Bra Kits

Willowdale Take Two

~ Michelle ~ 8 Comments

I was very impressed with my first attempt of the Willowdale pattern, so I decided to make another one right away. This time, with a narrower bridge.

This one fits perfectly!

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 have a bee kit all cut out, so time to do some sewing again.

Happy creating!

Bees on Black

~ Michelle ~ 4 Comments

I bought the most adorable bra kit – last year. I bought it before the International Bra Sewing Bee, thinking how fun it would be to make a bee bra.

Bees on Black Bra Kit Black Beauty Bra image 2Isn’t this charming? This is from Emerald Erin’s bra shop. She has it in black, and Latte. Bees on Latte Bra Kit Black Beauty Bra image 1 I love them both. But bought the black one.

I decided to try a little something different with this bra. It’s something I heard on last year’s Bee – some Omega’s are fuller in the center front than on the side. Well, that fits me (pardon the pun). I’m always adding to the center front.

The suggestion was to use one size larger for the inner cup, and one size smaller for the power bar, blending the lines.

I decided to try this with my latest Josey.  Do you ever just love something you’re doing? I loved sewing this bra together. I love the sheer fabric with these adorable bees!I love this. I’m super tempted to buy more of this so I can make it again.

Do you see that pretty hardware on the straps? This is a very old finding kit I bought from Mrs Weaver’s Finest Unmentionables (now closed).

Here’s a closer look at those sliders.They have a bit of a more rounded shape. I love them.

I think my favorite part of this bra is how sheer it is. I really do love this bra. It was a very fun make just in time for the Bee this year.

Happy creating!

Willowdale Take One

~ Michelle ~ 2 Comments

Have you seen the new Willowdale bra pattern? Cashmerette released it this past month.

 

I like Cashmerette patterns, but honestly when I first looked the pattern, I thought I already have a couple of patterns that are similar in style. I wasn’t thinking I’d buy it.

However, it wasn’t long before all I was hearing were great reviews of this pattern. What started to win me over was when another woman who is an Omega shape said she didn’t have to make any changes and it fit so well.

Then I saw this:

Oh! I love this! 

A dear sewing friend also raved about it. I was won over. I decided I wanted to try it.

Aa well, after hearing all those great reviews, I decided to cut into a ‘good’ kit to make it. 

This is some of the platinum duoplex and findings from a BMS kit, and some gorgeous lace from Kantje boord.

I did make a few alterations for my Omega shape, and was very impressed with how well everything still fit together. Unfortunately, even though I did alter the bridge, it was still a bit too wide. The cups fit perfectly though.

I’m actually thinking of cutting it down the middle of the bridge and putting a seam there. It would be perfectly wearable, and I can decide it’s a design feature. Are you ‘going’ to the International Bra Sewing Bee? Jennifer, from Porcelynne will be doing a sew-along of the Willowdale. I’m planning to take that in.

Happy creating!

Cornelia Josey Bra

~ Michelle ~ 2 Comments

Have you ever seen a bra kit and it was love at first sight? That was how I felt when I saw the Cornelia bra kit at B,Wear. It was so pretty, and so delicate. I bought it right away.I know most people think beige is boring, but I love the golden tones it has. I think it’s really pretty, and these golden tones paired with pink were beautiful.

I made this kit up into another Josey II bra. I do plan to try a couple of different patterns in the new year though.Here is my lovely Cornelia Josey bra. I love the lace on the upper cup. I loved it so much, I used it on the power bar, and on the side of the bra too.Oh, that is pretty.

The last couple of bras I made I didn’t use a bow. It wasn’t that they weren’t bow-worthy, but a bow just didn’t seem to fit them.This time it was the opposite. I cut out a pretty little green leaf, and it faded into the background. I didn’t like the look of it at all. This shimmery pink bow coordinates so well. It was perfect.This is my last post for 2021. I wish you all a safe and happy holiday season, and I think we’re all hoping for a better 2022.

Happy creating!

Winter Dream

~ Michelle ~ 2 Comments

I cannot even begin to say how happy I am to have not one or two bras that fit so well, but I’m building a whole drawer full! It’s really a great feeling.

So as I’m happily sewing away, I’m catching up on some lovely kits I bought, and finally using them.

This latest bra is the Josey II (again). This time in a gorgeous kit from B,Wear. This kit was called Winter Dream.I’m also really pressing into sewing right now because we’re going to be moving! I need to sew now before I pack, and unpack.

