May BMS Challenge – Spots and Stripes

June 1, 2019May 27, 2019 ~ Michelle ~ 4 Comments

The May Bra-Makers Supply Challenge is Spots and Stripes.

Here’s a challenge that will have you seeing spots before your eyes. Actually, you’ll be seeing spots, dots, lines and stripes. Let’s challenge our thinking about these pattern basics and create garments with dots and stripes. That’s any kind of dot or any kind of stripes, in any kind of intimate apparel. The trick is to use them together in the same garment.

My Entry

For my entry this month, I had a hard time deciding between the two possible projects – panties or tankini.

However, looking ahead just a little in the BMS Challenges for the year helped me make my decision. The July Challenge is Swimwear. Hmm. I just made a swimsuit. If I make a swimsuit now, and again in July for the Challenge, well, I don’t need that many swimsuits. I decided to save my tankini make for July.

Panties it is.

Front Feature Panties

Here is my entry using my own drafted panty pattern.I think these are adorable! In fact, I like them so much, I went on to cut out five more variations! I’ll show you those after I show you the side and back view of this first pair.

Here’s the side view. Oh, I love polka dots. Polka dots and lace take the love to a whole new level.And the back view.

Variations on a Theme

I really did think these were adorable, so made a second pair but reversed the prints. I changed the lace trim I used too. This is my favorite lace trim, and sadly, I can’t find it anymore. The vendor I purchased this from is no longer selling it.I used up the last of the stripes, and that inspired me to make a pair in the last of the black with white polka dots. These are so cute.I have two more pair of white with black polka dot panties all cut out, but somehow with a whole rack of thread, I didn’t have any white thread.

Those last two will have to wait.

Happy creating!

A Little Designing

May 25, 2019May 24, 2019 ~ Michelle

I was planning my entry for the May Bra-Makers Supply Challenge and thought I’d share my process with you.

I do have to say, I love polka dots, but stripes haven’t always thrilled me. Remember the apron pattern I was looking at recently? Stripes don’t always play nicely with my hips. However, I set a goal to do all the Challenges this year. So, I sat down and thought of a few ideas.

Panty Idea

For the panty, I knew the perfect pattern right away. The Rad Patterns’ Panel Undies. These are so cute. I have this pattern, but I also made my own self-drafted panty with similar styling. For my submission, I used my pattern.

So I took my inspiration from the Rad Panel Undies and had some fun drawing and coloring a couple of options for what I could sew for the challenge.

I have some adorable black with white polka dot cotton Lycra, and white with black polka dot too. I have some black/gray stripped cotton Lycra I could pair with both of these CLs.

This is one option I’m thinking about, but I did have those polka dot materials planned for a color block halla Agnes top for summer. Hmm, I might have to see if I’ll have enough left over before I go with this idea.

I put these designs aside and thought of another idea.

Tankini Idea

I had planned to make a Tankini from my swimsuit pattern, and I had already purchased some great swim material from Libelle Sewing last year.Aren’t these great? I hadn’t decided if I wanted the black on the bottom, on the top, or color blocked, but I knew they’d be adorable together.

Then I was thinking about the challenge, and wondering how I could incorporate these polka dots into my Challenge entry.

I took a look at Libelle Sewing again to see if they had any striped material, and they had this Ombre swim print.Here they are side by side.

Well, I didn’t love the stripes and polka dots together, so I tried coloring a few ideas.

Here’s was my first try.

That was okay, but I wanted the stripes and dots on the same part of the pattern. I kept coloring. I like this one a lot better.

I had one more variation to try.As I was drawing this, I realized exactly what it was I didn’t love about the first two combinations – I wanted more continuity between the top and bottom pieces. So Rad Patterns’ Panel Undies inspiration struck again. I could do an ombre panel on the tankini bottoms as well.

Next week I’ll show you my make for May.

Happy creating!

Another Abbie Chemise – Libelle Round 4 Pre-Order

March 10, 2019March 9, 2019 ~ Michelle

Testing panels and material for the Libelle Sewing‘s Round 4 Pre-Order has been fun for me. Two pair of panties, and I still had more material.

There’s also a Warehouse Sale going on too.

The Pre-Order closes on March 24th.

Remember the photo I shared with my pup and the material with the grey and tan pup?I had a whole meter of that mint material. This material is cotton Lycra, and has really good recovery. I decided another House Morrighan Abbie Chemise was the perfect for it.

My Abbie

My first Abbie, I made to fit loosely. I wanted it that way. But I also wanted to find out just how this pattern fit when it fit more closely, as it’s intended. So this Abbie is more snug. It’s not tight, but it’s not loose either.

