Camisole

Loungewear Cami

~ Michelle

I recently received the most gorgeous Black Leopard stretch lace and knew right away I wanted to use it to make a new camisole.   This lovely lace is from B,Wear (as you can see in this photo from their website). In the descriptions, it says it comes straight from France. Ooh la la!

As I said I knew I wanted to make a camisole with this, but the question was which pattern?

I looked at a few, and I didn’t want a lace border. It’s already lace. I looked at a lot of patterns, both patterns that I have, and sewing patterns available on the web.

I actually have a favorite RTW camisole, and wanted to find something similar. My favorite has bust darts, and a more rounded neckline. After looking for a bit, I decided the Style Arc Loungewear Cami was the closest to what I wanted.

One thing I changed is I made the neckline a touch rounder, but only on the front.

The pattern has a facing on the front and back, so if you follow the pattern, the top and back neckline seams are enclosed. I didn’t want to use the facing as I didn’t want anything to detract from this gorgeous lace pattern.

I finished the edges with some black fold-over elastic. If I were doing this again, I would use the FOE on the front the back necklines, sew the side seams, and then do a continuous strip of FOE along the underarm.

I love this lace!

On the back, I left the pattern in more of a V-neckline.

This is so very pretty. It’s a lovely soft lace with some stretch in one direction. I have just a bit left over, but I’m thinking it will be enough for some bra cups.

Happy creating!

Canada Cups Posts for Sunday, September 18th, 2016

~ Michelle

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Here is our wrap-up post for the tour. What an incredible week it’s been! Don’t forget to enter the give-away and come back for some wonderful prizes.

Sunday, September 18

  • Linda, the instructor from the newest Corset-making class and owner of her own Corset business, is doing our wrap-up on Farthingales.

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All of the talented bloggers on this tour have done a fabulous job!

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If you’re looking for any of the past posts, here they all are.

Follow the magical tour to see what we all have under our clothes

Canada Cups Logo Draft

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Sunday, September 11

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Monday, September 12

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Tuesday, September 13

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Wednesday, September 14

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Thursday, September 15

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Friday, September 16

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Saturday, September 17

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Sunday, September 18

  • Linda, the instructor from the newest Corset-making class and owner of her own Corset business, is doing our wrap-up on Farthingales

Whoohoo! It’s giveaway day today!

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Monday, September 19

Have you entered the giveaways yet? Today’s your last chance.

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Tuesday, September 20

Giveaway winners announced on all the blogs:

Life of a Fairy Bra Mother, Little Heart Threads, Glitter in my Coffee, Michelle’s Creations, Mrs. Weaver’s Finest Unmentionables, Braphoria, Gracious Threads, Élégantine!, Shelaine’s Designs, That’s so Venice, Sprouting Jubejube, Flying by the Seam of my Pants, The Wild Stitch, Farthingales Corset Blog

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After September 20

  • Come back to visit all the blogs for followup posts. It’s always fun!
  • Craftsy class discounts expire at midnight Sept. 30

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Happy creating.

A Really Small Slip and Pantaloons

~ Michelle ~ 6 Comments

Many years ago, my Mum bought me a Cabbage Patch Preemie. I was her preemie baby, so she thought it was fitting. However, my poor girl was neglected in my closet. It was time for me to do something for her.

It was time to give her a make-over. The first thing she needed was to have something done with her hair.

preemie with straight hair

As adorable as she is… well, she’s in a family with all curly heads.

It’s amazingly easy to curl doll hair. A little foil  (folded over the end of the hair); a straw (I didn’t have pipe cleaners); I used pin curl clips to hold everything in place; and boiling water. It only took four ‘curlers’ to curl her hair. You can read how to do it here.

curlsCurls!

I didn’t take a photo of her with hair in ‘curlers’ – I wasn’t sure I’d love the results. I still may re-do her ‘do. I’ve since bought pipe cleaners.

I also had some fun making her an outfit, because, as you could see, she had nothing on.

So out came some of my cotton Lycra, and a pattern from Madame Alexander 14″ Girl Victorian Doll Patterns:

ma doll patternsAlthough this outfit is good, I think the next one I’ll try will be an actual Preemie outfit.

I ordered a Cabbage Patch Kids Preemie pattern book a while back now, and when I ordered it, a second book was included – CPK Designer Clothes. Some of the patterns had been cut out in that second book, so it was included for free. I thought that was really nice. Here’s the pattern book I ordered:

cabbage patch patterns

Here’s the pattern book I received for free with my order:

book I have

I’m sure I’ll be able to find some patterns in there and adapt them for my Preemie.

