Author: Michelle

Angie

~ Michelle ~ 4 Comments

Have you heard of B,Wear? They’re a bra-making/lingerie supply company in Sweden. I love how in our day and age we can shop globally.

I’ve ordered a few things from B,Wear in the past. So when they came out with a gorgeous pattern, I didn’t hesitate to order it.

Angie

Here’s the Angie pattern. I’ve seen a few of these sewn up and they’re lovely!I was excited to try such a beautiful new pattern.

Testing, Testing

The first thing I did was to make a tester cup. I made it and had it sewn into my tester band. The cup seemed a bit big. However, I hadn’t added my elastics yet. Then I’d read a few comments in a Facebook group, and had second thoughts about my size. I made another set of tester cups – this time one cup size smaller.

Isn’t this a lovely shape? It reminds me of a sea shell.I even tried making the cup size in Swedish tracing paper just to see if it was close. Just in case, I sewed my bra with wash-away thread.

My First Angie

This isn’t finished as neatly as I’d normally finish a bra – there’s no top-stitching to be found  – yet, it still looks quite pretty.   Let me tell you there is lift happening with this lovely pattern. I do need to go back to that first cup size though. I’ll try it with elastics this time.

That’s the great thing about using the wash-away thread – I can use everything but the cups to use again after a quick soak. The thread will dissolve, and I’ll have all usable parts and elastics once they dry. I also have the cups sewn from the first tester bra, so I’ll be ready to go again quickly.

A Closer Look

Here’s the front.Do you see all those vertical seams? Vertical seams really lift. The cup has a lovely round shape as well.

I’ve used my custom bridge on this, and thinned the band. I’ve overlapped my wires at the top of the bridge too. I just need a little more cup than this size offered.

Here’s the side view.I really like the shape of the cup, and especially at the side. This fit me quite well, which is encouraging. I usually need to take the underarm in, and I won’t need to on this pattern.

    And the back. The back has a downward slant to the pattern, which is great for me. It reminds me of some of those high-end bras with the downward hike to the band.I’m very impressed with my first attempt at Angie, and only wish I’d gone with my first cup size choice.

Second Attempt

I’m already working on my second Angie. Again, because I don’t know if this will fit perfectly, I’m going to use wash-away thread to sew the cups into the frame, and sew on the elastics. It’s so much nicer to not to have to unpick everything.

Time Commitments

I should be back blogging on a regular basis again. All those commitments that were taking up my time are more than half done. I still have some, but not four days a week like I’ve had for the past six weeks. At this point, I’m happily sewing and writing again, and hope to continue.

Happy creating!

Ingrid

~ Michelle ~ 2 Comments

Recently, Beverly Johnson put out a call for testers for a new pattern. Well, at the time, I had two new patterns I wanted to try. You’ll see one next week – the Angie pattern. I already had that cut out even, but… I really wanted to test the new Pin-up Girls pattern! So I sent in my submission.

Ingrid

Here’s Beverly’s new Pin-up Girls pattern. It was just released yesterday. Ingrid is a non-wired bra pattern, with three front-closing options, as well as a comfort band option.

The pattern is a little bit different from previous Pin-up Girls patterns in how you measure for this bra. For this one, you measure your Bottom Cup Depth (BCD) for your cup size. Then you measure your rib cage for your band measurement. So if your BCD is 4-inches, you cut out a 4 cup size. If your rib cage is 34-inches, then you cut out a 34 band. It’s easy once you know your BCD.

If you’re not sure about the sizing, there’s also a handy chart showing some cup size equivalents for the different BCDs.

Testing the Pattern

I had everything cut out and was starting to sew. I had the cups together, but something didn’t look right. It was time to stop and figure out where I went wrong. It turned out I’d sewn one of the pieces on the wrong way, so check everything when you’re sewing this.

I was glad I’d only sewn the cups. I decided to start over with new cups rather than rip all the stitches out.  However, before I cut out those new cups, I took some time to double-check. This led me to do some labeling on the pattern pieces, and add some notes to the instructions. Now I was ready to start over.

The second time it went much more quickly, and came together much more easily. I did have all that previous experience, and my notes and labels to help me.

