A Year of Watsons

I’m not sure if it was November or December of last year that I began to feel I’d been neglecting my DIL Em. I had thought about sewing for her, but I don’t think I did any sewing for her last year. I decided to remedy that.

2024 I was going to sew a bralette for Em every month. I asked her if she’d want this, and she was on board!

Next was to find out just what she liked best from what I’d made her in the past. Her favorite was the Cloth Habit WatsonI’m sure I’ve said it before, but I really like to sew this pattern. I find the instructions very charming and well explained.

Now to share Em’s Watson with you. Oh this is lovely. The fabric is so soft. It has an Italian cream and rose mesh. It’s very nice. Here it is paired with a simple cotton brief.

The kit I used is such a lovely kit, and it’s still available (at the time of this writing). You can find it a B,Wear. It’s actually a kit for the Madalynne  Roxie Bralette – which I also think is just adorable. I’m going to check and see if I have enough fabric left to make this pattern up for her too. I hope I do!  Lastly here’s the back view of this adorable little Watson bralette.

Now I don’t think I’ll only sew Watsons for Em, but she’ll definitely have a few of them in her wardrobe by the end of 2024.

Happy Creating!

Such a Sweet Shelley

After the beginner class I taught last month, there was enough demand for another class. So I scheduled a Shelley class.

Jeanette (Bra Making Academy) had left her Shelley bra set at the store, and I could use it on the display to show just how pretty the Shelley pattern is. 

Although this is a really adorable set, I wanted to put my own mark on things, so to speak, so sewed up the cutest little Shelley.

I went through my stash and found just enough lace to go with some platinum duoplex and adorable pink findings kit. This was a quick sew, or at least it felt that way for me. I’m used to sewing a larger size.

Using the form’s measurements (which I got over the phone!) I made up a 2.75 BCD with a 26″ band. I have to say I didn’t do too badly on the size. I think I could go up one cup size to get an even better fit, but this is pretty close.

Here’s the full display at the store. She’s wearing a lovely new Shelley bra, with the most adorable little Veronica panties 

Isn’t that the cutest? Just one more photo. I love this lace I used for this demo Shelley.   It makes me think of Spring. I’m ready for Spring. How about you?

I’ll be honest with you. I haven’t even looked at my pants pattern this week. I will re-look at it though. I’m determined! 

Happy creating!

Beginner Bra Making Class

January also saw a Beginner Bra Class at Central sewing.

I had eight women sign up, so we had a full class. And everyone left with at least one bra completed. Some of the ladies finished two bras and left with a well-fitting bra and pattern.

We had sizes from 2.25 to 7.5 in the class. So a very varied class size-wise. But something I’ve learned is size doesn’t matter when it comes to fitting. Women of all sizes have problems finding a well-fitting bra.

I have to say this was a dedicated group! On my way in to teach the first day, I went by a sign showing the temperature. It was -42 Celsius! If I hadn’t had a class, I would not have left home that day.

The class had only been over for one day when I received an email from one of the students. She had finished a bra on her own. The next day she sent me a second photo of her second bra she’d sewn. I’d say she’s off to a great start! Isn’t this gorgeous? She made this using her adjusted pattern, and a really lovely kit from Margieb.ca.

As if that bra isn’t gorgeous enough, she also made this bra.This is another lovely kit from Margieb.ca.

I think she’s done wonderfully! She has a well-fitting bra from class, and two ever better fitting bras she’s made on her own. Well done!

I have another class later in February, so I’ll let you know how that class goes as well.

You know what I’m sewing next, don’t you? Yes, back to pants, but I’m already missing bra-making seeing these lovely makes.

Happy creating!

Halla Knotty Pants

Well, I’m working away on my 2024 sewing resolutions. I’ve finished one pair of pants. Do they fit? Yes, but I still want to make them fit a little looser and more flowy than they fit at present.

For my first pair I made the Halla Knotty Pants. Here’s a photo from their website. knotty pants for women

Don’t you love that knot feature? These pants really are a favorite of mine. I really love the little side slit that can be left open or tied at the ankle. It’s such a fun little detail – but I will admit it is much better suited to summer than winter!