Here’s my Preemie in her new slip and pantaloons. She’s looking so much better, and much more like a member of our family.

Whole outfit

I’m glad she’s not looking neglected anymore. She’s even come out of my closet and has a place on my bookshelf.

Here’s the slip. The pattern for the slip can be shortened to make a camisole, which was really cute too.

Sliip

Here are the pantaloons.

pantaloons

Now for some bigger sewing projects.

Happy creating!

Canada Day Blog Hop – Jalie Sewing Patterns

~ Michelle ~ 23 Comments

Tomorrow is Canada Day. Happy birthday, Canada!

For my stop on the Canada Day Blog Hop, I’ve used a pattern from a Canadian pattern company that’s new for me. Although I’ve heard of Jalie Patterns, I had yet to try any of their patterns. Thank you, Jalie, for providing me with your 2568 Camisole & Panties pattern for our blog hop.

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First, I’d want to say, I had a little difficulty finding the sizing for Jalie’s patterns on their website. It’s not prominent, but it can be found. You know all those sayings about reading the instructions first? Well, the sizing information was with the instructions. I could have made things easier for myself if I had started with them. So if you try Jalie’s patterns, don’t search all over their website for sizing – it’s with your pattern.

For anyone who’s wondering, I found Jalie’s sizing spot on. First, I found my size on their sizing charts and marked my multi-sized pattern, then I pulled out my knit sloper to compare. It was so very close, it might as well have been an exact match – my bust and hips on my sloper hit exactly where the sizing charts put me. That’s good! However, I was wondering about the neckline and if it would be too big. I wasn’t sure, so I decided to follow the sizing guidelines. My reason for wondering is I’m a S, M, and XL all wrapped into one. Jalie doesn’t use the sizing S, M, L… Their sizes run from an F to a FF (looking at the Panties). So it’s a completely different way of sizing. Everything is explained clearly, so just follow what they’re saying and you’ll get a great fit.

Jalie’s patterns are multi-sized patterns – 27 sizes in all. Before you faint when looking at all those sizes, take into consideration there are Children, Women’s and Plus sizes all on one PDF pattern. Being multi-sized with so many sizes, there are at times some dizzying lines to follow to cut out your own size, but it’s all doable.

Jalie pattern piece

You can see from this piece of the pattern there are a lot of lines coming together at that one point. I’m used to Adult multi-sized patterns with only four or five lines.

So, how did that neckline fit? It is loose. However, I made this camisole into a nightie, so I’m not minding that it’s looser in the neckline. For a camisole, I would make a smaller size for the neckline and adjust for the bust.

wider lace at neckline

Above you can see the neckline in the pre-sewing stages. I first looked a thinner lace (below), but decided on this one, which is the same lace I used for the hemline.

Lace for neckline

This thinner lace has no oomph at all. The thinner lace was used for the armholes and leg openings.

Here’s my lovely summer nightie:

Nightie 2

To make this I simply added six inches to the bottom of the camisole pattern. It was very easy.  As I mentioned, I added some lovely lace to dress up the hem a bit more too.

Now onto the panties. I chose the low-cut Hipster panties from the pattern. The pattern comes with four different styles of panties to make and match the camisole. There are low-cut Hipsters, high-cut Hipsters, Bikinis, and an all-lace Hipster option.

Hipsters

These panties are super cute. Overall, this is a very sweet camisole/panty set.

Set

In celebration of our blog hop, and Canada Day, and everything Canadian, all of Beverly Johnson’s classes on Craftsy are 50% off! Yes, just follow this link and you can get any of Beverly’s bra-making classes, or her swimwear class – but only until July 3rd. ‘Only in Canada, you say?’ Well, we’re not talking Red Rose Tea here. These Craftsy savings are for anyone! (Sorry if you missed our discount. I’m sure there will be more savings in the future.)

And speaking of the Fairy Bra Mother, if you missed it, pop over to Seam of my Pants to read Marsha’s interview with her here. It’s a great interview! (Why didn’t I think of interviewing the Fairy Bra Mother!!!)

As well, don’t forget all the deals I mentioned when our blog hop started. You can find all the savings being offered on Happy Okapi here.

