A Short 70s Trip

~ Michelle

I was thinking it wasn’t a very creative week, but I did finish a Medical ID bracelet for a customer, and have another one to start for another customer; had a private jewelry-making lesson, which was very enjoyable, and made a few pair of earrings. However, I didn’t take any pictures.

There’s been no sewing all week. I think that’s a first for me since I got my new sewing machine last year. My previous machine had a few problems, and had been such a frustration, I’d put it away for quite a while. I must have gone into withdrawal and not even realized it.

I did sort through my sewing stash, and did my best to re-organize it all. Maybe the announcement on the calendar that it’s now Spring got me in a cleaning mood. I have a few items that I’m not going to keep, and I did organize things a little better, but came to the conclusion that I need more room and more storage.

Last week when I was looking around for information on the Milady, I read something about a ‘Spacer Bra’ on the Prima Donna web site – and it reminded me of the 70s.  Just the name of the bra itself made me think of the Cross Your Heart bras – you know, the ‘lift & separate’ ones. Do they still advertise that way?

It made me wonder if that style was coming back into fashion. So many other fashions are looking like a flashback to the 70s. Maybe bras will go there too.

Just to help with my curiosity, I had a second look at the Spacer bra, and although it doesn’t look like it’s a lift-&-separate style bra, what they had to say about the bra still reminded me of them:

“This spacer bra covers your breasts completely without making them look bigger.”

Well, what normally makes us look bigger? Pushing things together and lifting them up; creating cleavage. Hmmm. Still sounding a little lift & separate to me.

I can handle that, just please no bullet bras!

Happy creating!

Basic Black and a New Love

~ Michelle ~ 2 Comments

I have so many plans for what I want to sew. Is everyone like that? An ever-growing list of what you want to sew? Does anyone else ever get all those wants accomplished? My list just keeps growing.

So, what have I been up to? Well, I took my friend to a specialty bra store for a fitting. I wanted to see what the store would put her into. It was a very interesting experience. I could see the store didn’t properly fit her, and she could see the bra they put her in didn’t fit her. But the woman working in the store either could not or would not admit the bra didn’t fit her. The cups were too small and the band too big. Yet every bra they offered her was the same size, and they all fit the same way. I wondered if maybe they didn’t have anything that would really fit her. It did help me though, because I think she’s going to need a 32 F. However, she only wears non-underwired, so I may still have some challenges. I haven’t made an non-underwired bra yet.

When meeting my friend, I arrived at the store earlier than my friend, so just had to look around and then after looking I HAD to try on a few things. I’ve fallen in love again. This time with the Prima Donna Milady Padded Balcony bra. I thought this style was called a Balconette, but the tag says Balcony. Either way, it’s lovely, and I want to sew one!

Prima Donna Milady Padded Balcony Bra 36F

Isn’t that pretty? (I’m not posting an actual picture of the bra – just so I don’t get into any trouble with Prima Donna, just a drawing of it.)

It has a 3/4-high thin foam cup inside the lace cups – I put a pink line where the foam cup stops. You can see the foam cup doesn’t come to the top of the bra edge, but only 3/4s of the way up. A unique feature. The lace cups have a vertical seam with a small dart at the bridge. I didn’t look too closely at the straps, and was wishing I had my camera with me when I was in the store. I need to figure out how to make this one for me too, after I make the Amy Relf bra.

I have made a few things in the past week or so since my last post. I finished the lovely gold-filled Medical ID bracelet, and also a basic black bra.

For my basic black bra, I went back to the drawing board. I wanted to take my time and re-draft my pattern. So I used the Pin-Up Girls Classic Full Band pattern as my starting point.

I took it in at the underarms on both the upper & lower cup, I moved the straps over in the front and on the band, I made the bridge narrower, and I put a downward hike on the band. I also moved the apex over.

My first attempt – in a tester bra – was a bit too small in the cup. Still completely wearable, just the bridge doesn’t sit right back to the chest wall – it’s about 1 cm out. As well, the apex had been moved over a bit too much. So, off to the drawing board again.