Here are my Knottoy Pants. What I’ve learned so far for fitting pants is, I need to lengthen the rise, adjust for full thighs, and a sway back. But I’m getting there!

This material is a gorgeous 12 oz cotton Lycra from Funky Monkey fabrics. It’s a great winter weight fabric. Here’s the side view of the pants. You can see at the bottom I have them tied up. It was too cold to have them open. You do not want to know what the temperature has been like here!

Here’s a close up of the opening and the knot. It would work wonderfully in a drapey fabric, but as you can see it works in a CL as well.

   Lastly here is the back view. I do like these, but I really want a more flowy drapey look. So I’ll be working on making a few more adjustments to these – but not so much for fit. More for style this time.

Happy creating!

Welcome 2024!

Welcome to a new year! I really do  love a new year with all the potential opportunities we have ahead of us.

What plans do you have? I have many sewing projects that have been waiting for me, so I’m thinking I will start with some of those. I have too many pretty bra kits and patterns to stay away from bra-making for too long though. Hmm. Maybe one project and one bra?

One of my first goals is to get some pants to fit well. I have a big challenge though. I have a condition called Lipedema. It’s not nice. It’s painful, and causes me to gain weight on my lower body. This has caused a 15-inch difference between my waist and hips.

At present, I’m only able to find elastic waisted pants that will fit me. But I would like to try and make pants too. I’m sure I’m going to need elastic in the waist still, but a plain front might look dressier. Or an actual pair of dress pants! I can’t tell you the last time I wore a nice pair of dress pants.

So I’m looking at something like the Largo Cargos or the Duet Trousers by Love Notions.   Duet Trousers cover updateI’ll let you know how this part of my journey goes.  largo cargoSo that is one goal I have for 2024.

Another goal I have is to make a doll. I’ve already bought all the supplies I need for one. I just have to sit down and actually do this now.

Here is the site that has inspired me: MayaWaldorfDoll on Etsy.  Waldorf-inspired Handmade Doll, Best Cristmas gift, Ready to Ship, Gift for Birthday,Doll Made of Natural Materials, Waldorf Doll image 1 This beautiful doll is from her site. So lovely, and so inspiring. I’ll share more resources for doll-making later.

Lastly, I have a few Laura Heine collage quilting projects that have been waiting for me.   I love this! It’s so charming, and reminds me of the villages both my mother and father were from.

 And lastly, these adorable stockings.   My thoughts are if I get started on some of these non-bra projects sooner rather than later in 2024, they have a chance of getting completed!

You all know my heart is in bra-making. But I’ve bought these other projects, and they’re sitting waiting for me. It’s time!

One last comment. Do you remember the matching undies I made for my son and DIL last year? 

  Well, the kids were over for dinner for Christmas and took me aside. Then they flashed me their matching hips! They had on their Christmas kitten undies!  I never expected to see them wearing them.

Have you thought about what you want from 2024? What sewing goals or plans do you have for 2024? I’d love to hear. 

Happy New Year, and Happy Creating!

A Quick Look Back at 2023

I thought I’d do a quick review to wrap up 2023. So, I’ll make it short and sweet. The year started out with Josey, but then I tried Freja and love it! There’s also the Brenda Brief pictured here, and it’s a really lovely panty pattern.

  My Frejas included a silk bra, and all of these lovelies as well. One of them turned out to be a surprise favorite of mine.

A few more gorgeous Freja bras. Another favorite or two in this grouping.

  Here’s one last bra that didn’t fit into the collages. So pretty!

Bras weren’t all I made this year though. I had to make panties to go with all these lovely bras.Lastly, there were the tops I made when I took the TomKat Stitchery fitting course. I’m still working on the pants part of the course.

Lastly, one final project from 2023. My silk tap pants.

It was a great sewing year!

Happy Creating & Happy New Year!    

Copper with Black Roses

This week I’m showing you my third beige-ish bra and panty set. This one is the least of the not so basics. It’s actually copper duoplex with a gorgeous sheer lace with black roses. As soon as I saw this lace, I put the copper finding kit aside. I knew this bra needed black findings! And I love it. And you know I made a matching set, don’t you?

Here again, I had to use that not so perfect cotton Lycra. Still. I think it’s a great looking set. It’s interesting that the golden lace seemed to lighten the look of this CL. In the same way, the black lace seems to darken it as well.

