Author: Michelle

Canada Cups – Coming Unwired in a Bralette

~ Michelle ~ 6 Comments

Hello! Welcome to my stop on the Canada Cups – Coming Unwired blog tour.

This tour is all about soft cupped bras in their many forms, whether it be bralettes, camisoles, or actual soft cupped bras – all designed by Canadian Designers. For my stop, I’m making a bralette from the Pin-up Girls Sweet Sixteen Bralette Collection.

The Pattern

Beverly Johnson is the designer of this pattern. Beverly owns Bra-Makers Supply here in Canada, and is one of our amazing sponsors! Beverly was willing to provide a pattern to a reviewer, but I’m such a pattern hound, I already had a copy of this pattern. Rachelle of That’s Sew Venice gladly accepted that offer though, so we are both making the Sweet Sixteen bralette pattern. You can read Rachelle’s post here.

A Few Details About the Pattern 

Beverly says, “Most would not say “support” and bralette in the same breath, but oddly enough, this one can be very supportive. With the options this pattern offers, this bralette could become your new breast friend! The typical ready-to-wear bralette is only available in smaller sizes..not ours!”

It’s because this pattern offers both support and a fuller range of sizes, that Rachelle and I both wanted to make this bralette. Just so you know, there are 72 sizes included in this pattern.

A little later in the post, I have some ideas to share with you about making this bralette more supportive.

Another Sponsor – Club Tissus

Another of our fabulous tour sponsors right here in Canada is new to me: Club Tissus. They very generously offered the tour bloggers a discount and free shipping to try their merchandise for this tour. Thank you, Club Tissus!

My thoughts were, ‘A deal on lingerie supplies?’ I went to their website right away.

My first impressions were, well, it was all in French. I do know some French, but am not familiar with French material names. Then I found the box in the upper left corner that allows us to switch from French to English. (Whew!) That was better. I had no trouble navigating their site after that.

I bought this gorgeous mesh to use for the cups.

I found everything I needed to make my bralette there except neckline trim elastic. I had some of that in my stash.

Living across the country, mine took four business days to arrive. That’s still really good. I did have one mistake with my order, and after emailing them, they had the right item in the mail within a day.

Set Backs

I had a couple of set backs with my plans for my first bralette (okay, there were three all together) – which is not something you want to happen when a sponsor has donated your material!

My first was mistake with this material wasn’t a mistake, and I should have stuck with it. I simply cut out cups from the material – no matching, just random cut outs. But no, I decided I could do better and I tossed those cups out. (Remember this bit for later.)

Then I decided to use the colored part of the mesh. I didn’t like that once it was cut out and sewn. It was too multi-colored. Those went in the garbage.

Next, I was going to match the patterns. It turned out I wasn’t able to match the print exactly for each cup. No matter where I laid my pattern pieces on the remaining fabric, I could not get a match. Unfortunately, I had already cut out one half of the bra and matching pattern designs takes a lot more material than not matching.

I let that idea go, and just cut out another set of cups – I was right back to what I first did, except it’s three cuts into the material later. I was on my way.While sewing the cups, and then top-stitching them, my machine decided to eat my material and made a big knot! As I gently tried to unpick the knot… I made a hole. 

Sadly, there’s no repairing that, and by this time, I didn’t have enough of this mesh to make new cups. I had to start over.

Take Two

  Thankfully, I was able to make this beautiful bralette with a stretch lace cup, and power net for the band from materials in my stash.

Oh, I love these colors together. This is the Platinum duoplex, power net, and strap elastic from Bra-Makers Supply. The lace is some gorgeous lace I found at Fabricland in Ontario. I really love these together.

I couldn’t find a 4 x 3 hook and eye in Platinum and I didn’t like it in black, beige or ivory, which were all I could find. So I lowered the back where the straps attach to use a 3 x 3 hook and eye.

 Here’s the side view. So very pretty.

 How does it fit? It fit quite well after I shortened the back band.

Here’s the band I cut out based on what I thought were my correct measurements. After re-measuring, I was an inch smaller than I thought. However, I ended up shortening the band to that red broken line. That’s more than just the inch difference. So if you’re making this pattern, which is a great pattern, just know the band fits big.

Once I had the band shortened, it was perfect. I’ve worn this for full days, and it’s very comfortable.

Support 

Using only stretch lace for the cups, I wasn’t expecting this to be the most supportive, but I would say it’s actually better support than any other bralette I own.

I thought of some options to make this pattern more supportive: Lining it with foam, which is an option mentioned in the pattern, but not my preference. Other options could be to line the lace cups with sheer cup lining, or some firm stretch mesh, or even duoplex. All of these would make this very supportive.