Happy creating!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Canada Day 2016 Blog Hop Schedule

Be sure to visit each of these brilliant blogs this week for more on our
outstanding Canadian designers and suppliers:

And, of course, to enter our giveaway for some sweet-like-maple-syrup prizes.

June 24: The Tour Starts HERE at Happy Okapi

June 25: Celine guest posts on Happy Okapi; Marsha @ Seam of my Pants

June 26: Fiona @ Tangled Blossoms Designs; Carla @ Half Dozen Daily

June 27: Sherry @ Thread Riding Hood; Reece @ Happy Okapi

June 28: Nicky guest posts on Seam of my Pants

June 29: Daniela @ On the Cutting Floor; Reece @ Happy Okapi

June 30: Michelle @ Michelle’s Creations

Canada Day–June 31*: Ula @ Lulu & Celeste

July 2: Marsha @ Seam of my Pants

July 3: Keshia @ Sand Dollar Design Studio

July 4: Wrap Up @ Happy Okapi

July 6: Giveaway winners announced

* Yes, we know!

Movie Inspiration and The Bra-A-Week Challenge

~ Michelle ~ 4 Comments

Where do you get your inspiration? I get mine pretty much anywhere I see something pretty. I remember going through a mall with a friend, and I stopped to take photos of lingerie. My friend was so surprised. I asked her why she was surprised, and she said she just thought I’d make plain things. I remember thinking why would I make something plain if I could make something pretty?

Inspiration struck one night when I was watching The Devil Wears Prada. Have you seen the opening scene? There’s lacy lingerie coming out of dresser drawers; I paused the movie to grab my phone and take pictures. They were all so pretty.

This one inspired me the most.

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There’s an overly large generously-covered crystal bow on the front of this bra that doesn’t thrill me so much, but the rest of the bra? It’s lovely. That organza trim against basic black? Love.

This bra was my inspiration for this week. To complete my camisole and panty set, I used a little more of the mesh to make my own trim and made a not-so-basic black bra.

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I’m using the Pin-Up Girls Classic pattern, with the lower cup split and all my modifications added to make it fit me.

The bridge has some more of the leopard mesh – I couldn’t just leave it black. There’s also a pretty crystal and bow on the bridge.

bridge-bow-and-crystal

Lastly, I’m still deciding if I’ll add bows to cover the strap seam or not. I’m leaning towards bows. I didn’t want anything to distract from the mesh trim, but I don’t think the bows do. Below you can see one strap unbowed, and one strap with a pinned bow.

unbowed

 I was really wondering as the week went on if I’d get this bra done. I’ve hurt my hand somehow and everything hurt. Putting pins in hurt. Taking pins out hurt. Holding the fabric hurt. Seriously. I’ll warn you now, next week will be a light sewing week for me while I let my hand heal up a bit.

Some good news though, is there is enough mesh left after this bra to make one more thing – another pair of my TNT panties. I’m thrilled with my set and although I can’t say I’m looking forward to cooler weather, I am looking forward to wearing my whole set come fall.

Now onto the Bra-A-Week Challenge. This week we’re on week 31.

First off, let me say, we did have a submission last week. But technology got in the way. David sent his submission in time for the challenge, but it took over a day for it to get to me! It was in my in-box on Sunday night.

So, here’s David’s lovely submission from last week:

Aabracup

This is stunning and so very delicate. I love how the elastic is threaded through the lace on the inner cup. David is a free-lance lingerie designer.

Our next submission comes from Emma. Emma made a Longline Watson Bra.

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Emma says, this is her first Watson, her first actual bra.  Emma also made a pair of high-waisted knickers.  You can read more about her beautiful set on her blog, A Hand-Stitched Life.

watson-set

What a gorgeous set. Well done, Emma!

Our next submission comes from Amber. Amber made a nursing bra. Amber used the Pin-Up Girls pattern for this and added a few alterations – a split lower cup, a nursing sling, and nursing clips. Pattern, fabrics, (duoplex & power net) and findings for Amber’s bra came from Bra-Makers Supply and BWear.

nursing-bra

Amber used power net for the nursing sling, and says it has worked very well; she also used power net with lace on the upper cups – which worked well for nursing as size needs can change throughout the day.

nb-open

What a great idea, Amber! It’s so pretty and really functional.

Our next submission comes from Lois. Lois knew as soon as she saw this fabric, it would be perfect for the scalloped border on the bottom of a corset.