Here’s my Ingrid.I really like this bra. I’m rather impressed with the support it gives for not having a wire.

As soon as I was done sewing Ingrid, I put her on. I wore her for the remainder of the day. As well as supportive, it was also very comfortable.

As I was walking around, thinking the bra was rather supportive, I tried jumping up and down a bit to see just how supportive it was. Okay, I won’t say nothing moved, but I was impressed with the support once again.

Do you see that weird part at the center front where it goes up? That’s my attempt to make a bit of a Gothic Arch. Well, it might fit more like one, but it doesn’t look so great here. That’s something I can work on.

Here’s the side view.

And the back. I did find the band a little big, so ended up taking the band in and re-attaching the straps.I looked for a grey hook and eye set, but my stash seems to be very low on hooks and eyes. That’s something to stock up on.  So rather than grey on the back, it’s white. If you look closely, you’ll see I didn’t have 3/8″ upper band elastic in black or grey. Again, I had white on hand, so that’s what I used.

Repairs

I had the cups cut out the second time and was marking the cups – oh, the pattern has notches to match up. I liked that. So, when I was transferring all the markings, I realized one of the bottom cups I’d cut out had a flaw in the material. I didn’t have any more grey duoplex to cut another pair or even another cup.

After looking at where the flaw was, I decided I could do a repair. You can see it here at the top. I’ve already bonded a bit more duoplex to the back.Here’s the back of the repair. There’s double-sided interfacing fused between the duoplex and that little strip.Thankfully, the majority of this repair isn’t seen in the bra – it’s in the seam.

Here’s a close up of the cup showing the repaired flaw.

Pretty Features

There are some aspects of this pattern I really like. I like the new measuring system using BCD. I like the option for a non-wired bra. I like that there are more notches and markings used on the pattern pieces. I also like a couple of features on the front of the bra.

I like the fold-over-elastic trim along the front edge. I think it looks sleek and modern. And the neckline shape is lovely as well. It reminds me of a sweetheart neckline.I also like the power net inserts at the front. I think it looks unique.

I’m wondering what changes I’d need to make to change this into a sleep bra. Hmm. Beverly?

Beverly has two great posts on Ingrid. Introducing Ingrid, and How to Sew Ingrid. Both are great posts, but that second one, How to Sew Ingrid would have helped me the first sew through.

Happy creating!

Hallå Knotty Pants

~ Michelle ~ 2 Comments

I recently saw the most adorable pants pattern. Hallå Knotty Pants. I bought the pattern the day it came out. I also bumped some other sewing projects, and put making these pants at the top of my sewing list.

Fabric

I had some fabric in my stash just waiting to be made into a pair of pants. I originally had planned to make Portlander pants.

I do love these still, and do plan to make them soon.

Like I said, as soon as I saw the Knotty Pants, well, they went straight to the top of my sewing list.

Here’s the fabric I had picked out:. Isn’t this gorgeous? This is the Willow Blooms Spices by Art Gallery. It’s cotton Lycra, which is my favorite, but it’s also available in a cotton. I got this from Funky Monkey Fabrics.

My Knotty Pants

These aren’t hemmed yet, but I’m adoring them so far. In fact, I tried them on and didn’t take them off. I wore them all day. Love them.

You can make them with pockets, or without. Mine are without. As well you can make straight legged pants, or with the slit up the side. These have the slit and can be tied at either the ankle or knee.

Inspiration

I had a reason why I wanted to make these Knotty Pants too, and not just because they’re adorable. For years I’ve watched Shimmy on TV and danced along with the dancers as my morning exercise.

The Knotty pants are very similar to some pants the dancers wear on the show.I found this image on the internet. It shows the knotted pants perfectly. I’m so happy to have found this pattern. They’re also quite easy to make up.

  Upcoming Bra-Makers Challenge

I’m planning on using the Knotty pants as a base for a mash-up for the September challenge – Dancing Queen – and make myself some dance pants.

Happy creating!

Two More Watsons

~ Michelle ~ 6 Comments

I made two more Cloth Habit Watsons for Em. It’s awfully hard to say no, or not right now when told the Watson I made for her is all she wears. She said nothing else was comfortable.