PHDs

  There are always the Projects Half Done. This was one of them. A lovely camisole pattern.  I bought the material for it; a gorgeous cotton/silk blend, and this lacy material I thought went well with it. I received the High Neck Camisole pattern from one of our wonderful sponsors, Lingerie Secrets.

As it turns out, I’m actually glad I didn’t get this completed because just before the tour started, I found an even better lace in my stash!The lace is a cotton lace too. I like this so much better than the original material I bought for this.

Thank You

I  want to express my gratitude to these wonderful sponsors for our tour! They’ve donated patterns, fabric, and findings to our bloggers, and have gone above and beyond and donated prizes for you – our readers.

Tour Discounts (These discounts have ended.)

  • Funky Monkey Fabrics is offering a 10% discount for the duration of the tour. Use code: CC10 for 10% off store wide until October 22nd. Not valid on already discounted full bolts.
  • 20% discount storewide at Fabric Please. Use code CANADACUPS.
  • 10% discount from Central Sewing Machines (email your order directly to Muriel@centralsewing.com to receive the discount)
  • 10% discount from Midnight Mountain Fabrics. Use CANADACUPS10 for the code
  • Free shipping from Club Tissus on all orders over $100. Use code: livraison100

 Come back here for our wrap up to enter into a draw for one of the prizes! Just look at these prizes!

Happy creating!

Tour Schedule

Hang with us as we reveal our inner secrets. 😉

 

 

 

 

// Please note that none of these post links are available before the scheduled date. If you click on one too early, you will get an Error 404: Page not found. You know about those, right? //
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Sunday, October 15

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Monday, October 16

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Tuesday, October 17

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Wednesday, October 18

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Thursday, October 19

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Friday, October 20

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Saturday, October 21

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Monday, October 23

  • Giveaway winners announced on all the blogs:

Little Heart Threads, Glitter in my Coffee, Michelle’s Creations, Mrs. Weaver’s Finest Unmentionables, Gracious Threads, Élégantine!, That’s Sew Venice, Sprouting Jubejube, Flying by the Seam of my Pants, Filles à Maman
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What Was I Thinking?

~ Michelle ~ 6 Comments

Are you all excited for our tour kicking off tomorrow?The kick-off post is tomorrow, but we’ll have to wait until Monday to see one of the gorgeous makes our bloggers made. But let me tell you, there are some really gorgeous makes!

What Was I Thinking? 

In the mean time, let me share with you an experience I recently had.

I saw a gorgeous top, and loved it right away. It was on sale too, so how could I go wrong?Isn’t that fun?

The problem is, I forgot what my figure it like. I realized it again when I tried this on in person after I’d ordered it.

Then I remembered my Croquis, and wondered why didn’t I digitally try this on before I bought it.

Do you see how all those fun little details fall exactly where I don’t want attention! All on my hips. That is not the look I want.

That top is being returned, but I thought I’d keep looking, but this time try things on digitally.

The Bag Look
Yes, I dubbed this one the bag. I didn’t think this did anything for me at all, so I kept looking.

Better   I did think this one is better, however, there’s no wow factor for me. And I’m not sure about that pattern band at the bottom.

Even Better I think I liked this one the best. However, I think before I buy this one, I’ll go try in on in person.

See you tomorrow for our kick-off!

Happy creating!

New Craftsy Lingerie Class

~ Michelle

This class by Alison Smith just came out, and I also came across a Craftsy ad for a sale price. I couldn’t resist!

If you’re wondering, I checked to see if this class was part of the Unlimited membership trial, it is.

To make sewing your bralettes even easier, Bra-Makers Supply now has bralette finding kits.

 You can get the finding kits for bralettes here.

Paleo Bread

~ Michelle ~ 2 Comments

I think I’ve mentioned a couple of times that I can’t have dairy or gluten. In fact, I don’t do well with grains either, so I gave those up this year too – all under my Dr’s guidance, just in case anyone is concerned.

There are a few foods I miss. I miss bread. And cheese. Oh, the smell of pizza… So, missing these foods, I do try to find alternatives.

A Hit

I’ve tried a few things and some have been good. Others just didn’t turn out how I wanted.

One hit was Cloud Bread.featured-img

I think I hadn’t had any bread for a few months when I first tried this, and my husband and I both loved it! In fact, our meal looked pretty much exactly like the photo above. We had BLTs for dinner, and it was great.

Is it actually bread-like? No. Not at all. However, it was light, and fluffy, and gave us something to put ingredients in-between.

