Bra-Makers Supply

We Got Your Back – BMS January Challenge 2019

~ Michelle ~ 4 Comments

The January Challenge for Bra-Makers Supply is We Got Your Back. The idea is to ‘make creative, unusual, or off-the-wall crazy backs for your bras, swimsuits, corsets or underwear. Yes, this month we are looking at bra backs and how to make them pretty and even more supportive than they usually are.’

Thinking about this challenge, I knew just what I wanted to do. A while back I received an email from Booby Traps about Bare Bax, a company that specialized in interchangeable bra backs. Not only that, but bra backs that are meant to be seen. I loved this idea!

Dual Reasoning

As well as participating in the challenge, I had another reason for wanting to make a bra with a fancy back – a gorgeous sweater my hubby gave me. Isn’t that a great back right there? I was thinking of wearing a camisole under this, but a bra with a fancy back might be more fun. A pop of color, that doesn’t look like a bra back might be just what I’d like behind this sweater.

My Challenges

The one challenge about my Challenge entry is I need my band to provide the support for my bra. So, rather than just use lace for a pretty back, I’m thinking lace backed with power net. The lace will still be all that’s seen though.

Another challenge I’m facing is I can’t get hooks & eyes in the same color I’m using for my bra. I’m making a lavender bra, but the 5 x 3 hooks and eyes don’t come in that color. Even hook and eye tape doesn’t come in lavender. I’m going to have to dye my hooks and eyes – a first for me. So, since I’m jumping into dyeing, I’m going to dye some elastics while I’m at it.

Dyeing

 My adventure into dyeing went pretty well. I had everything set out, including the bit of power net I wanted to match. Honestly, those findings weren’t in the dye two minutes before I looked at the hooks and eyes and thought, ‘They need to come out. Now.’

I turned around to grab my spatula handle, and they were already darker than I wanted!I realized just how quickly these findings will take color. However, the BMS Challenge for January was coming close to an end, so I decided these will do nicely.

I found dyeing very interesting. Look at the one ring and how it took color differently. One is noticeably darker than the others, but they were all in for the same amount of time.This has me thinking, I might want to do some timed tests with bits of elastic and such and record the results after say 1 minute, 2 minutes, 3 minutes…

Back to the Challenge.

My Fancy Back

  Here’s my lovely lavender bra, with a removable lace back.I’ve used 5 x 3 hook and eyes on each side of the bra to attach this back. I can take this off and use another back in the future (When I get another back made.)

As well, I’ve adjusted the height of my lace for my back. You can see how much I shortened the height of my lace by cutting and matching the pattern on it.

Here are the hooks and eyes that connect the back to the bra. And if you look closely, you can just barely see the seam in the middle of the lace. Below is my bra from the front. It doesn’t look any different from a normal bra.Lastly, here’s my bra under the sweater on my display.What a subtle but lovely little pop of color peeking out!

Happy creating!

Ruby II

~ Michelle

I was pretty confident my second attempt with the Pin-up Girls Ruby pattern would work, and I was right. Is that as much of a relief to read as it is for me to write? What a feeling!

Ruby II

 My first Ruby was really close in the fit. The only reason it didn’t fit was because I hadn’t read all the instructions – when making Ruby in fabric you need to go up one size.

My first Ruby.This Ruby fit everywhere, but was a little small in the cups.

Here’s my newest Ruby hot off the sewing machine. Do you see how the upper cup is shorter? It’s a lovely modern-looking pattern, and I really like it. It gives great lift. After wearing it for a full day, I can tell you it’s comfortable.For this Ruby, I’ve used some gorgeous lace I bought from Merckwaerdigh, duoplex and power net from Bra-Makers Supply, and some amazing strap elastic I bought in a destash group.

Here’s the lace close up.It’s so pretty! I think I’m going to save the rest of this lace for another bra rather than use it up on panties. It’s just too pretty.

Here’s the bra from the side:One of the things I like about the Ruby pattern is the underarm is nice and short. I don’t have to take it in.

Here’s Ruby from the back:  Ooh, I love that strap elastic. It’s very firm, and I like the detail on it.

For my Ruby, I’ve used gold-toned rings and sliders. And I had a little fun using them for detail on the front of the bra.This is also a nice close-up of that lovely strap elastic.