Here’s my Abbie on Catherine. I had to pull Catherine out again because my white display isn’t long enough for a slip.Oh, all that puppy cuteness! They are adorable. And polka dots too.

Here’s the side view:And the view from the back.Here’s a close up of the lace trim I used to finish the hem. It matches perfectly, and it’s available at Libelle Sewing too. They have lots of colors too.I really love lace trim like this for finishing panties – both the waist and the legs. It was perfect to finish this chemise as well.

I had just enough of this material and lace trim left over to cut out a pair of House Morrighan Clover Boybriefs for Em.

Em’s Clovers

Em had requested another pair of Clovers. She said they were so comfortable. She got her request. And they are adorable too.For Em’s last Clovers, I finished them with bands, but I had this lovely lace trim, and couldn’t resist using it on these. It’s such a delicate finish.

Here’s the side view.The Clover Boybriefs do give coverage, but are just a touch cheeky at the same time.

And here’s the back view. Oh, these are so cute!

Take a look at Libelle’s Round 4 Pre-Order, and all the other lingerie goodies they’re offering in their Warehouse Sale.

Happy creating!

Libelle Round 4 Pre-Order

March 6, 2019March 5, 2019 ~ Michelle

Do you remember me mentioning Libelle Sewing? They have a pre-order open now, and I’ve been sewing a few samples from this round.

Here are the first two makes with some gorgeous and fun fabrics. Both panels I’m using are cotton Lycra, the laces, and most of the elastics are from Libelle. The leg elastic/trim on both panties is from my stash.

1st Clover with Panel

I used my House Morrighan Clover pattern to make panties for both panels I used.

For this first one, I changed the front of the panty to have lace.This is a lovely soft lace, but not too soft. It has enough weight to it to make it fine for panties. And it goes really well with the cotton Lycra panel too.

Here they are from the side. I love polka dots. But just wait. These get more adorable. I think these are so very cute. They might become my favorite beige panty. That little pup? I had to request this one because he looks just like my little pup. Well, he’s silver and tan like my pup anyway.That other pup material in this photo? You’ll be seeing that soon.

2nd Clover with Panel

For the second panel, I also used my Clover pattern, but this time changed it so it had lace sides. And I used the panel as a front feature on these ones.These are fun. Classic Frank-N-Furter.

Here’s the side view to see more of that gorgeous lace.This lace is just a little firmer than the beige lace above, but it’s not stiff. Both are perfect for lingerie.

And the here is the back. I only had the one panel for this, so was doing my best to get the whole panty cut out of it. As a result, I had to give the back of the panty a seam. I used a pretty three-step zigzag to tack that seam down, so it’s still nice and flat.

The Libelle Sewing Pre-Order is on now. There are a lot of goodies other than the pre-order items too. Libelle carries bra findings, laces, power net, and lots more. And almost everything is on sale.Happy creating!

Plans for a New Year

January 5, 2019January 5, 2019 ~ Michelle

Happy New Year!

I know. I’m a few days late to use that greeting, but this is my first blog post of 2019. I thought I’d share with you some of my plans for this new year. It’s always fun for me to look back and see just how many of my plans I carry out.

BMS Challenge

One of the things I enjoyed this past year was participating in the Bra-Makers Challenge. I didn’t manage to participate each month, but when I did, it was fun. I enjoyed trying new fabrics, and learning a few new things.

Here’s a collage of my Challenge makes from 2018:

Nine out of twelve isn’t bad. Maybe I’ll do better in 2019. My highlight had to be my red satin bra and panty set from February.Yes. This was my favorite Challenge make.

So, I’m thinking of doing the Challenge again in 2019. You can read all about the 2019 Challenge here. The details for January are posted already as well. You can find them here.

Drafting and More

Some of my plans for 2019 are a result of my taking the Drafting course. That was something I’ve wanted to take for at least three years now. And it was as wonderful as I thought. I’m so glad I took the course.

The next course has been scheduled too – Bra Fitting 101. It’s another week-long course, and I’m sure it will be as great as the Drafting course was. You can find out more about it here.

That course is in the Spring, so to keep busy between now and then, I’ll be making some Fitting Bras. I’ll be making 22 Fitting Bras to cover the most used sizes. So, my posts might be a bit monochromatic while I’m sewing them all up. Or I may not post weekly. I’ll have to see how things are working themselves out.

You might wonder why I need to make fitting bras. Well, I’m going to continue taking these professional courses and hopefully begin a new bra-making adventure using the skills I’m learning.