Red-Corset-15-8-12-(06)-fro

This border-embroidered organza is from Fabricland. The pattern is Vogue 8393 – an oldie from 2007. Lois used the plain Organza as the lining for the cups and then partially lined the back and side front. She also moved the separating zipper to the side, and used red bias tape for the boning casing.

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How very beautiful, Lois!

Such beautiful submissions this week! Thanks everyone! And Happy creating!

TNT Wins Again and So Sew Easy

~ Michelle ~ 2 Comments

I was really thinking I’d try another pattern for some panties, but when push came to shove, I just didn’t love all aspects of Butterick 6031.

butterick-6031

What I like about them is they sit at the hip. I prefer a Hipster over a Brief. What I don’t love about them is they also look rather like Boy Shorts. As cute as they are, I decided I’d go back to my TNT favorite panty – Kwik Sew 2286.

tnt

I played with my pattern using the same technique I’d mentioned a few weeks ago – redrawing the front and making a new pattern. Here are my panties to go with my camisole. I used the same leopard mesh as in the camisole (thank you again, Ginny), and the same lace (Frog Feathers), but this time I’ve matched them both up with some Cotton Spandex from Bra-Makers Supply.

To bring even more continuity to the two, I used the lace in-between the mesh and cotton pieces on the front, and cut away the material behind it to give it the same peeking-through lace look. I think it pulls them together very nicely.

Cami-panty-set

For a second pair of panties I used the mesh again, but decided to venture out and try a new pattern. It was with a little hesitation though. I should have listened to that little voice. I made the Sophia panties from Ohhh Lulu.

Here’s the photo from their Etsy store:

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Aren’t they cute? That’s not what mine look like, she says in a flat voice.

sophia-set

So what is wrong with mine? Well, they’re just too big. And I’ve already taken them in a 1/2″ on each side side, and in taking them in I lost most of the ruching on the sides. On their web site, when they released the pattern, they said to test it first before cutting into your good material. Yes, that’s good advice. Back to them being too big… You can see when I put my TNT pair over top of the Sophia panties. They’re not too bad at the waist, but the leg opening. Well, that won’t work for me.

sophia-and-tnt

Looking at them, I really didn’t think taking them in more would help how much too big they would be at the leg opening. Normally, the Sophia panty is finished by turning those side panels inside out and sewing them with a straight stitch. I decided not to do that, but to add some elastic there and see if that helped.

leg-fix

It did help a bit, but they’re still to big. I’m really not one to give up. I knew. A bow. A bow makes everything better.

bow

They look a lot prettier now. One thing I didn’t do that I often do when buying patterns is look for the ones lots of people have made and loved. I didn’t do that with this pattern. It was just too darn cute. Sigh. I’ve seen oodles of Grace panties, so maybe those were the ones to try.

Next week I will be adding one more piece I want to make to complete my Camisole set.

Normally, at this point in my blog I’d be saying, ‘And now onto the Bra-A-Week Challenge. This week we’re on week 30!’

Well, we are on week 30, but I think with all the amazing sewing last week, everyone went camping this week. Let’s hope we have lots of submissions again next week!

To end this week, I have some good news – I was asked to write about bra and lingerie making on So Sew Easy. My first post was published this week to coincide with National Underwear Day . You can read it here. As well, I’d love to hear your thoughts on it, and what you’d like to read about in the future.

Happy creating!

Butterick 6031 and The Bra-A-Week Challenge

~ Michelle ~ 12 Comments

Have you seen any of the Patterns by Gertie? She has some lovely patterns, and her Butterick 6031 is one of my favorites in my lingerie pattern stash… and it was time to pull it out.

butterick-6031-w

It is so pretty! I love that slip – black and white – such a classic!

Another admission I must make is I love watching The Shopping Channel. There are many Today’s Showstopper items in my house. This camisole was something I found on their website and was an inspiration for me. This, as well as some gorgeous material a friend sent me. The photo is the Rhonda Shear Leopard Lace Cami.

comparison-w

I saw this and loved it, but I wanted something a little looser. I have a favorite camisole, and it’s not a snug fit, so I wanted one more like the one I have. That leopard lace? Love! Yes, it was time to pull out the leopard mesh I have in my stash and make something with it. Adding lace just makes it perfect.

Here’s my B6031 camisole.