I’m trying to decide how I want to embellish the finished bra. Do I want bows? Or a modern take on a bow? Or just one of the roses cut out.

Here are a few of those ideas just to see how they look.  Hmm. I’ll keep thinking.

Here’s Ruby one last time with embellishments. I wasn’t completely happy with any of the ones above, so went through my stash of bows. I found the perfect bows for my Ruby. A small black bow with a pearl for the center front, and two small black bows without pearls for the straps.

Ruby is a beautiful pattern, and I look forward to making another one soon.

Happy creating!

Comparing Kits

~ Michelle ~ 4 Comments

I shared with you the lovely laces and lingerie kits my husband brought me from Kantjeboord when he was in Amsterdam. That was such a treat! As I was looking at them, I thought I’d share how the kits differ from kits I’m used to buying.

Kit Differences

 For the most part, I order from Bra-makers Supply. Their kits are what I like and what I’m used to using. Let me share with you how the BMS kits differ from the Kantjeboord kits my hubby brought me.

1

Firstly, BMS has a few options for kits. There are Bra kits (this kit includes bra findings), Trios (this doesn’t include findings), Quartets (this includes a choice of findings), and they have panty kits too. Kantjeboord has a lingerie kit and it includes findings for a bra and panties.

I was looking at the BMS website, and here’s what they offer when you purchase a Quartet:You can choose the size of findings you want, and then there are four options for those findings depending on the pattern you’re making.

2

  As I just mentioned, BMS offers Small and Large findings kits. You pick which size of findings you need based on your bra size. The Kantjeboord kits have one size of findings in their kits. What I have come to know as ‘Small’. I don’t know whether they have Large findings at all.

Here is a  photo showing the larger elastic from a Large BMS findings kit and the smaller ones from the Kantjeboord kit. The elastics in the Kantjeboord kits are the same size as the upper band elastics in the Large BMS kits. The elastic is 1/2″or 13 mm; or this would be the size of bottom band elastics in a Small findings kit.

3

BMS kits have upper and lower band elastics of differing widths. The Kantjeboord has one size of elastic in their kits – and a lot of it. I’m thinking it must be used for the waist and leg openings of panties as well.

4

BMS has ‘firm’ and ‘soft’ elastics. Their findings kits usually contain ‘firm’ elastics, however, you can make up your own findings kit with ‘soft’ elastics by buying everything individually. The Kantjeboord elastics are all ‘soft’. The ‘soft’ and ‘firm’ refer to the amount of stretch from what I’ve been told.

5

Another difference with the findings is BMS has all one color for their findings kits. Kantjeboord has two colors in each of the three kits I have here. Purple and black were in the first, brown and purple in the second, and pink and silver in the third – all colors complimenting the lace in each kit. You could do this with supplies at BMS – make your own findings kit using different colors, but the pre-made kits are all one color.

6

 Both kits have strap elastic included. You can see below an example of the second color in the Kantjeboord kits. Above the elastic was dark pink, but here the strap elastic is silver. The Kantjeboord elastic would be the same size as what is found in the Small findings kit from BMS – 1/2″ strap elastic.

  7

BMS kits are for bras or bralettes primarily – they sell panty kits (and other kits) separately. The Kantjeboord kits are for bras and panties. The first thing I noticed when I opened the kits was there was a lot of lace. Two meters of lace in each Kantjeboord kit! That’s enough for a bra and panties. There is also a lot of elastic in the Kantjeboord kits, and cotton gusset material.

8

BMS kits have duoplex and power net in them. The Kantjeboord kit has some firm Lycra in the kit. Again, I’m thinking the Lycra must be for the bra cups, the bra back, and the panty too.

Below on the left is a Trio from BMS showing the duoplex and power net with the lace. On the right is the lace and Lycra from one of the kits from Kantjeboord. There’s more material in the Kantjeboord kit, again, I think to make a bra and panty.

9

BMS findings kits have either 2 x 2 hooks and eyes, or 3 x 3 hooks and eyes, depending the size of kit you order. They also have matching metal rings and sliders (again either Large or Small), a bow, and trim for the upper cup. The Kantjeboord kit has some sheer cup lining, cotton for the panty gusset, three bows, 2 x 2 hooks and eyes, smaller rings and sliders (some plastic ones) and some upper cup elastic.

