A sewing friend and I are getting together weekly to work on bodice slopers. She’d taken a class a few years ago, but her weight had changed a bit so she wanted to redo her sloper.

I had done the Suzy Furrer Bodice Sloper class on Craftsy, and it was wonderful. Like my friend my weight had changed since I’d taken that class too.

 So we’ve been getting together for the past month to work on slopers together.

She brough all her class notes, but something wasn’t working out for us, so I thought of the book I had sitting on my shelf.

I have the second edition of the wonderful book Patternmaking for Fashion Design. It’s a great book, but read some reviews before you purchase a newer  edition. I did. That’s why I purchased this edition.  This book helped us. It had a few steps included that her class notes didn’t have. So we were off and going.

This week we finished drafting the pattern, tracing it off, and cutting it out. I sewed mine up that evening. I had to cut into some quilting fabric I had because I didn’t have enough muslin fabric. So I have a very pretty sloper now.

This fits me loosely and I’m not sure if that’s correct or not. I know we did add seam allowances, so I’m thinking it’s correct. In the Suzy Furrer class we made a moulage and it was tight fitting. I’m actually so happy with how this fits, and how pretty it is. I’m almost thinking of adding sleeves and buttons to the front to make it an actual blouse.     Ah, but the back… Here it doesn’t look so pretty. I guess a sloper it will stay.

Overall, I’m very happy with how this sloper turned out. I’m sure it can use a few tweaks but it’s very close to wearable as it is.  

This isn’t the only project I’ve been working on. I have something fun to share from Porcelynne in the coming weeks.

Happy creating!   

I promised a quick update on this lovely cotton poplin bra. So here it is.

How did it come through the wash? Perfectly! It was a tad more wrinkly after washing than my duoplex or nylplex bras, but once it was dry I didn’t notice any wrinkles. Nor did I when I went to put it on.

And it’s so light, and of course being cotton it’s breathable. It’s lovely to wear. The cotton poplin gets my full approval. 

While I’m updating…

My two new beige bras were a smidge too big along the upper cup. I lost a couple of pounds and I guess it all came off there.

So my lovely new bras were bothering me with a small gape along the neckline.

Here’s what I did to fix that. I carefully cut along the side of the lace where it meets the power bar.

Then I overlapped the lace where the previous seam was.   There’s the smallest pucker there, but it will fit better. I can adjust my pattern for next time.

After I pinned it, I sewed that lace and sheer cup lining over the previous seam. 

Although I’m sure the zigzag stitch will hold everything, I did sew a straight stitch on the top at the edge so there was no gape where I’d cut the lace.

All that was left was to trim the threads. It was a great fix for a small problem.

Happy creating!

I’ve been playing a little with my go-to patterns. I decided I wanted a tad more coverage, so I lengthened the bridge 1/3-inch. Being a rather pronounced Omega, I’m always taking away from the cups to get them to fit in, so adding a little back to the length where it fits into the cradle actually helps.

So here’s my latest Freja in a gorgeous peach lace you can find at Bwear. 

I used some beige duoplex and power net I had in my stash to compliment this lace. I think it’s very pretty together.

Here’s the lace on it’s own so you can see just how pretty it is.  

Those hearts… I wanted a little more lace on the bra, so I added some to the side of the bra’s frame. Just a little added color there, and a pop of prettiness.

You all know me by now. Lace = love. 

And the back of the bra.   I’m still pinning the back to get everything to lay nice and flat.

So how is that little added length along the cradle working? Well, it’s not perfect. It’s a little longer than the wire now, but I’m making it work. I’m just sharing that extra 1/3-inch between the top of the bridge and the underarm. 

Until next week, Happy Creating!

Making any bra with lace makes it not so basic. Don’t you agree? However, this bra is all white, so basic seemed like a good title.

This isn’t so basic.

For this pattern I was playing with working on my pattern and adjusting for the Omega shape.

For this bra, I used the bottom of the pattern pieces that actually fit into the cradle. Then adjusted larger for my actual cup size.

It was a fun experiment. But did it work. No it didn’t. I need all the fullness of the cup size I’m in.

But as I said, I did enjoy it. I’ve wondered about this for a long time – if it would produce a neater fit and look.    It definitely produced a neater look and fit. However, I really need the fullness throughout the bra cup.

So as pretty as this is for a basic white bra with lace, it was ultimately a failed experiment.

It was still fun to try, and to learn why this way isn’t recommended.

   It’ll be back to basics after this – what I know works.

Happy creating!

Recently Bwear asked for testers for a new pattern. I’m always up for testing new patterns, especially lingerie patterns. So I said yes.

As soon as I heard about the pattern I asked Em if she would like me to test the pattern for her. Of course, she said yes. The Alma thong are a modern thong pattern. They look a lot like a hipster from the front.

I really like that the pattern offers two ways to finish the legs and waist: panty elastic or lace trim. I love finishing things with lace. I think they’re so much prettier this way.

  You can see here they are not hipsters from the side. Aren’t they cute little cheeky panties? 

The feedback from Em was they sit a little higher in the front – which is exactly how they were designed to sit. Em said she really liked that.

She also said the back was a bit thicker, which Em also liked.

After I had made them and she’d tried them on, she told me she wasn’t a huge thong fan, but she loved these and was taking them home. I would say they were a hit.

You can find the pattern here, and kits to make the pattern here. The pattern will be released tomorrow.

Happy creating!

Just look at me go! Three weeks in a row. Hello!

This week I’m sharing another lovely bra kit I made into a pretty Margareta. 

You know, working out with my son not only changed the shape of my back, but my cups too. I’ve been working on getting things just the way I want again. And although things were fitting, they weren’t just what I wanted.

I think I’m one small change away from just what I want.

So, here’s the lovely kit I used for this bra.      That lace!

So here’s my Margareta. So, some of the changes I’ve made… I raised the bridge. Even though my wires don’t come all the way up to the top, this allows me to raise the upper cup up a bit and give me a little more coverage. Coverage that I need.

I’m thinking of adding some boning to the side of the bras as my wires don’t come all the way up at the side either. Thank you Omega shape. This bra kit was so lovely. I think the lace and lingerie satin go together perfectly. Doesn’t that go so well? It’s so pretty. And lastly, I didn’t like the looseness and bagginess on the display form. So I’ve pinned it here. You can still see the back well enough – but if you think this looks terrible, please let me know.

Until next week, happy creating!