But before I went back to the drawing board, I did something I haven’t wanted to do. Something mentioned in the Bra Makers Manuals – I cut open the cups at the seam line in the front to see how much I needed to add to the pattern. Oh, how I haven’t wanted to do that! I’m not even sure why, but it was very hard for me to do. However, I did and was able to get much better results from having done it.

I added to the pattern at the center front on both the upper and lower cups – that same amount from the slit, and that took care of the apex too. It’s a very good fit. I’m so glad I took some time to remember all the alterations I wanted to make. I am really happy with my back this time, and my strap placement.

Basic Black front

Here’s the front. Just as I said, a basic black. I needed a new basic one. All my other basic ones were over a year old, starting to show too much wear, and a bit too stretched out in the bands.

Basic Black back

And the back view. This shows a bit of the downward hike, but not too much. Overall, a nice everyday bra.

Happy creating!

Love at First Sight.

~ Michelle

This post is just a short one, but I think you’ll fall in love too!

While out for coffee with my friend, Valerie, we’d sat and visited for a while and then  were wandering around Chapters looking at everything from cookbooks to craft books. We made our way towards the magazines and she picked up Altered Couture and innocently asked me if I’d ever seen it before. I hadn’t. She stared to flip through the pages and there was a bra!

If you’re thinking I’m a bit obsessed with bras, then I think I agree. But they’re so pretty, and practical too. (I say in self-defense.)

I’ll let you decide, but for me, it was love at first site. The article is Corset Collection by Amy Relf.

scan0002

Actually, it’s a long-line bra. Here’s a close-up of the bra front:

scan0002 b

Isn’t that charming? I have ideas for all those little bits that aren’t enough for a full cup. Bravo Altered Couture magazine, bravo!

Amy Relf has a blog: atelierdami.wordpress.com; Beautiful work, Amy. Really beautiful. You’ve inspired me. And thank you so much for allowing me to share a bit of your work.

I encourage you to get the magazine and read Amy’s article. I’m not going to share everything, but I think just this will inspire you too.

Happy creating!

Beautiful Gifts

~ Michelle

I was out for coffee with a friend from my college days. We’d been roommates before either of us got married. She married her boyfriend – the one she’d been dating while we were living together – I traded up a few years later. My former roomie and I always got along very well and still keep in touch all these years later.

My friend, Valerie, is very creative. And she’s always encouraged me to stay creative. She’ll remind me if I’m not doing something, that creative people need to do something to stay happy. She’s right. She wants me to pick up knitting again. I want to reply, ‘Right or left-handed?’, but usually tell her I’ve fallen in love with bra-making. It takes up all my spare time and a good chunk of my thought process.

Back to knitting, I did learn both ways of knitting. Right-handed knitting is something my Mum taught me. I understand it’s English.

But not everyone in the world is English.  A friend I met from Japan teased me about throwing the yarn when I knit, and she taught me left-handed knitting. It’s a much ‘tighter’ way of knitting. Your hands barely move, just the fingers. And the needles stay relatively motionless – not a lot of up and down movement going on.

I must say I prefer right-handed knitting, even though it does go more slowly because we really do ‘throw’ the yarn around the knitting needle tip, however I’ve done it this way for many years, and it’s what is embedded in my brain.

Valerie is an Artistic Fibre Specialist, and is incredibly talented. I was privileged to be on the receiving end of her talents this week. Valerie brought me a couple of gifts.

Scarf Full Image

Isn’t this exquisite? I was so impressed with this lovely scarf. Almost made me push my sewing machine aside and take up knitting again. I settled for wearing it the same day I got it.

This is the second lovely gift I received.

Neck Warmer Full Image

Valerie does incredible work and not just to give away as gifts. She has an Etsy store. You can see more of Valerie’s designs here:

Intricate Knits

No time for sewing for me this week. I’m making Anointing Oils for a Ladies’ Retreat, and a Custom Medical ID Bracelet – one of my favorite designs:

Noble-116

This is a Triple-strand Bracelet made with Gold-filled beads and Swarovski Crystals. It’s a very elegant Medical ID Bracelet – you can see the ID tag hanging in the back.