Here’s the sheer cup lining and cotton for the gusset from the Kantjeboord kit.And here are the hooks & eyes, rings and sliders, and bows from both kits. You can see in the darker pink from Kantjeboord, the rings and sliders are plastic.You can also see the two colors used again in the Kantjeboord’s kits with the dark pink hooks and eyes, and the silver bows.

Lastly, here you can see the trim in the BMS kits, and that narrow upper cup elastic in the Kantjeboord’s kits.The bag-full of upper cup elastic my hubby brought me home is a little wider than this one pictured above, but not much wider.   Both suppliers are wonderful, and all of us bra-makers would be lost without suppliers like them! Neither kit is right or wrong – they are just different.

I’m used to the kits from Bra-Makers Supply – I love duoplex and power net! However, I do like some of the differences I’ve found in the Kantjeboord kits. I like all that lace! I like the upper cup elastic, and the matching sheer cup lining.

Happy creating!

Ultimate Bra-Makers Challenge

~ Michelle ~ 10 Comments

I had it all planned out. I bought some lovely ivory duoplex and power net to make both my tester bra and my first bra once the ‘final’ draft was completed.

Then something fun happened.

The Ultimate Bra-Makers Challenge

  Beverly, from Bra-Makers Supply, announced the Ultimate Bra-Makers Challenge starting in January 2018. Have you seen it? Here’s a blurb from the BMS site:

“Our idea is simple – each month starting on January 1, we will give you a theme with a challenge to complete by the end of the month. The challenge will be to use a new fabric or a new pattern chosen from Bra-makers Supply (yes, we will discount those items!) You can submit photos of the finished project to enter the challenge. Tag us on Instagram and Facebook @bramakerssupply and use the hashtag #bramakerschallenge2018… Each monthly winner will receive a $25 gift certificate from Bra-makers Supply. How easy is that?”

January’s challenge is the Pantone color of the year: Ultra Violet. SO pretty! I just happen to have a lilac kit from my trip to Ontario two years ago. I was saving it for when I got my draft just right.

The kit is one my hubby picked out. It had the paler lace that is on top in the photo. Something I’ve learned about myself in this bra-sewing journey is I prefer tone-on-tone bras. So if I’m going for red, I want all the tones to be close to the same shade. So I wasn’t over-the-top in love with the paler lace. I dug into my stash and found this darker purple, which was really nice. Then I saw this  lilac one on the BMS website. Love. That was the lace to go with my kit.

Pattern

I’m using my self-drafted pattern for this bra. I am so happy. This fits perfectly, and I love the color!

I used Beverly’s CD Designer Bras by You to create my own Shelley-style pattern from my draft.

Here’s the side view: Even though I’m drafting the pattern so there shouldn’t be any difference between the cups and cradle, I still find I’m having a tiny bit of a length difference. A quick little gathering stitch running along the bottom of the cup, and it fits in just fine. Also, there are no wrinkles on me, but a few on Catherine.

Here’s the back of the bra.When I was taking the photos for this, I noticed I missed catching the very bottom edge of the strap elastic under the eyes. I’ll have to take that back to the machine and tack  it down.

I love the lace detail on the back.

Road Bumps Design Elements

I had fixed everything on my pattern, and had my bra cut out. The cups were sewn. The lace was sewn on the band. The band was attached to the cradle. It was time to get the elastics out of the little finding kit and sew them on the band. Then I realized I had drafted my pattern for the ‘soft’ elastics. The new elastics I had in my kit weren’t going to work for this band.

I wasn’t happy.

The bra went into a time out.

I’ll have to draft a new band and label both bands – one ‘soft elastics’ and one ‘firm elastics’. That will save any future frustrations.

The next morning I pulled out some elastics from my stash. I tried some beige elastics behind the band, and then some black.

I decided the black looked better. Those little picots were almost a shadow behind the band. To bring all the elements together, I added a black bow behind the lilac one at the front.  The Gothic arch looks wonky here, but that’s just on Catherine. I tried to get it to lay flat, but it just wouldn’t.

I’m still deciding on the strap bows. I think I like the depth the black adds to the bows. I’ve made another black bow, so sewing them on is next.