Cami

Love, love, love. However, I did have a bump along the way. I’m still trying to figure out what happened. Somehow, after cutting the mesh material for the cups, I ended up with two right cups. Excuse me? I’m completely baffled by this. I really have no idea how I cut out two the same, but I did.

right-cups

That was upsetting. I didn’t want to waste any of the material. I will be able to use the material to make a Shelley though, so I’ll save it for future right and left cup pieces. I wasn’t alone this week though, I was reading on another blog how the blogger cut out two left sides of her top.

To make the camisole I also had to do a Full Bust Adjustment. I’ve done one before when I made my moulage from Suzy Furer‘s class on Craftsy: Patternmaking Basics: The Bodice Sloper.

However, this time I used the information on the sew-along from Gertie herself to adjust my pattern following her instructions. I’m glad I did. The instructions I have would have had me add 3/4″ more than I added. The 1″ Gertie suggested was perfect.

I decided I’d follow along on the sew-along, and the funny thing about following along is once I got started sewing, I forgot about following. I was 3/4s done and remembered. I went back and read through it just to see what it said. The sew-along is for a slip, but all but the hem treatment is exactly the same as for the camisole. I’m thinking of trying the panties from this pattern too. They look really cute and are similar to my favorite TNT Kwik Sew 2286.

I also had some fun making my own bows again. I often like to find some way to do something different or unique. I did that with my bows. The first bow shown here has some mesh with the ribbon, and they’re both tied into the bow, the second bow is ribbon tied with the mess, and the mesh tails hanging down. Both were so fun to make.

Front-bow

Strap-Bow

The materials I used came from BMS (power net), Frog Feathers (lace), and a dear friend, who just happens to be in our Challenge this week, (leopard mesh). Thank you, Ginny! I love how beautiful my camisole is, and will treasure it even more because the material was a gift.

Now onto the Bra-A-Week Challenge. This week we’re on week 29 and we have a great week!

Our first submission comes from Karin of Mrs. Weaver’s Finest Unmentionables.

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This is the Marrakech bikini. It’s based on the Rebecca bikini from the 3 Sisters pattern, a Pin-Up Girls pattern. Karin altered it to make the cups a little more flattering. The back detail is gorgeous and the fabric amazing!

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That is gorgeous! You can read more about this beautiful bikini on Mrs. Weaver’s blog.

Our next submission comes from Amber. Amber made this beautiful bra for her friend, Helena. She started a while ago, but got interrupted in her sewing by having a son. Congratulations on your son, Amber!

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Amber started out planning to make a basic bra, but then saw this lace and wanted to try a couple of different techniques.

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Look at that starburst. So very pretty! This is the Pin-Up Girls Amanda foam cup pattern. The pattern, fabric and notions – except for the lace are from Bra Makers Supply or BWear. It’s beautiful, Amber!

Next we have a beautiful bra from Maddy.

Maddy made her third Marlborough with matching Ohhh Lulu tap pants, in coral lace.

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Maddy says, ‘I love this set so much! The fit is lovely and comfortable, and I’m so in love with the lace (and its remnant price tag!)’

I agree with Maddy on that – it’s lovely! And beautiful remnant always feels better than full price. It’s gorgeous! You can read more about Maddy’s Marlborough on her blog, Miss Maddy Sews.

Next we have a beautiful bra by Sofia.

Sofia made a very lacy bra. Is there anything more delicate looking than an all lace bra? She also made a few alterations to her pattern. You can read about that on her blog, Silver Lining.

Lacy-bra

Beautiful. That bow really looks awesome, Sofia! Sofia made her own bow for this bra. It really pops with that deep color.

Our next submission comes from Ginny. Ginny made the Boylston Bra, the newest pattern from Orange Lingerie, and she made it for her niece.

bcu

Oh, that is pretty. Ginny describes the Boylston as ‘a sleek balconette style with self fabric straps’.

Ginny also made some matching panties for her niece. Here is Ginny’s first set featuring Make Bra’s DL21 panties.

bs2

That is lovely. Ginny, your niece will love it! Here’s Ginny’s second set now featuring Ohhh Lulu’s ‘super comfy’ Grace panty.

bs3

I love that floral lace on the sides! You can read Ginny’s guest post on Sewcialists‘ blog.

Our final submission for the week is from David.

David front

David made this bra with pink cups with black lace. The upper part of bra cups are made with black embroidery on tulle.

David side

This bra has a double strapy back and a neck strap.

David back

David is a free-lance lingerie designer. This is really beautiful.

Happy creating!