I have a treat coming later in the week, or early next week. All I can say is it was love at first sight. And I’ll be starting a bra for a friend next week. She only wants something basic, but I’ll still take pictures and post them.

Happy creating!

Here a Change, There a Change.

~ Michelle

Just a follow up from last week’s post: I don’t prefer Vertical wires. I wore them for a whole day, then on the second day I took them out. I put in my regular Long wires and am much more comfortable. That just goes to show, some women dealing with the Omega shape will do better with them, others will not. There really are no ‘set’ rules, are there?

So, I had altered my Sewy Rebecca pattern for my needs – smaller lower cup edge to fit into the smaller wire frame I need. But I decided to do a few more alterations. Here’s why:

There are things I do like about the Sewy Rebecca, and there are things I don’t like about the pattern. There are also things I like about the Shelley Full Band pattern, and a couple of things I’d change. So, I decided to see what would happen when I put the two patterns together.

I was joking with Andrea from Satin Bird Designs saying I was creating a monster; she dubbed the new bra the Franken-bra. Thankfully, it turned out very well and much prettier than those monikers sounded too.

Here’s what I did:

1. I really like the upper cup on the Rebecca – it’s just a little straighter across the seam line, so gives a little more lift. So, I used Rebecca as my starting point.

2. However, I like the split lower cup on the Shelley, so I split the lower cup on the Rebecca.

3. I also changed the shape of the Rebecca  power bar to look more like the Shelley – especially at the top where it joins the strap. In the English instructions for the Rebecca only strap elastic is used for the straps whereas the Shelley uses a fabric strap, which is my preference.

4. So I added the fabric strap.

As cute as Franken-bra is, I re-named her Shelley Rebecca. Here she is:

Front View

Here’s the front view. I used a non-stretch lace (Floral Lace Fabric) I bought from Bra Makers Supply. I really like this lace fabric.

Here’s their description:

“All-over woven lace with a floral design with virtually no stretch – making it perfect for bra cups. We would recommend stabilizing the fabric for the frame or the straps but it certainly could be used for the entire front of the bra.”

I really like this material. One thing I like about it is the seams virtually disappear into the fabric because of the texture of it. The other is it really is non-stretch, so can be used all over.

Side View

Here is the side view. Nice smooth fit into the wires, so I’m very happy. (If you’ve been reading along, please notice my restraint here in what I’m NOT mentioning.) A nice small underarm area, so again happy me! Do you see how those seams blend so well. I had to lighten the photos to get the seams and other details to show at all. Black on black really isn’t the best for photos.

Back View

Hmm, straps felt a bit too far apart still. I need to go through my patterns and make a back pattern I’m completely happy and thrilled about.

Again, I used a straight stitch to tack down the eyes, and then this time I also changed my width for the Zigzag to a wider than 2.5 stitch, which is standard for sewing lingerie. Both of these helped it go on nice and neatly.

Cup with arrows

This is just to show in a little more detail how the seams virtually disappear with this fabric. I was quite impressed with this. It also shows where I put the seam in the lower cup of the Shelley Rebecca.

Strap

Here’s where I changed the top part of the power bar. I also changed the direction it faced at the very top by cutting off the top and taping it back on ‘backwards’. I think I preferred it this way as I need the straps in a little more normally.

Well, I have more sewing to do, and a medical ID bracelet to make too.

Oh, and I used the foam cups to fill the bra cups this time. I’m still undecided which looks better.

Happy creating!

Another Shelley

~ Michelle

I’ve really gone back and forth on my Shelley pattern. After I got the official pattern in the mail, I had to open it and compare all the pieces to what I had done. I was very pleased the patterns pieces were mostly similar, but there were a couple of small differences, and I wanted to make a Shelley closer to the ‘real’ pattern.

I think the biggest treat was to have instructions. I was winging it at times, and other times referring to my Bra-makers Manual. Between the two, I did get a few made, but having instructions (great instructions!) really was nice.

That seam allowance! Well, I decided not to add it again. The lower cup really fits better without it. So, that really makes my fit a bit of a challenge and I doubt I’ll ever buy another bra knowing what I know now.