House Morrighan

I’ve also had a great time in 2018 being a tester for House Morrighan. The patterns are lovely. It’s great to have a bralette pattern, or chemise pattern that’s been designed with curves in mind.

One mis-perception is the patterns are only plus sized. They’re not. House Morrighan covers smaller sizes too. I’ve been making either a 6 or 8 for Em, and a 12 for me. That’s definitely not only plus sized.

In 2019 I plan to continue testing HM patterns. The next release will be a free nursing adaptation for the Poppy, Dahlia, and Abbie. I’ve had a sneak peek at a couple more patterns that are coming too. They’re lovely! Stay tuned.

Libelle Sewing

As if all that wasn’t enough to keep me busy for the year. I’m also going to be sewing some samples for Libelle Sewing.

Look at these samples, and my pup.How could I not want to sew something with a little silver and tan pup like mine? There are so many panels coming, but not until Spring. We all will have to wait for a little bit for this adorableness.

It’s looking like a busy but fun year ahead!

Happy creating!

A Navy Floral Watson

November 3, 2018November 2, 2018 ~ Michelle

This was just a short little post, so I added another short post to the bottom of it. So today is a two-for-one post.

Em really loves her Watson bras. So much so, her sister had to see what all the fuss was about. After trying on Em’s, she wanted one too.I’ve made all of Em’s Watsons from bits of this and that I have left over from other projects. Em’s sister decided to pay for materials though. This Watson is the most put-together Watson I’ve made yet – even though the other ones I made were very pretty.

I sent her to look at Libelle, because they have what I’d need for a Watson bra at a great price. They have mesh, and lace, and elastics. And they’re all the size needed for a Watson.

She picked this lace: (Link is in the photo.) It’s a lovely stretch navy lace. I ordered some of this lovely lace for me too.

Em’s Sister’s Watson

Most of the Watson’s I’ve made, I’ve fused a stable interfacing to the front cradle, but for this one I’ve used sheer cup lining behind it. (The lining was from my stash.) I love how it looks. You can hardly see any difference between the front cradle and the cups.

Here’s the side view: The back band is a dark navy Lycra. It has a lot of stretch, similar to power mesh, which is what I’d used for Em’s Watsons.

And the back: I’m really happy with how this turned out. And I hear Em’s sister is happy too.

My second post is my make for the Bra-Makers October Challenge.

“October – Your Breast’s Friend! October is Breast Cancer month and we challenge you to make a mastectomy bra and/or a prosthesis for someone you care about.”

Bra-Makers Supply also has a few related blog posts: DIY Breast Form, Foam Cup Pockets, and Russian Doll Bra Cups.

For the challenge I made a couple of breast forms.

Here are the forms I made:They’re made from cotton Lycra, and have bean-bag-fill (tiny plastic beads) in them. They weigh just less than 1/2 pound each. They’re also very similar to some store-bought ones a family member uses.

These are very easy to make. They’re light-weight, and I hope work well.

Happy creating!

A Hallå Agnes for Em

October 6, 2018October 5, 2018 ~ Michelle ~ 2 Comments

Em asked me if I would make her a dress. How could I say no?

It Starts with Materials

I got this gorgeous black and white Liverpool knit from Libelle Sewing. It’s so lovely! I really love black and white. I love black and white photos, and pretty much any and all clothing that’s black and white. So when I saw this material, I loved it right away.

As soon as I got it, I knew what I wanted to make with it. It has a lovely drape. I knew the Hallå Agnes would be perfect. I sent Em a photo and asked if she’d like that. Yes. She loved it.

Pattern Adjustments

I have Em’s measurements from ever so long ago when I made her first Watson bra. But Em’s lost some weight, so I got her new measurements and saw she doesn’t fit into just one size either. She does for her hips and waist, but to make the pattern fit her bust, I needed to do a Full Bust Adjustment.

Check out this video for the Craftsy Full Bust Adjustment for Any Pattern class. At 1:09 she shows just what I did for Em’s FBA.

Once I’d made this one small adjustment to the pattern for Em, I was ready to cut out the material and sew it up. The Agnes pattern is a quick sew too, which is another plus.

Em’s agnes

Here’s Em’s Agnes on my dress form.Oh, this is lovely.

Here is the side view. You can see, even though I did a FBA on the pattern just under the arm, it hangs perfectly straight – and I added over an inch to the bust.And the back.You can see here I also did a lettuce edge for the hem instead of a regular hem. I really like this. When I’ve made the Agnes in the past, I was using cotton Lycra, so this was the perfect material for this hem.