Next panties to match.

Happy creating!

Canada Cups – It’s a Wrap

~ Michelle ~ 24 Comments

Welcome back for the final stop on our Canada Cups Coming Unwired tour.

I’d Like to Thank the Academy…

Before I say anything else, I really want to say a big thank you! We put out the call to some incredibly talented Canadian designers, suppliers, and bloggers, and got an amazing response! Well, you’ve seen the prize list, seen the makes, and read the blogs. It’s been great!

Personally, on behalf of the bloggers, here’s a shout out to Bra-Makers Supply, Chelsea C. Designs, Club Tissus,  Favorite Things, Jalie Sewing Patterns, Lingerie Secrets, and Ohhh Lulu for donating patterns and/or supplies to our bloggers!

We had two guest bloggers on the tour as well! Some wonderful professional bra-makers took time out of their very busy schedules and wrote up posts. Thank you, Linda (Uplift Custom Bras), Maria and Karin (Mrs. Weaver’s Finest Unmentionables). We are so grateful to you.

Our tour really wouldn’t have happened if it weren’t for our bloggers willing to take their time too. Thank you Deb, Jessica, Lisa, Marsha, Mel, Michelle S., Rachelle, and Valérie! I loved seeing your gorgeous makes!

Lastly, there are all the wonderful prizes donated for the tour. Thank you Atelier Fiber Arts & Abrakdabra, Bra-Makers Supply, Braphoria, Central Sewing Machines, Chelsea C Designs, Closet Case Patterns, Crookshanks Custom Textiles (I’m totally envious of whoever wins this one), Fabric Please, Favorite Things, Funky Monkey Fabrics, Libelle Sewing, and Midnight Mountain Fabrics. (Oh, I’d like any or all of these prizes!)

Behind the Scenes Highlights!

 Now for some behind the scenes fun! Let’s talk about a few things that went on while getting ready for the tour!

Don’t Get Your Knickers in a Knot!

Lisa made some hipster panties. She was questioning her fabric placement ability after putting that gold LOVE smack dab… well, you can see for yourself.

Lisa also had to draw on her own sewing experiences when she put off sewing until close to the end of the tour and found she was missing a page of instructions! There wasn’t enough time to get a new pattern and get the panties done in time. I wonder if that could have been the pattern placement page.

You Don’t Say

Rachelle and I both made the Sweet Sixteen bralette pattern. In fact, we not only both made the same pattern, we found the same material! Yup. It’s gorgeous, and we both loved it. We both almost made the same bralette out of the same material.

That Didn’t Work!  

I had a whoops moment I shared with the other bloggers. I called it when bad things happen to good cups. That gorgeous material I couldn’t resist? I had some technical difficulties with my machine… and then my seam ripper.Yes, that’s a hole in the middle of the cup, probably right about where the apex sits in the cup. There were jokes about leaking cups!

I wasn’t the only blogger who had trouble with my materials. Marsha shared with us how her crepe crept off the table and she cut one side of it 1-inch too deep!

 Kids Say the Cutest Things!

Jessica had a laugh when her toddler asked what she was sewing. She said ‘a bra’, and he replied…” a broccoli?'” Nope. Can’t sew a broccoli! It doesn’t fit with our soft-cupped theme either.

Deb told us her girls loved the nightdresses she made for them. They found them a little cold to sleep in now the weather is turning, but had a perfect solution: They suggested going on vacation. I like they way they think!

Name that Movie!

Michelle made the Romy bra, and Marsha reminded us all of the movie Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion.

Do you think we could get that out of our heads once it got in? Hmm, I wonder if those are soft-cupped bras they’re wearing?

Fitting

A number of us dealt with fitting issues. Cups too big, bands too big. I don’t know if anything fit perfectly the first time around.

There was one comment made to us about the patterns all being for skinny bodies. Nope. That’s not the case. More than one of us does not fit into that category anymore. We really enjoyed calling each other skinny after that though.

We really do have a lot of fun on these tours, and hope you enjoy them too! So, we’ve wrapped everything up, thanked everyone. All that’s left is for you, our readers to win a prize! I want to hear if one of my readers wins a prize!

Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway (This giveaway has ended.)