I’ve also been re-reading my Bra-makers Manual again. It’s good to read it again after making a few bras. I’m picking up things I missed or didn’t understand as fully the first time I went through the book. For one thing, I had posted not too long ago that Lycra and I were not going to be friends. Well, we’ve made up! A little tip in the manual and I was off to my stash of fabrics to pull out some Lycra I’d bought and then decided not to use.

Here’s my Shelley again, but in a lovely Lycra & Lace:

Front View w Foam Cups

I’m so very pleased with how this bra turned out. I love the combinations. I’m not sure I love using the foam cups to fill out the cups for pictures though. I can see little puckers on the cup that look like darts. There are no darts – just cups not filled out.

Back View

And the back. The straps are a little tiny bit closer to the middle on this. Not a big move, but a little one. Still more comfortable and I’m not feeling like straps are falling off my shoulders.

I’ve had some problems attaching my hooks & eyes. I don’t seem to have a sewing machine foot that will let me sew the hooks on easily. So what I did here was I used a straight stitch to attach one side of the hooks (the eyes are never the problem) and then folded it over and did a zigzag. I went on much easier and looks much smoother than some of the other bras I’ve done.

Side View w Foam Cups

And the side view. You can see the foam cup here. I’m not sure which I prefer – the foam cups or the black beanie forms. I did take a few pictures with the forms in too and was going to have a vote to see which looks better. Maybe next time.

I made this a little higher at the sides to fit a vertical wire. I showed the difference between a long wire and a vertical wire a few posts ago. I’ve been wearing the vertical wire all day and I’m not sure I love it. Thankfully, changing a wire isn’t the hardest thing to do! I may try a long wire and see if I prefer that. It may simply be I’ve never worn a wire that fits so closely before and I’m not used to it.

And I’m probably going to say this again and again, but I really am happy there are no ‘gathers’ along the bottom of the cup (I know they weren’t really gathers, but it almost looked like it!). Easing a larger cup into a smaller wire may be necessary, but I really didn’t like the look of it. This is much smoother and I really am very happy with the way it looks.

Close Up Underarm

And lastly, I finally got a great fit under the arm. So many times, I would take in the underarm on the pattern, but it was still a bit too big. I took this in what seemed would be too much, but it’s perfect.

I have more Lycra in my stash, and am thinking we’re going to be good friends! And that perfect bra my husband is always saying I’m trying to make? This is the closest I’ve come yet! I’d say this is next to perfect. So for anyone thinking of starting a journey in bra-making, I’d say ‘Yes! Go for it!’ It can be a challenge, but it’s also very rewarding.

Happy creating!

And This Time With Seam Allowances?

~ Michelle

I enjoy reading news online, and usually check what’s new before I read my emails in the morning. One morning there was a video saying what NOT to buy your girlfriend for Valentine’s Day. That got my attention, and I figured it was going to be something to do with lingerie.

And it did have to do with lingerie. Basically, men were being told not to buy bras for their girlfriends because bras were hard to fit. I had no problem with that – that is very true. However, it was the next part that really surprised me and stayed with me.

After telling men not to buy bras for their girlfriends, the video went on to offer help in bra sizing. Here’s their help: The Fruit Rule. If she’s the size of a couple of lemons, then she’s an A cup; the size of a couple of oranges, she’s a B cup; two grapefruits? she’s a C cup. And to finish it off nicely, if she’s the size of two cantaloupes she’s a D cup. Isn’t that nice and neat? I can’t speak for all women, but I don’t fit into that fruit salad.

Enough about fruit comparisons, I’m going to share a little more of my progress with my ‘adjusted’ Shelley pattern.

I’ve been mulling over my Shelley without seam allowances for a while now. I did add seam allowances and then got thinking about whether that was what I needed or not.

I made a tester bra to see how it fit with seem allowances and it just wasn’t giving me the fit I wanted. My dh says I’m trying to get a perfect fit, and I say,  ‘Yes, I do want a perfect fit.’

Without the seam allowances added, it fit perfectly into the cradle size I need. Without seam allowances the lower cup fit like a dream – something I’m struggling to achieve. However, without seam allowances, the upper cup was too small. I need more depth to get the bridge to sit against the chest wall, and a little more coverage up top too. I was torn between adding seam allowances and/or redrafting the upper cup somehow.

