.
They’re made from cotton Lycra, and have bean-bag-fill (tiny plastic beads) in them. They weigh just less than 1/2 pound each. They’re also very similar to some store-bought ones a family member uses.