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!    

One of the projects I was working on earlier this year was the Porcelynne Luna Robe. 

It’s also available as a course and you get the pattern for free. 

For my first test I made a medium, but realized right away that for my comfort I wanted it to be looser. I think part of that is I’m very used to wearing knits. This robe is a woven pattern, but can be used for knits as well. I used this cotton voile fabric. Oh! I love the bright colors.

Here’s my Luna robe. 

I made a full-length robe. To me, nothing feels more luxurious than a full-length robe. Even though this is very light-weight, it will still feel wonderful.

It’s a lovely full wrap style. And it covers unlike some wrap tops or dress. This really covers and wraps. 

I couldn’t resist to make a hair scrunchie out of some of the extra fabric I had. That’s what’s sitting on the top of my dress form. 

The back has a lovely design to it. It’s not a rectangle pattern. There is style and design to this pattern, and honestly I love it!

Here is a closer view of the front. 

Here is a closer view of the back.

   This is really a lovely robe pattern. I actually think it’s the nicest robe pattern I’ve ever made.

I’m planning a matching nightgown, so stayed tuned.  

Happy creating!

See! I’m really back.

This time I’m sharing a lovely pistachio bra kit called Midsummer. I used this kit to make a lovely Margareta bra.  

This kit is still available for you too. Oh I love this color! I was so happy when Bwear starting carrying pistachio. I’m still so happy I can still buy it in both findings and fabrics. I know I say this all the time, but I think it’s also safe to say we all have lace addictions in the bra-making world. So… isn’t this pretty? I love the lace and the color. I loved the lace so much I had to use some on the power bar as well. Just a little more lace to love.  And the back band. Just look at that power net. And matching hooks and eyes.    This kit came with silver rings & sliders, but B,wear has rings & sliders in pistachio as well. I think it’s my new favorite color.

That’s it for this week. Happy creating! 

Hello! I’m back with some things to share, and some things I still can’t share. I was busy testing a couple of patterns I can’t wait to share with you. I’ll be able to share those with you soon though.

This bra kit is a Wintery bra kit, but it was just so pretty I wanted to use it.

So, I’ll jump right back in. Isn’t this just the loveliest lace? Although it was a winter kit, I think it’s pretty all year long.     I’ll be happily sewing again for a bit now. And for me! There might be some more testing coming. But I need some pretty new bras. Or I want some new ones. The new ones always feel nicer to wear. One pretty surprise I had when I opened this kit was this lovely strap elastic. I thought this design added such a nice touch. You can see that pretty design all along the the back too.

The bra is fitting a bit looser on my display because I’ve been working out with my son for over a year now. And after having rather wasted muscles after an injury, I’m getting built back up. Strength is wonderful, even if it means going up a size in my band.

That’s all for this week, but I’ll be back next week again.

Happy creating!  

Hello! I’m back.

I have to tell you, it seems my sewjo is on vacation. Or maybe on a winter break. But it’s not here. Still, I’ve tried to get a few things done. 

I cut out a lovely Flirt Skirt from some gorgeous crushed velvet.

 I was ready to sew but when I looked at my threat, I had no brown. So, a few days later I went to the store and got some brown serger thread.

I hope to get to my skirt and finish it this week.

Another project I finished was changing a nightgown into a camisole.

I bought this nightgown because I love animal print, but wanted it to be a camisole. I thought that was a pretty easy change, and it was. I added a pretty black lace to the edge and that was all it needed. Just look at this ruffle along the neckline. This was worth it. Of course I couldn’t throw out the precious fabric I’d cut off.

So, I made Em her November Watson. Oh, this fabric is so lovely and soft. She loves it.    

It’s just charming. I really do love the Watson pattern.

Another alteration was to a blouse I bought. When I tried it on, it was just too low. None of my camisoles looked just right behind it, so lace to the rescue.  I tried these two laces, and decided on the 2nd one. I think it’s perfect!    And lastly, Em and I went to a Grinch tree workshop. It was so fun.

This is something I’ve wanted to do for a few years now, and I just love it. We had such fun making ours.

Okay, that’s it for month. I’ll see you all again in January.

Happy creating, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year!

I’ve been blogging quite regularly for the past 12 years now. That’s a lot. And I feel like some of my posts have become quite routine. That is not what I want.

So, I’m going to make a change.

Rather than posting weekly, I’m thinking of a monthly recap of what I’ve been sewing. I’ll still sew bras, but I also want to focus on some clothing items. 

This month marks my 12th anniversary of blogging, but it also marks my 1 year anniversary of working out twice a week with a personal fitness trainer. I’ve seen changes in my body and shape – not big changes, but changes still.

I’m going to have to re-do my sloper and update it.

So starting in November, you won’t likely see a weekly blog post.

Happy creating and thank you so much for following and being a part of this experience with me.

Michelle      

There were a couple of changes to the Gunsan pattern, and I was happy to try again.

The first draft fit my friend perfectly and when I asked her if I could make a second test of the pattern for her, she said yes without hesitation.

For this one, I had to pull a kit out of my stash. Making my fitting bras has used up all my scraps. I gifted my friend the Sabine bra kit for this bra. Isn’t that a pretty kit? It’s prettier in person.

Here’s my second version of the Gunsan pattern.   I do wish I’d had a bit of a lighter thread color, but there is a bit of a violet sheen to the lace so I decided it was okay. My friend loves this bra. This is so pretty.

I used the sheer cup lining in the kit for the frame. 

   I did run into one problem when laying this out. The power bar was a little bit longer than my lace.

Then I remembered a great tip Emerald Erin had in a blog post a long time about. She drew the pattern part that was off the lace and then cut that out with a seam allowance and sewed it onto the existing cut out lace piece.

Here, read about it here.

It worked perfectly. You can’t even see where I joined the lace. It gave me the extra inch I needed and it really worked perfectly. Thank you Erin for that great tip.

One last view of this lovely new pattern. I don’t know if further changes were made to the pattern, but it’s been released now, and I can’t wait to try it for me. Next for me to to start altering it for Omega.

Happy creating!