I decided to add a seam where there isn’t one – I added the amount of a seam allowance to the top of the upper cup, and also changed the pattern so I had the depth I need to bring the bridge back. It all worked. This one got a bow even, or as another blogger put it – it was bow-worthy.

Shelley front view

Here’s my latest Shelley from the front. I used the black forms I’d made and shown a few posts ago. They don’t fill the cups out completely, but I think they fit better than the foam cups did.

I love the lace and duoplex combination on this. The lace was from Merckwaerdigh’s store on eBay. The duoplex and findings are from Bra Makers Supply.

To help the upper cups fit a little better, I didn’t line them this time. On my first Shelley I did line the upper cups. Since I need a little more give there, no lining this time around. And that helped too.

Shelley side view

I have to say, I LOVE how neatly the cups are fitting into the cradle. I am so very pleased with how this has turned out. I didn’t like the look of the ‘easing’. I had to do so much easing along the lower cup, it looked more like gathering to me. And it gave the cups a balloon-like shape. This is much better.

Shelley back view

And a basic back. Looking at it, the straps seem a bit far apart, but I didn’t notice that when I put it on. Something to think about tweaking for my next time.

I got my ‘real’ Shelley pattern in the mail today. Tomorrow I’ll have some time to pull it out and compare all the pieces to what I’ve made from the Pin-Up Girls Classic pattern and CD Designer Bras by YOU! I have to say, I loved learning how to make this, but it will be a treat to have the pattern too.

My next project may be to help out a friend. She recently went to a specialty store and was fitted only to find out they don’t carry anything in her size – too small around the rib cage. After dealing with the fitting challenges of the Omega shape, a small band almost sounds simple. I’ll post what we do, and how it turns out.

Oh, and my dh is also requesting matching panties, so that may be in the near future too. Two other bloggers have just offered free patterns, and I’m planning on trying both of their patterns.

http://www.madalynne.com/

http://www.fehrtrade.com/article/676/free-lacey-thong-panty-pattern

Happy creating!

Starry Nights… and Days

~ Michelle

Today’s blog started years ago. I bought an adorable pair of Murano glass earrings from The Shopping Channel. They were gold foil little stars with clear glass around the foil. They were charming. I got them home and then decided, no, I wanted to change something. (I do that a lot.)

They were strung on Sterling silver, and I didn’t love that. I thought gold foil would look better with gold ear wires. Well, I can’t play with gold, so gold-filled was good enough for me – still gave me the gold look, but not the gold price.

Star Earrings

Unfortunately, the gold doesn’t look very bright, but the gold foil is just shining!  So these little stars started a journey – I wanted something to match.

I looked for a LONG time; not constantly, but on and off for about three years. And then just before Christmas 2012 I found a web site that had the same stars!!! To say I was excited was a complete understatement! My Christmas money was spent before I got it. Thank you, Mum.

Star Pendant

So, I got another star to have a matching set. Yes, I know – Matchy-matchy.

This star is strung with a gold-filled pin and bail. It’s on a leather cord. I love it. I’m so glad I never settled for anything less – this is perfect.

Well, once the necklace and earrings were done, I wanted a bracelet to go along with them. Good thing I’d ordered a few more beads!

Gold Foil Clear Glass beads & Faceted Rock Crystal bracelet

Here’s the medical ID bracelet I made to wear with my Starry set. This has the gold foil beads in different sizes, and clear faceted quartz crystals. It also has Sterling silver clasps. I love it too! But I always love whatever bracelet I’ve just made.

And one last little gold foiled gem:

Moon pendant or charm

I couldn’t resist this little moon bead. I got it so I could interchange the Moon and the Star on my necklace, but it also works really well as a little charm to dangle from the end of my bracelet.

I’m off to play with some patterns.

Happy creating!

Sewy Rebecca from the Sew-Along

~ Michelle

The Sewy Rebecca is a lovely bra, and I am quite pleased with the results I had on the Sew-Along. I did do three testers, but that was more my experimenting with fit. The cups in my size actually fit very well.

