A Perfect Freja Bra

July 29, 2023July 28, 2023 ~ Michelle ~ 4 Comments

I’ve just had the best couple of days sewing. My niece wanted to learn to sew a bra but we live in different provinces. So we did video sewing. We’re already talking about what and when we’re going to sew next.

My niece sewed up a Classic pattern from BMS. I wasn’t interested in sewing the same pattern though. What I sewed up actually came from Bodil of B,Wear. She had suggested I try the Freja pattern from BMS. She thought it would be a good fit for me.

I had tried the pattern once before and the cups were too small for me. I hadn’t gone back to the pattern. I decided it was time to try it again.

Here’s the first Freja I made.Oh, I loved the lace and the copper duoplex together. I was sad it didn’t fit perfectly.

One of the reasons I wanted to re-try the Freja is one of my favorite RTW bras was the Fantasie Vivienne bra. I loved the shaping of this bra, and the Freja is very close to the same shaping.

This time I went up a size in BCD and the cups are perfect! Here’s my new Freja.I had this lovely pink kit from BMS so decided to use it for my second attempt of the Freja. It’s lovely!I could use the tip from Porcelynne on the side here – to add another strip of channeling beside the wire channeling and add boning there. However, when I was wearing this it wasn’t bothering me that the wire is a little lower at the side.I’m really happy with how the Freja fits. Yes, there’s a little playing around I can do to help my Omega shape fit even better, but for an attempt I wasn’t sure would turn out better than the first time, I’m very happy.Next I’m thinking of making a pair of panties to match.

It was wonderful to sew again. Wearing the splint, I’m slowly gaining movement in my thumb again. Thankfully, I can sew while wearing it.

Happy creating!

Porcelynne’s Eve Demi Cup Bra

July 22, 2023July 21, 2023 ~ Michelle ~ 2 Comments

Well, I did it. I finished my Eve demi cup bra, and I have to tell you it is incredibly comfortable.

It took a lot of work to find my perfect size and fit. I think I made at least 4 fitting bands to get it just right, then I must have made 6 (or possibly more) cups sizes and styles.

I was not getting that perfect fit with the Eve until we tried the demi cup. Than we found the cup style that fits me best.This lovely kit came from Porcelynne’s shop.

I can’t tell how wonderful it was to sew again. I just had to do it in bits. My hand is recovering, but it’s recovering slowly. Still. I couldn’t just not sew. I have a three different splints I’ve been wearing, and they’ve made it possible for me to do everything I need to do AND sew.

I have more sewing plans for the summer – maybe too many for how slowly I’m sewing – but I can’t wait to work on more projects. Here’s the back of the bra. It has a nice curved U shape to the straps. Despite all the testing, this was a bit big for me. I think it’s mostly due to the fabric. I’d been using nylplex from Bodil’s shop for my test bras. This time I used the kit from Jennifer’s shop.

One last mention, which I did mention before. This little strip of channeling beside the actual channeling is holding a piece of boning. Before I started to recommend this to everyone, I wanted to wear this and know it was comfortable. Honestly. I couldn’t feel it at all.

It’s a great tip for all the Omegas out there to get a better fit and get the coverage they need with smaller wires. It works!

Happy creating and I hope to be back soon with more makes.

Porcelynne’s Eve Cups Redesigned

June 24, 2023June 23, 2023 ~ Michelle ~ 4 Comments

Hello. I’m sorry it’s been so long since I’ve posted. I had an odd after-affect from a cold. I had so much pain in my one hand, I could hardly do anything with it. It’s slowly improving, and I’m hoping to get back to normal soon.

I have many sewing plans so need my hand 100%! So, what have I been doing? I’ve been testing the re-designed Eve bra.

Jennifer and I agreed the regular Eve cups did not fit me. So I tried the Vertical cups. They are part of the Eve Classic Bra pattern – which is now available. It has the regular cup, Vertical cups, and Demi cups.

Jennifer and I agreed that we were close, but think the Demi cups will be the best fit for me.

I’ve cut out my first pair and they were too small. I have the next size all sewn up and will be putting those into my fitting band right away.

Let me tell you a few things that impressed me with the Eve cups.

I was using a 38 wire, but to help with side coverage, we made my cradle a 42 wire length. What amazed me over and over was how the cup fit into this cradle WITH NO ALTERATIONS!!!

Honestly, this was amazing to me. Stunning in fact. After the many years of so many alterations to get a cup to fit in a smaller cradle, this really did amaze me.

Jennifer has designed all these cups to fit into different cradles. For example, a D cup that would fit a 38 wire cradle, and a D cup that fits a 40 wire cradle, and one that fits a 42 wire cradle, and so on. The same for the E cup, and the F cup, and so on up and down the cup size range. All designed for each cup to fit different sizes of wires/cradles. All with no extra work on your part.

Here take a look: Do you see where the cup joins the side seam? There isn’t a dart in the cup. There are no gatherings along the wire line. No, this cup is simply designed to fit into this size cradle.