A Miss

The next try was a miss – twice. Grain-free Blender Bread.

Blender Bread I really wanted this bread to work out. This recipe is from Danielle Walker, and I love her recipes. In fact, I have all her cookbooks. However, this one just didn’t work for me. There was even a correction to the recipe that’s in the cookbook, and I used the corrected recipe.

The first time I made it, it didn’t cook all the way through. So the second time, I baked it longer, but still it just wasn’t cooked all the way through. It’s not an inexpensive recipe to make, so sadly, two times is all I’m willing to try.

Another Hit 

This third Paleo bread recipe I tried worked wonderfully. In fact, I just made this yesterday.

 With only 5 ingredients, this Paleo Almond Butter Bread is a snap to prepare. Kid-approved, and perfect for breakfast, lunch or snacks. Love this stuff!

This Paleo Almond Butter Bread is a hit. My husband came home and saw what looked like a loaf of bread sitting on a cooling rack in the kitchen. He wanted to try it right away.

It looks like bread, and it’s really quite bread-like.

We broke out the olive oil and Balsamic vinegar, and each cut a slice of bread. After that, we cut a second slice each. Then my hubby didn’t wait for me, and cut himself a third slice.

Yes, this one is a hit. 

If you’re looking for some Paleo recipes, I’ve collected quite a few on my Pinterest page, including the ones in this post. All the photos except these last two are from the websites with the recipes.

Happy creating!

Another Watson for Em

~ Michelle ~ 6 Comments

There is nothing so comfortable as a comfortable bra! Or in this case, a comfortable bralette. When a bra is comfortable, there is no feeling of can’t-wait-to-take-it-off. You really forget you have it on. That’s how Em was feeling. She kept telling me how much she loved her Watson, and that she didn’t get home from work and want to take it off right away. I’m so glad.

Em’s last Watson.

This was all just bits of this and that I had in my stash. Despite that, I think it turned out quite lovely.

Hints 

As well as telling me how much she loved it, there were all the hints of what her favorite colors are, that she’d love another one, this was all she wanted to wear…

I got the hints. I dropped a few myself, like you have to buy some materials if you want me to sew you bralettes. Still, I really enjoyed making her something she loved. So… I’m making another one to get my sewjo back.

  Sales

 B,Wear has recently had a few sales. The first one I was aware of was a 35% off sale. I took advantage and I bought some elastics. I’ve found elastics were always what I was seemed to run out of first because I wasn’t willing to unpick it all, especially triple-zigzag stitches!

Along with my elastics, this lovely lace came from Bodil’s B,Wear shop. I used this for Em’s Watson. It’s gorgeous.

I’m matching it up with black to make a striking combination. White lace cups and cradle, black band, straps and findings. Em did say black and white were her favorite color combination.

Other Plans

Originally, I was going to use some more ‘bits’ that were left over in my stash for another bralette. However, once I was sewing with these ‘bits’ I realized the material was terrible! My machine hated it, and I didn’t want to sew with it anymore. After fighting with it and my machine for the better part of a morning, there was one more part that just wasn’t right; I couldn’t face unpicking it again. I turfed it and it felt great!

This is a really thin Lycra material. I still had some leftover after cutting this out, but it’s in a give-away bag now. Someone else might love it, but not me. Not anymore. Along with this, two other very similar Lycra materials are leaving my stash too.

Em’s Second Watson

    Here’s Em’s Watson. I really love how this one turned out as well.

Oh, it’s so pretty. The black and white is so classic.

Here’s the side view: There was a lot of switching thread for this bralette. I only made one little mistake on the first color change. I went over the seam by a couple of stitches.

Other than that, I was quite pleased with all my switching back and forth.

Here’s the back of the bralette.

Seeing as I know this size fits her, I sewed the bow on already. I took advantage of the black and white color scheme to put a black bow on the front.

 Here’s a little tip for keeping these bows in place while getting it all under the presser foot – use a little bit of double-sided tape. You hardly need any, and it will wash away in the laundry, but it keeps it right where you want it until you sew it in place.

There’s only one thing I don’t love about this lovely bralette. The rings and sliders are one size too big. I don’t have any 3/8″ ones. Well, I did have a few but they were plastic, and I know plastic won’t survive being stepped on. (I never asked. I didn’t want to know.) The smallest size I have are 1/2″ ones, and as you can see, they’re a bit too big. I did try moving them, and they seem to stay in place quite well.

The most fun I have sewing for Em is hearing the exclamations coming from the other room when she’s trying something on: “It’s so cute!” I just don’t yell like that over any of my makes for myself. I might have a little more sewjo if I did.