Here’s my lovely new Winter Dream Josey.As well as having an applique leaf on the top of the bridge, I also added an appliqued flower to the lower bridge.

   Those little scrap lace appliques made their way onto the sides of the bra as well.

To match my Winter Dream Josey, I plan to use a few panties I’ve already made. These basic ivory ones will go nicely.

I’m also thinking for more of a pop of color, to try them with these.For that second option, here’s my bra and panties together. I guess which pair I choose will depend on my mood that day.

I have two more bras I plan to cut out and sew up before I start packing. My next couple of posts will be short and sweet.

Happy creating! 

Smoke and Mirrors

~ Michelle

Bra Builders recently released their new seasonal colors, and I fell in love with more than one color. Just look at that first color – Burnished Copper. Oh! Gorgeous! However, my favorite would have to be the Plum Pudding. They describe it as a beautiful eggplant purple – rich and smoky. It’s so pretty!

Well, not only did I fall in love with a few of these colors, but I was accepted as one of Bra Builders’ Featured Artists, and had the priviledge of working with this beautiful Smoke and Mirrors tulle lace and some Plum Pudding micorduoplex!It was love at first sight.

When I saw this lace, I knew it would be perfect for an all-lace cup. The design throughout the lace, and the darker border on the lace make it perfect for this. I used the Josey II pattern for this bra.I am so happy with this bra. I love this bra kit. I adore these colors!I couldn’t resist using a little bit of the upper edge of the lace along the side of the bra.These rings and sliders are the Rainbow ones from Bodil’s Wear. They match the eggplant color in this so well.I have a few more matchy matchy to share with you in my next blog post.

Happy creating!

Using MicroDuoplex

~ Michelle ~ 2 Comments

I have a couple of really beautiful bra kits with Microduoplex in them. I’ve heard often that it’s very hard to sew, so I ordered some plain white to practice sewing it.

I’d also read as many tips as I could about how to sew it. Those tips are things like: use tear-away paper underneath two layers, use a microtek needle, use So Fine thread, lengthen your stitch length, use a straight stitch plate.

I tried almost all of the suggestions – probably in the same order as above too. There were a lot of skipped stitches and sections where the stitches didn’t take at all the first few times. Believe it or not, this was sewn all the way across. You can see the skipped stitches, and where there are no stitches in the material at all.

I didn’t find the paper underneath did a thing. Nor was I finding any of the others tips helpful either. That is, until I decided I would buy a straight stitch plate for my machine. Once I had the straight stitch plate on, the microduoplex sewed so easily. It was amazing the difference it made.

It sewed so easily without any paper underneath, and without the longer stitch length. Let me tell you, while I was sewing, I thought that new stitch plate was completely worth the money I paid for it!Once I started sewing, I was excited to finish a bra. This one was only using  white mircoduoplex, and then a bit of lace left over.

 This is very pretty. I have to say, after trying the straight stitch plate for the cups, the bra came together quite easily.

I can see one problem with my photos though. The foam cups I’ve been using really don’t fit my size now. I’m going to cut out some new foam cups this week.

One bit of experimenting I did on this bra was to add some non-stretch lace to the strap elastic at the front. My thought was many high-end RTW bras use strap elastic only, but have a bit of embelishment on the front strap. I was thinking it’s more than just decoration – it’s to stabilize the straps.

I would have used a bit more lace, but I was down to scraps and that was all I had left. That lace was very well used.

If you haven’t tried microduoplex, I do encourage you to try it – but make sure you have a straight stitch plate! It really is a lovely material for our bra-making.

Happy creating!

A Pretty Summery Bra

~ Michelle

Oh, some very good news. Draft number four fit so well I couldn’t resist making a new bra. For the most part, my cups were fine. I’d done a lot of work on those. The wires and the bottom of the bridge were what needed the most improvement. So, now I had a well-fitting band, with the correct wire shape, I had to make a new bra.

I looked in my stash, and this lovely delicate lace was calling my name.Oh, I love this lace. It’s so pretty.

My next decision was what to use to finish the bra? I decided to try the lingerie satin B,Wear sells. I had ordered some, but hadn’t tried it yet. I think I fell in love with it as soon as I touched it. It’s so soft!

This lingerie satin does have a bit of stretch, so I wasn’t sure how my bra was going to fit, but I am not disappointed.This is the BMS Ruby pattern, adjusted for an Omega shape.