That might not seem like a big deal when most patterns’ cups fit into the cradle – but that doesn’t work when you are an Omega! No, that means adjustments. But not with this pattern.

If you’re wondering, I could have used a cup that fit into a 38 cradle too – but I really don’t get enough side coverage and support with that.

I don’t know of another bra-maker/designer who has done this for each cup size! There are hundreds of cups. I promised to tell you something else about the side of this bra. Do you see where that red line is? That’s where my wire ends. Normally, if the side of the bra was raised up this much higher than the wire, the side seam would be flopping over. Not here.

The reason is Jennifer had me sew a strip of channeling as close as I could beside the wire channeling, Then insert a piece of boning there. It worked perfectly. It gave me a little more side coverage which I need, and I can’t feel it there.

I am honestly very impressed with the redesigned Eve cup pattern. If you have problems fitting your bra cups into your frame like me, or even if you want an incredibly designed cup, really, give these a try.

Happy creating!

P.S. I’ll be back soon.

The Prettiest Josey Bra

January 14, 2023January 13, 2023 ~ Michelle ~ 2 Comments

You’ve heard me say this many times before, but I loved this lace when I saw it. Do you all have the same problem? I can’t be the only one to fall in love over and over with laces.

But. I saw this lace and thought it was so beautiful. You can find it at B,Wear. The link is in the photo as well.It’s described as Light Beige with Pink Flowers. The above photo is on a pink background. Below it is on a darker background.Oh, it’s so delicate and so pretty.

I did something I’ve never done before. The same day I received the lace in the mail, I had the bra cut out and began to sew it up.I had some copper power net and I found it went perfectly with the leaf outlines in the lace.

Here’s my lovely new Josey bra. Because this is a stretch lace, I’ve lined the frame and the cups with an ivory sheer cup lining.Here you can just see a bit of the copper power net.Above is a bit more of a side view. Oh, I love this! The lace is so delicate and so pretty. And the back view. I really love copper power net and duoplex too. I wish I could find the perfect cotton Lycra to match copper though. Has anyone found that? Let me know.

One of these days I am going to try another bra pattern. (I do have one cut out to try. Really.) However, this time it was too hard to resist this lace. I used my TNT Josey pattern so I could sew this up right away.

Happy creating!

Prima Donna Inspired

January 7, 2023January 6, 2023 ~ Michelle ~ 4 Comments

As I mentioned in my last blog post, I have a favorite older RTW bra. The Prima Donna Milady. (I won’t show you the same photo again! I’ve been showing it to you for years.)

However, the Milady isn’t my only inspiration. The Prima Donna 2022 Madison collection has some gorgeous bras too.

This is their non-padded full cup seamless bra. This was my inspiration for my latest Josey. Although I do love how my Josey fits me, Booby Traps has a lovely darted bra that might look even more similar to this style.

I really loved my latest make – my 3/4 foam cup lined Josey.I really wanted to make it again, but in colors similar to the above Prima Donna. So I did.

Again, I decided to use the 3/4 foam lining, but I lowered it about 1/4-inch. I found both the upper edge of the foam and the cross cup seam were both hitting at the same place. I felt it would look better to sit either below that line or above it. Seeing as the Josey seam is above the apex as it is, I lowered the upper edge of the foam.

This foam-lace bra is so very comfortable, and it’s still a pretty lace bra. It’s the best of both worlds – foam cups and lace cups.I love this! I’m really happy with it.Here is one last photo of my new Josey Milady. Showing the inside of the bra, and the curve of the foam cup.I have to admit, I really love the leopard theme in Prima Donna’s collection. Here’s another inspiration from the same Madison collection.This one I think will be perfect for the Josey pattern, or the Shelly pattern, but I’m going to try copying this color combination on Lilypa’s new bra pattern – Lusamine.I love this style. I can’t wait to make my own bra using the colors of the Madison above.

Happy creating!

A Christmassy Bra

December 24, 2022December 19, 2022 ~ Michelle

Sometimes I see a lace and love it right away. Okay, that actually happens a lot. It happened with this lace from B,Wear. In fact, I had this lace in my favorites for quite a while but it was out of stock. I’d asked to be notified when it was back in stock, and as soon as it was I went to buy some.I love the red and black check. For me, this spoke Christmas. So, I made a Christmassy Josey Milady bra.I’m just teasing. I couldn’t resist playing a little bit with some photo effects.

Here’s a better photo.Oh, this is pretty! I’ve added a 3/4s foam cup inside again. It’s my current favorite style, and I find it so very comfortable.I love this lace so much, I wanted to use it for the frame of the bra as well. Because this is a stretch lace, I’ve lined the frame with sheer cup lining. I didn’t line the cups as I was using foam inside. The back is solid red, but still Christmassy.

One last photo. Although I did mirror the plaid pattern along the upper cup, I didn’t even think of trying to match up the plaid on the rest of the bra! No, that would have been quite the feat to do that.

I have some red cotton Lycra on my cutting table ready to make some matchy matchy for this Christmassy bra.