The lace for this bralette came from B,Wear, the elastics from Bra-Makers Supply, the straps from Merckwaerdigh, and the power net from a new supplier to me – Club Tissus.

Happy creating!

Sewing Plans

~ Michelle ~ 8 Comments

I always have a long list of things I want to sew, and since my sewjo has taken a late-summer vacation, I’m organizing some of my plans. At least I still feel I’m doing something and making some progress this way.

Another Watson

Em has told me so many times that she loves the Watson I made her. She’s hinted she wants another one. She’s told me her favorite colors. She’s mentioned she wears the one she has all the time. So, I have one cut out for her in this adorable polka dot material. I think she’ll like this. 

You might recognize this material from a previous Watson I made.

I love this polka dot material.

A Camisole for Me

  I found this gorgeous cotton-silk blend. Oh, it’s sumptuous. That’s really the only way to describe it. To make this even better, I found it in the clearance section at my local fabric store. That was just a bonus!

I also found some lovely lace material. Together, it will make a very pretty camisole.

This being such lovely material, I may look at some actual lace I have too and decide then. I just need some sewjo again. 

A Handbag for a Friend

   A dear friend of mine has been living in the US for the past year. She saw my Canada 150 bag, and said she’d love one too. I don’t have any of the original fabric left, so found some that was perfect for her. Her hubby used to be a Mountie. I think she will really love this! 

Aren’t those Mounties adorable?

Drafting Ups and Downs

You know, sometimes, I fuss too much.

My fourth draft (second with Karin) only needed small adjustments. I don’t know why I simply didn’t make those small adjustments to the pattern. Instead I went back and re-drew everything. I didn’t get the same results.

As well, I ran out of duoplex from my stash. I still have a couple of kits, but I wasn’t going to cut into those. I had to take a break from my drafting.

On that day, with no bits of duoplex left, and a draft that wasn’t what I wanted, I was ready to throw in the towel. For the better part of the day, I was defeated. I was giving up. I couldn’t sew. I couldn’t draft. I might as well delete my blog. I’m sorry I wasted all our money. Blah. Blah. Blah.

That’s when my hubby came to my rescue – he calmly told me I was doing well. Look how far I’d come. Then he told me to go ahead and order some more duoplex to keep going. He is my hero.

Future Plans

 Well, I do plan to finish all of these projects, including sewing up that fourth drafted pattern with a few adjustments. As well, I have a Spring/Fall jacket I want to make, and a Agnes top with sleeves. I have the material for both of these as well.

All of these projects are just waiting for me to get my sewjo back. I hope my sewjo doesn’t take too long a vacation.

Happy creating!

New Cabinets

~ Michelle ~ 4 Comments

I recently got some new cabinets I wanted to share with you.

My Dream Machine

I’ve always dreamed of having a Singer Treadle sewing machine in a cabinet, but that’s yet to happen. However, I did recently buy a cabinet.

I was thrilled with my deal on this. It belonged to a friend’s grandmother, so I got the family deal too.

It does need some TLC if I want to restore it.

Broken trim.

Veneer damaged.

Paint splotches.   And veneer coming off the cabinet.Yes, it will need some TLC to restore it. But I still love it as it is.

Simply Functional

  My second new cabinet was purely wanted for something functional. I went to the second-hand store to look for a small table or end table to sit my Coverpro on. I didn’t want to sit it on the floor, and I was tired of moving machines when I wanted to use my serger, or Coverpro. They’d been sitting one in front of the other.

I found this:  It was marked from $10 down to $5. That was an even better deal than my dream cabinet!

(Do you see my antique camel saddle photo-bombing the cabinet? That’s been around longer than my hubby. His parents brought it back from one of their travels.)

Machines Included

The most amazing part of both of these cabinets is they both had vintage machines included.

The Singer cabinet had this Imperial machine inside. I’m told it will work with the treadle, but it doesn’t have a power cord, or foot pedal, and the belt for the cabinet needs to be replaced, so… It might be a while.

I have found a manual for this Imperial, but I haven’t decided if I’m going to keep it. If I decide I’m not going to keep it (no cord, no pedal), I do know Central Sewing Machines in Edmonton takes in sewing machines to repair and then donates them to charity. I love that idea.

 The second cabinet had this Brother machine in it.

This one excites me a little more. Probably because it has a power cord and foot pedal. I do need to find a manual for this one, and try it out. It just came home yesterday. My hubby is telling me I’m out of room, but where there’s a will, there’s a way.

I think I’ll be researching my new Brother today.

Happy creating!