After previously making her two Watsons, one with mesh for the band, and one with power net, she let me know the power net felt too tight for her. I ordered some mesh from Bra-Makers Supply. I’ll save my power net for me. Other than the mesh, I used supplies I had on hand for the bralettes.

One Long-Line Watson

Here’s the long-line Watson I made for Em.You might recognize the lace I used in this Watson as the same lace I used in the first Watson I made for Em. I thought the peach would look really nice with the charcoal mesh.

Here’s the first one I made with this lace.  Em loves the new color combination. That’s good news. I have more charcoal mesh for the next bralettes I make for her.

Here’s the bralette from the side.I’ve used fusible knit interfacing for the front cradle. I might need to buy some in black to use with the rest of the charcoal mesh I have. I don’t love the white behind this.

Here’s the back.There’s a little fold in the material where the band meets the hooks and eyes. Em lost some weight and the bands were too loose on her this time. I measured her again, and she’s two inches down around her rib cage. I had to take these in after I’d made them.

One Standard Watson

I had asked Em if she preferred the long-long bralettes, or standard ones. She didn’t know, so I made her one of each.I think this one is just adorable. The lace is from Libelle, a new Canadian source for me. I’ve ordered from her a couple of times now, and the quality is very good. The prices are even better.

When I ordered from Libelle most recently, I also ordered some mesh to make more bralettes for Em.I thought both of these were lovely, and fun.

Here’s the side view of Em’s standard Watson.And the back.There’s the same little tuck in the fabric on this bralette as on the long-line. It’s not too noticeable, and it did the job. It took the bralette in enough for her to wear them and adjusted the pattern for next time.

Other Projects

I have a few other projects cut out and am slowing getting to them. There’s an Angie bra all cut out, and another bra. And I have material all washed and ready to cut for a couple of Agnes tops.

By the end of this month, my time commitments are easing up a bit. I’ll have a little more time to sew and blog again.

   I hope you’re all finding time to sew, and having a great summer.

Happy Canada Day and happy creating!

Making Time for Miss Maggie

~ Michelle ~ 2 Comments

I have been using my Oh Canada Miss Maggie handbag since I made it last year. Here it is when it was new.It’s had a lot of use, and it’s still looking good! Below is how it looks after daily use for a year. The only real wear I’m seeing on it is on the handle where I used maple leaf fabric. It’s looking less bright now. The photo on the left is when the bag was new. A year later on the right.It doesn’t even look that bad.

 I love the shape of the Miss Maggie handbag. So after debating other patterns I have, I’ve chosen to make this pattern again.

Materials

I’ve wanted to try working with leather. I love the durability of leather, but I do have to say, my cotton handbag has endured very well. It’s also the lightest handbag I can remember using. I was surprised when I started using it just how light it was. I may miss that using leather this time.

However, as I said, I wanted to try working with leather. I had purchased some last year, so decided to pull it out and cut into it.I got this at Peggy Sue Also, on Etsy.  It’s lovely. So far, working with leather is really nice. It’s so soft and pliable. We’ll see if I still think working with it is nice once I’m sewing multiple layers of it.

I didn’t have any fabric with the exact same fuchsia color in my stash for the lining, so I decided to use a fun fabric I had.I think this lining fabric will be adorable. I found this on Etsy as well.

A Leather Miss Maggie

I had my Miss Maggie all cut out, and then the corset challenge for May happened. But it waited patiently for me.This turned out quite nicely. The only real problem I had was doing the top stitching at the end. My machine kept skipping stitches, and I had to keep going back over it to fix it.My machine was fine with two layers, and even three, but it decided four layers of leather was just too much.

Inside the bag I’ve added a zipper pocket.     And a slip pocket.Aren’t all those bras adorable?

I also added a tassel and used Long John Strap anchors. After taking these photos, I did go over t hose skipped stitches again. It’s not the best, but it all works. I’ll find a better solution for the next leather bag I make.As well as the tassel, I used swivel hooks to attach my straps to the anchors. Adding just that little bit extra length to the straps makes this a shoulder bag for me.