I hope your holidays are filled with family and friends this year. Merry Christmas and happy creating!

The Sahaara Wireless Bra Pattern

December 3, 2022November 25, 2022 ~ Michelle ~ 2 Comments

I was excited when the Sahaara wireless bra pattern became available. It reminded me of the Watson bra pattern, which is a pattern I think is charming. However, the Watson is not in my size range. The Sahaara is!

I was very excited to try it.

However, what really made me want to make this pattern was seeing one made up on the Nellie Joans website. Isn’t this stunning? Just beautiful.

I had to make my own version. Having sewn bras for a few years now, I had most of what I needed for this. I did order a few other supplies, like the lovely lingerie satin from Bodil’s.

I did use a different lace, but I think it has a similar enough look to it. I love this!This fabric combination is very elegant.

I found the pattern to fit well using my measurements. I didn’t have to change anything. I fall between two band sizes, so think next time I’ll make a half size version. I couldn’t resist. I’ve already purchased a soft tulle kit for this pattern.

I have two wonderful kits on my sewing table, so can’t wait to share more with you soon.

Happy creating!

A Couple of Classic Bras

November 5, 2022October 28, 2022 ~ Michelle

Now that I have all my fitting bras sewn, I’m able to fit some friends and family who have been waiting for this.

My daughter-in-law is one of those people who has been waiting, so I got her fitted and she doesn’t have to wait any longer.

She’s a perfect 2.75 BCD, and I didn’t have to make any changes at all for her. Oh, how nice for her!

I let her pick a couple of kits she liked, and she picked a pink one and a beige one. Before you think how wonderful for her, she didn’t have pick from all my kits. No. there were a few I removed from the pile and said I wanted these for myself. She was still happy.

Here’s the beige bra she wanted.

I really do love this color. It’s not blah at all to me. To me it’s golden and shimmery. It is so pretty.Sewing these smaller sizes I learned that, yes, you can make a bra in a couple of hours. It was a new experience for me.

Here is the pink bra for Em.Now, I love beige, but not this pink. I know many who do love it, including Em. She grabbed this kit right away. It’s interesting to see, my mannequin is larger than a size 2.75. This barely fits her. Em’s all taken care of for the time being. Next I need to sew some dog boots before the snow comes, and then I have a couple of Josey II bras waiting to be sewn and a new bra cup fabric too.

Happy creating!

No Sewing This Week

October 15, 2022October 18, 2022 ~ Michelle

I haven’t been sewing this week, nor last week. In fact, much of my summer sewing was all geared to getting ready for teaching classes. Yes, I’ve started holding bra sewing classes.

The whole time the Bra Bee was on I was sewing 22 fitting bras. The rest of the summer was spent finishing those bras and getting ready.

Twenty two bras! I learned to sew them assembly-line style.

My classes are at the same store where I took my professional classes: Central Sewing Machines.

However, I’m not at the same location. I’m teaching at the West End store.It’s a treat it is to teach in this store. They just had their grand opening at the end of June. It’s a beautiful new facility. One of the best features is the classroom is on the main floor. First thing when you enter the store, there’s a mannequin advertising the bra and panty classes wearing the tiniest bra and panty set.

At the back of the store is the classroom. The classroom was all set up and ready for us! We had our fittings there behind the screen.

I’m starting the classes with the PUG Classic pattern. It a basic pattern, so a good place for beginners to start.Four women signed up, and I was happy they all left with well-fitting bras.One woman was really having a problem with her fit. No matter what we did, her bra wasn’t fitting. After two attempts with alterations both times, and the end of the class nearing I suggested flexi-wires. Once we put the flexi-wires in her bra it fit her perfectly. It was amazing the difference the wires made in her bra fitting.

Another woman was also having wire troubles. We shortened a wire for her, but it’s a lot of work to cut them, file them, and then put the heat shrink tubing on them. We also tried the flexi-wires for her. They fit into her bra perfectly, and she was happy with how comfortable her bra was.

I’m already looking forward to the next class!

Happy creating!

Another Autumn Josey II

September 17, 2022August 28, 2022 ~ Michelle

I wanted to make another beautiful Autumn toned bra, and I knew just the lace I wanted to use. I knew it would pair perfectly with the copper kits and finding from Bra Makers Supply too.Oh, it’s another love for this. The lace is so delicate and so pretty.Oh, those salmon/coral colors.

I had everything for this bra from a leftover kit, well everything except strap elastic. So I had to use beige, which doesn’t look quite so light and different in person.

I’d made this Freja bra in a copper kit, and was thrilled I have enough power net, and duoplex to make a whole other bra. That was a very happy occurrence. Above is the Freja bra I made.

Back to the Josey II. Here’s the back. I do have to say, I prefer copper over beige. It’s a warmer richer color.

I’ve been looking for some cotton Lycra that will go well with this copper. So far I can tell you, the ‘copper’ cotton Lycra I found doesn’t. Neither does ‘tan’ I found recently. Hopefully I’ll find a great match soon.

Happy creating!