This fits perfectly – except I forgot to adjust the top of the bridge to make it lower. This bridge is for using elastic along the upper edge, so the bridge and the wires aren’t the same length. However, that’s a very small complaint!You can see here where the wires aren’t coming to the top of the bridge. There’s maybe 2 cm, or better yet 1.5 cm and a touch of wiggle room for the wires. It’s a very small adjustment after some of the others I’ve had to make.

You can also see in the above photo, I had some wrinkling with my elastic under the cup there. I had this problem on my other tester band too. I’m wondering if I have too much of a curved shape there making it just too hard for the elastic to fit to those curves.

Here’s the side view of the bra.Oh, I’m so happy with this. I used a trick I learned in one of my classes with Jeannette to help my large cup fit into my smaller band – I stretched the frame on the outside, and ‘eased’ the cup in. It works so well.

Lastly the back view. I’m so thrilled to have finally found my correct sized wire, and figured out just how to fix my band as well. I have my next bra kit all picked out, and I’m going to sew some more bras!This is another lingerie satin kit from B,Wear.

I do like a power bar, so I’m thinking for my next bra I’ll make a BMS Shelley.

Happy creating!

Angie’s Twin Two

~ Michelle ~ 4 Comments

I made another Angie’s Twin. And I also broke into one of my very pretty bra kits.Oh, I like this. I also like the Angie’s Twin pattern. Other than a few adjustments for an Omega shape – smaller wires & frame, and a larger cup – I didn’t have to change anything on this pattern.

I have to say, I love this lace! There was very little left over. Not enough to do any other projects. This is so pretty, I’d love to have some more. Sadly, I only bought one kit, and I haven’t seen anymore in B,Wear‘s store.

The original kit came with sheer cup lining, white elastics, and the lace. And I’m sure it would have been lovely, but I wanted to play with all the colors in the lace.

I had a little bit of pink duoplex and power net left over from another bra. It was just enough for the straps and frame. As well, to continue pulling colors out of the lace, I went with some red elastics rather than the white. I love it.

Here’s the side view. There was just a tiny bit of lace left over to add to the sides. Just to add a bit more detail.

And the back.      All that red really pops here.

Lastly, a closer look at the side and front.  Oh, such pretty lace!I tried a couple of different bows on the front to see what color I liked the best. I decided, even though the pink blends in, it was the only one that didn’t seem to pull the attention away from the lace. I love it too.

I already have my next bra kit out and ready to sew another bra. And I’m testing a few more patterns, so will have more fun things to show you soon.

Happy creating!

September BMS Challenge – STRAPtember

~ Michelle ~ 2 Comments

September – STRAPtember – We often see interesting straps in ready-to-wear, but how many of us actually try those straps on our own garments? Here’s your chance! We challenge you to make interesting, innovative and inspiring straps. The straps can be for a bra, bralette, swimwear, or other intimate apparel. Our tutorials this month will feature straps from ready-to-wear you can make at home.

Ooh Straps

I don’t usually do too much with my straps, but I think it’s time to try. I’ve had a few ideas of what to do, and I have a whole folder on my computer full of images of straps. Here are just a few.I even have a couple of kits with strap lace in my stash. You know those kits that you save for someday. The strap lace is similar to what’s shown below on this gorgeous bra.   Just look at these straps from a favorite RTW bra, the Prima Donna Milady. Those little bits of heart lace are adorable. I have some similar bits in kits from Kantje Boord. In fact, I bought the kit for the strap lace.

I decided it was time to break into that kit. It’s time to use the pretty things I have and not save them for someday. Oh, it’s so pretty.

And I decided to use my Ruby pattern again.

My September BMS challenge entry

Here’s my latest Ruby bra.This is a gorgeous left & right mirrored lace. It was my first time using anything like this, and it was fun. I chose beige duoplex for my frame because there was some pretty floral detail in beige too. I tried it with brown, but that was just too dark.

Seeing as the emphasis this month was straps, here’s a nice close up of my straps, and the lovely strap lace.To reinforce them, I’ve used sheer cup lining to make narrow tubes behind this strap lace. It worked perfectly.

Here’s the side view.I’ve used the lower edge of the lace with just a little bit of the embroidery on it for the lower cup pieces.

Here you can see the back of the bra. This kit had the most adorable oval sliders. Just adding something a little different like this can be such a nice change. Lastly, I cut out a tiny floral from some of the remaining embroidered lace and used that instead of a bow on the center front.    Have you used a kit with strap lace before? I really enjoyed it and want another kit now.

Happy creating!