I also added a lovely Handmade logo to the front of my bag.All the hardware for this bag is from Emmaline Bags.I love this bag, and my first attempt to make a leather bag turned out great! I will definitely be making another one – but I’ll tune up my Singer Featherweight to do the top stitching on that  next one.

Happy creating!

Bra-Makers Challenge – May

~ Michelle ~ 2 Comments

The Bra-makers Challenge for May is Shape up for Summer. The Challenge includes  shapewear, waist cinchers, bodyshapers and corsets.

Options

I decided to look at my Craftsy classes to see what I could use to help me make something new.  Beverly Johnson has a shapewear class: Sewing Shapewear Smooth Silhouettes. This class also includes a pattern for shapewear, which is a bonus. Alison Smith has Sewing Corsets: Essential Techniques (no pattern included). And Linda Sparks has Custom Corsets: Bones, Casings & Busks (again, no pattern included).I started off thinking I’d make shapewear. I was interested in making the Slimming Shorts that are covered in the class. But as I was watching the class, I decided it was too close to the pants I’d just made for the April Challenge. I didn’t want to make another pair of pants right away.

I decided I was going to make a corset. I’ve never made a corset, so this will be completely new to me. And it was a bit intimidating too.

A Brief Class Comparison

The two Craftsy classes on corsets might look similar at first glance, but Alison’s class is really the entry-level class. It’s an Intermediate skill level class, and covers the basics of making a corset. This class is also the older class format Craftsy offers – longer class lessons, and more than six lessons.

Linda’s class is more of a custom class for once you’re familiar with the basics. Her class is an Advanced skill level, and specializes in the bones and bone casings primarily. It also covers the busks. This class is the newer class format with lessons lasting about 20 minutes, and only having six lessons.

Seeing as this will be my first corset, I’m following along with Alison’s class.

Pattern

I’m using the Pin-up Girls Freedom Corset for my pattern.

Making Progress

The corset is quite easy to cut out, and to sew together. I did pause and think about the eyelets for a bit, but then just braced myself and punched holes in my fabric. Once I had the holes in, the rest was easy. There’s just something about putting holes in a brand new garment!

The denim and eyelets were a gift from Marsha. Marsha also gave me some advice as she’s made corsets before.

One option for the corset’s front closure is to add a zipper. For that I needed to add a facing to the front of the corset. I had this adorable bra material in my stash and decided it would be perfect for the facing.I’ll be the only one who will ever see if, but it is adorable. I had pulled this material out recently to use to line a handbag. I’ll share more on that a little later.

I found a great rainbow zipper, and it was on sale. I wanted a little bling with the zipper, so really couldn’t resist it.

  My Finished Corset

I’m both pleased with my finished corset, and disappointed. Here it is:

I used bias binding tape I purchased to make the boning casings. The fuchsia  coordinates with the colors in the zipper.

I do think this is adorable. My disappointment comes with some good news. Since I measured for this, I’ve lost close to 10 pounds. The corset is too big for me now. I wasn’t expecting that, but overall, it’s good news.

Here’s the side view. There’s more channeling on the side and back than on the front.  The back shows how lose it is in I’ve had to pull these laces completely closed – and it’s still loose on me. There is supposed to be a two-inch gap at the back. I don’t have a gap at all.

During the sewing, I did try it on. However, it was a few more weeks in May from that first trying on until I finished sewing it.

If this had fit a little better, I would swap out these white laces for fuchsia ribbon.

Overall, I’m thrilled with my challenge entry. This is my first-ever corset, and they’re not as scary as I thought they’d be. I’m sure I’ll make another one, and now that I’d seen they’re not nearly as hard as I thought they’d be, I may try to make a full corset for my next one.

Happy creating!

A Balancing Act

~ Michelle ~ 4 Comments

I don’t have any sewing to share with you today. And I don’t have a Craftsy sale to share either.

Some things have changed in my family’s circumstances – all for the good – but are making a daily demand on me right now. I’m driving into the city daily, which is taking up about 2 hours of my time.

With all that driving, I just don’t find I have time to do much sewing. Rather than getting all stressed, I’ve decided to take a break from my blog while I’m in this time. I’m hoping it will only be for a month or two.

However, I didn’t want to just disappear. As I said, I hope this is a short season and I’ll be back sewing and sharing soon.