What do you think? Is it just a trick of the eye? Or the lace? Does the one pair appear a bit lighter? Here is the set together. Lastly, here’s a collage of my three ‘beige’ bras and panties. It was fun to sew them all together and complete my bra wardrobe for 2023.

What plans do you have for 2024? I’m sure I’ll be making more bras, trying new patterns, and working on some pants fitting.

Happy holidays & happy creating! See you next year.

A Copper Rose Set

Last week I showed you my new not so basic beige set. This week I’m sharing my new copper rose bra and panties.  Oh, this lace! Love!!

I think it pairs really well with the copper duoplex too. And I really love the copper duoplex color, but… I’ll get to that a little later in the post.

More of this pretty bra first. I’ve decided I’m going to make a bra ham to put into my bra cups so they fit on the display form better. I don’t love the gaping and the peeking of the bean-a-boobs behind the cups.

A pretty new bra needs some pretty new matchy-matchy, don’t you think? I thought so.

And that little teaser above? The one thing I don’t love about copper duoplex is I haven’t found that perfect color match in cotton Lycra. I’ve tried a few colors, but I’m just going to have to accept it’s not perfect.

So here are my new (not absolutely perfect) matching panties. That lace trim is a really pretty golden color. The trim on the leg is actually the same lace trim that is at the waist – I just followed the curved design in the lace and made my own scalloped narrower lace for the leg openings.

Above you can see where I followed the design lines.

Here’s the full set. Although, not a perfectly matched color set, I’m still happy with it.      What do you think? Do you think the golden lace trim helps pull it all together?

I have one more set to show you before the holidays. See you next week. 

Happy creating!

Not So Basic Beige

I’ve been having fun sewing some garments, but I still need some work on sewing and fitting pants – mostly fitting them. So, back to my sewing love: bras and panties.

I’ve sewn some gorgeous new bras this year. Black bras, a purple one, a pink one, and an ivory one. Oh, I can’t forget the lovely platinum bra either. But there wasn’t a beige bra in the lot. Or at least not yet.

It was time to sew a lovely beige bra. However, I decided to sew not just one beige bra, but three! I’m rounding out the year with a full bra wardrobe. I can always work on fitting pants next year!

Here’s my beige Freja bra with golden lace. I love this lace. It’s so pretty. So delicate. I think it’s lovely with beige duoplex too. A lovely new bra isn’t enough though, is it? I need some panties to match, am I right? 

So I pulled out some beige cotton Lycra and some lace, and made a matching bra and panty set. Again, I’m using the House Morrighan Clover Boy Brief pattern. Here is my new beige set together. Next week I’ll share my next set.

Happy creating!

Perfect Pistachio

A while back I bought a lovely Black Beauty (Emerald Erin’s) bra kit. I saw it and loved it. What can I say?

So the very pretty kit was sitting patiently on a shelf in my sewing room waiting for just the right sew-jo to inspire me.

Then B,Wear brought out Pistachio finding kits! Oh my!

Findingskit -Pistachio green - 3   I knew right away they’d match perfectly with that kit. The green is the perfect pop of color.

Here’s my lovely Pistachio Bra. I chose to only use the Pistachio on the upper part of the bra. My frame is sheer cup lining and power net, so I wanted to keep it looking black. If I’d been using duoplex or nylplex the pistachio wouldn’t have shown through, but it really did show through the sheer cup lining.

What I wanted though was just a little peek of color with the upper band elastic, and then the straps with that pop of color. And I think I got it. This bra has such lovely rich fall colors. I’m very happy with my new make, and I’m still loving the Freja pattern.

I was asked last week if the frame I’m using for my pattern is the one that comes with the pattern. No. Most definitely not. My frame is highly adjusted for my Omega shape. I’ve narrowed the upper bridge, widened the lower bridge, used a smaller cradle size – so it’s definitely not the same frame as comes with the pattern.

Lastly, here’s the back of the bra. I really love this Pistachio color! I was looking through my lace to see what else I had that would go well with it. 

Do you remember this bra I made?  I still have some of this lace.     I think this will match perfectly with the pistachio color too. But not with the burn orange this time. Basic black always works.

Happy creating!