However, anyone who has read a previous post knows, that’s not my only consideration. I was able to make the adjustments I needed to easily fit the cups into the bra’s cradle, so I had no difficulties there either.

Here’s my finished Sewy Rebecca.

Front view Sewy Rebecca Beige

Here’s the Rebecca on a dressform. But I was also in a bit of a creative mood, so please indulge me. Here is the Sewy Rebecca with a little more flair in the picture:

Creative front view Sewy Rebecca Beige

I made little forms to fit into the cups because my dressform here and I are not the same size. Usually, I put a foam cup into the cups to fill them out for pictures, but I wanted to try something different because the foam cups don’t fit perfectly into the bra cups. I took an idea from the Bean-a-Boob concept and made little bean-filled forms to fill out the cups for pictures.

Here are the little forms I made:

Forms to fill out bras on dress form

I think this pattern is very pretty. The lace upper cups are a favorite of mine. When I’m out looking at bras for ideas, it’s the lace that catches my attention.

Side view Sewy Rebecca Beige

The little forms do a pretty good job filling out the cups, but not perfectly, as you can see above.

And my more creative picture of the side view:

Creative side view Sewy Rebecca Beige

It’s very difficult for me to throw away all those bits of lace that are left over after cutting out the upper cups. And I’m always looking for places to put them on the bra. On this one, I put one on the bridge and two here on the side where the side panel meets the band. I’ve also put it on the straps at the front for decoration, but not on this bra.

And here is the back of the bra. It looks nice enough, but… I’m really not comfortable with the straps that far apart.

Back view Sewy Rebecca Beige

I didn’t catch this aspect of the bra’s fit with a tester bra and I wish I had. I’ll know next time to look for that when making a tester.

And one last creative perspective:

Creative back view Sewy Rebecca Beige

Overall, I enjoyed my experience with the Sew-Along and would gladly jump right into another one. I’m also glad I went back to the Rebecca.

I made the Rebecca once before, but used Lycra. I must say, Lycra is not my friend. No, Duoplex is my friend. Nice, strong, non-stretching Duoplex. I may use Lycra again in the future, but underneath there will be Duoplex.

Oh, just remembering something else on the Rebecca. I didn’t use elastic only for the straps. I made fabric straps to match. So I ventured out on my own for that part of the pattern. They only use the elastic on the pattern, and again, just not a friend to me.

The pattern here is from Sewy.

All the materials & findings are from Bra-Makers Supply.

I think the next bra I make will be the Shelley bra. I added my seam allowance SO long ago and have been meaning to get to it again since that time. However, with the Sew-Along suggesting we make tester bras, it was the perfect opportunity to try a new pattern.

I’m also waiting for some jewelry components. Once I get them I will post pictures of what I’ve made – I’ve had these plans for quite a while, but it’s taken me a long time to find that perfect piece.

Happy creating!

Shelley is coming February 1st!

~ Michelle

Now, this might seem a little silly to some, but I’m very excited. I was just on the Bra-Makers web site and saw that the Shelley bra pattern will be available on February 1st. That is very exciting news to me.

Now, the reason it might seem silly is I made this pattern for myself from my Pin-Up Girls Classic pattern & the CD Designer Bras by YOU! So I have a pattern. However, I only have it in my adjusted or altered pattern size. It is a wonderful pattern, and makes such a pretty bra it will be nice to have the real pattern. (that if I use, I have to adjust!) But it will be a wonderful addition to my pattern collection!

PB-3230%20Shelley

This is the Shelley pattern picture from Bra-Makers supply.

Shelley Pattern

The Shelley and the Sewy Rebecca patterns are very similar in that both have lace upper cups and a power bar, but the Shelley has a two-part lower cup whereas the Rebecca only one.

From a few things I’ve either read or heard, a few people have been interested in trying the Rebecca pattern, but are hesitant because it has to come from Europe and/or isn’t in English – I HIGHLY recommend all the patterns I’ve ordered from Bra-Makers’ Supply and this would be no exception. Even though I’ve made it, I’m ordering it!

Happy creating!