Happy creating!

Blue and Gold

~ Michelle ~ 4 Comments

I recently found the most gorgeous lace. I had to get some, and had to make a bra with it.

This Lace  

It is even prettier in real life with those gold leaves on the blue. I found this lace on Etsy. (This is their image too.)

My New Bra

I used my Shelley pattern that’s a combination of my self-drafted pattern, and the pattern from the sewing class at Central Sewing. I’m loving this.   You might have noticed, I haven’t added any bows. It’s not because it’s not bow-worthy this time. I’m not sure I want bows. I made some. I pinned them on to see what I thought, but I wasn’t over the top in love with the bows on it. I may look for a little golden leaf charm. I think that would look great on this bra and mirror the gold leaves in the lace.

Perfectly Fitting Together 

I’m not going to get tired of this – at all. Look at how lovely that cup and cradle are! They are meeting perfectly and there are no wrinkles, no gathers – just perfectly  matched edges. Oh, I can’t tell you how happy this makes me. Let me say, unless you’ve had to gather your cup to fit into your cradle, you’ve been taking those perfectly matched edges for granted. This really is a highlight of my bra-making now.

The Back

I have the sample pack of duoplex from Bra-makers Supply. You can find it here. After looking through it to match this lace, the closest match was the Bluebird blue. The Bluebird blue doesn’t have a matching Finding Kit available. I decided to use beige as it was the closest to the gold leaves in the lace. I’ve also used gold rings and sliders.

Although you can’t tell once the bra is fastened like this, the band does have a downward hike.

Happy Sewing Moments

 There are moments when things come together so well, and this lace mirroring is one of them.It’s out by a smidge, but that’s pretty darn good.

Next I plan to make something pretty to match this bra.

Happy creating!

Drafting in Steps

~ Michelle ~ 2 Comments

My attempts at drafting my own bra haven’t been 100% to my satisfaction. My hubby says I want perfection. He’s not wrong. I’d settle for snuggled up beside perfection.

 Drafting First Steps

 I decided to go back to the Bra-makers Manuals and go over some of the steps in there for checking fit. The first thing to look at is the frame.

I decided I’d start over with my frame. The frame was fine, but I wanted to add some elements from the classes I took at Central Sewing, as well as some other design elements. This was a perfect time to re-do my frame.

Years ago, I cloned a Prima Donna Deauville bra I had, so I took some elements from that too. I gave my frame a wider cradle. I also gave the band a downward hike. It still has the lower bridge, and lower underarm.  Here’s my drafted cradle and the tester frame. This was pretty good.

One change I made. Do you see how little material there is there in the cradle to attach the cup? That 1/4-inch might be fine when making a bra, but it didn’t seem like much for the tester. I added another 1/4-inch. I also added a little more room under the arm.

For my tester frames, I use bits and scraps of whatever I have leftover from previous makes. Left over bits of elastic are especially great for a project like this.

Take Two

 The second new frame I made.This one is good too. And it will be much easier to use with the added material in the cradle.

I also gave myself a clear visual by sewing a seam line where the cup would meet the cradle. That’s the ivory stitching you can see in the above photo, and the one below.

I took a photo to show the difference between when the wire is in, and before it’s in the frame.That’s quite a difference the wire makes.

How Does It Fit?

  I’m happy to say this frame fits perfectly. My next endeavor will be to work on cups adjusted for my Omega shape.

Here’s the frame on my new display. It fits better on me.Everything is exactly where it is supposed to be. The bridge is right up where it needs to be, not pushed down, not coming away from the chest wall. The wires are just right too.

That’s the first stage of fitting a bra. Once the frame is correct, it’s time to test the cups.

Next Steps

After making a few adjustments to my pattern, I sewed up a pair of cups. I incorporated that adorable S-curve for the power bar.

I mentioned I’d sewn a seam in the cradle to follow. (I did this because I’d added that extra 1/4-inch.) I also sewed a 1/4-inch running stitch along the bottom of the cup. When it was time to sew the cups into the cradle, I just matched the two lines of stitching I’d done. So easy!How is it fitting? In all honesty, this probably would have been fine if I’d made it into a bra. It fit better than any RTW bra I’ve had. But I figured why not go for the brass ring. Seeing as this was still only a tester, I still made a couple of changes to my pattern.

I thought the cup might be a smidge small, so I clipped into the cross cup seam. Yes. I could add 1/8-inch there, so I did. I know an 1/8-inch isn’t a big deal, and like I said, if this had been a finished bra, I would have been happy with it. Since it was still a tester, I improved my pattern. Another adjustment was deciding if I wanted to lower the upper cups to meet the bridge, or raise the bridge a bit. I pulled out the custom bridge I’d drafted a few years ago, and decided to incorporate that into the frame. That means the cups won’t need to be lowered any more than they are now. The bridge will come up 1/4-inch to meet them. I’ll have to overlap my wires, but I’ve done that before.  Once again, I’m going for that perfectly matched cradle and cup at the side seam, and once the upper band elastic is added to the underarm of the cup, I’m going to have it! Yes, I’m happy with how this is all coming together.

Following Up

One last comment on the frame – a number of posts ago when writing about Tester Frames, I mentioned how hard it was to sew the cup into the frame once the frame was completed. Well, I took the wire out and it’s not hard. It’s not hard at all. The wire was what made it so difficult. Leave the channeling open for the wire, slip that wire out. It makes a big difference.

Happy creating!

Beginner and Shelley Bra Classes

~ Michelle ~ 6 Comments

I recently saw a notice from Central Sewing Machines for a Beginner Bra-making Class. Well, I know how to sew a bra, but… There was one part of the ad that stood out – the instructor would draft a pattern to fit me.Oh, a pattern drafted for me? Yes! I was interested. I signed up right away.

Jeanette, of Sew Uplifting Bras, was the class instructor. During the two-day class, she was giving tips and tricks on how to sew the bra. There were some new bra-making gems in there too. I’m not sure how many times I blurted out, “That’s brilliant!” A pattern drafted for me, and new techniques to incorporate into my bra-sewing? The class was totally worth it!

First Bra

The first bra, a Pin-up Girls Classic pattern with a split lower cup, came together with no problems. However, it still needed a couple of adjustments.Although this first bra didn’t fit perfectly, I was so happy with it. Let me show you why.

For me, this is the most exciting part of of the whole class – the cups fit perfectly into the frame!

Jeanette adjusted my pattern for my Omega shape and it fits perfectly in the frame. There are no puckers. No gathering along the seam line either. Just a cup and cradle that fit perfectly together. Oh, it’s so pretty! Do you see how the cup meets the cradle and they’re both the same length? I haven’t had that happen in a bra since my second or third bra when I found out I had an Omega shape. I am so excited about that.

The back is pretty basic. Jeanette uses sliders only for joining the fabric straps to the strap elastic. It makes for a very neat joining. Don’t ask me why, but it did throw me during the class. I had to really think how to sew them together, and it’s not that hard.Overall, even though I could already sew a bra, I’m so glad I took the beginner class.

Shelley

Right after the Beginner class, Central was holding a Shelley class. My hubby said to sign up. I was over-the-top excited.

We took my drafted-for-me pattern and converted it into a Shelley pattern. I’ve done this before too, but Jeanette was sharing more brilliant tips along the way. Again, totally worth taking the class.

 Here’s my lovely fuchsia Shelley bra.On this bra, we’ve lowered the bridge, adjusted the cups for the lowered bridge, and adjusted for my Omega shape. I also added a Gothic arch, but that wasn’t part of the class. However, as a class, we thinned the band.

The side again – with its perfectly matching cup and cradle. I’m not going to get tired of this at all.Another lovely feature that shows in the side view is the power bar. It’s an S-shape. That was a first for me. It’s so pretty.

   And the back.Again, on this bra I’ve used sliders only rather than rings and sliders. It does give a neater line on the back, but I have a lot of rings and sliders in my stash, so I will be using those still.

So, after taking these classes am I giving up on drafting my own bra? No way! I’ve been busy drawing away, and incorporating the new knowledge I’ve gained. In fact, later this year, Jeanette will be teaching a Drafting course at Central Sewing. I’m already saving up for it.

 Happy creating!