 

Prizes

Tour Discounts (These tour discounts have ended.)

  • Funky Monkey Fabrics is offering a 10% discount for the duration of the tour. Use code: CC10 for 10% off store wide until October 22nd. Not valid on already discounted full bolts.
  • 20% discount storewide at Fabric Please. Use code CANADACUPS.
  • 10% discount from Central Sewing Machines. Orders must be mailed to Muriel @ centralsewing.com to have the discount applied manually.
  • 10% discount from Midnight Mountain Fabrics. Use the code CANADACUPS10
  • Free shipping from Club Tissus on all orders over $100. Use code: livraison100
  • 10% off a retail purchase from Libelle Sewing with $15 purchase. Use code: CANADACUPS

   If you missed any of the tour, here’s the schedule again.

Sunday, October 15

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Monday, October 16

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Tuesday, October 17

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Wednesday, October 18

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Thursday, October 19

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Friday, October 20

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Saturday, October 21

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Monday, October 23

  • Giveaway winners announced on all the blogs:

Little Heart Threads, Glitter in my Coffee, Michelle’s Creations, Mrs. Weaver’s Finest Unmentionables, Gracious Threads, Élégantine!, That’s Sew Venice, Sprouting Jubejube, Flying by the Seam of my Pants, Filles à Maman

Canada Cups – Coming Unwired in a Bralette

~ Michelle ~ 6 Comments

Hello! Welcome to my stop on the Canada Cups – Coming Unwired blog tour.

This tour is all about soft cupped bras in their many forms, whether it be bralettes, camisoles, or actual soft cupped bras – all designed by Canadian Designers. For my stop, I’m making a bralette from the Pin-up Girls Sweet Sixteen Bralette Collection.

The Pattern

Beverly Johnson is the designer of this pattern. Beverly owns Bra-Makers Supply here in Canada, and is one of our amazing sponsors! Beverly was willing to provide a pattern to a reviewer, but I’m such a pattern hound, I already had a copy of this pattern. Rachelle of That’s Sew Venice gladly accepted that offer though, so we are both making the Sweet Sixteen bralette pattern. You can read Rachelle’s post here.

A Few Details About the Pattern 

Beverly says, “Most would not say “support” and bralette in the same breath, but oddly enough, this one can be very supportive. With the options this pattern offers, this bralette could become your new breast friend! The typical ready-to-wear bralette is only available in smaller sizes..not ours!”

It’s because this pattern offers both support and a fuller range of sizes, that Rachelle and I both wanted to make this bralette. Just so you know, there are 72 sizes included in this pattern.

A little later in the post, I have some ideas to share with you about making this bralette more supportive.

Another Sponsor – Club Tissus

Another of our fabulous tour sponsors right here in Canada is new to me: Club Tissus. They very generously offered the tour bloggers a discount and free shipping to try their merchandise for this tour. Thank you, Club Tissus!

My thoughts were, ‘A deal on lingerie supplies?’ I went to their website right away.

My first impressions were, well, it was all in French. I do know some French, but am not familiar with French material names. Then I found the box in the upper left corner that allows us to switch from French to English. (Whew!) That was better. I had no trouble navigating their site after that.

I bought this gorgeous mesh to use for the cups.

I found everything I needed to make my bralette there except neckline trim elastic. I had some of that in my stash.

Living across the country, mine took four business days to arrive. That’s still really good. I did have one mistake with my order, and after emailing them, they had the right item in the mail within a day.

Set Backs

I had a couple of set backs with my plans for my first bralette (okay, there were three all together) – which is not something you want to happen when a sponsor has donated your material!

My first was mistake with this material wasn’t a mistake, and I should have stuck with it. I simply cut out cups from the material – no matching, just random cut outs. But no, I decided I could do better and I tossed those cups out. (Remember this bit for later.)

Then I decided to use the colored part of the mesh. I didn’t like that once it was cut out and sewn. It was too multi-colored. Those went in the garbage.

Next, I was going to match the patterns. It turned out I wasn’t able to match the print exactly for each cup. No matter where I laid my pattern pieces on the remaining fabric, I could not get a match. Unfortunately, I had already cut out one half of the bra and matching pattern designs takes a lot more material than not matching.

I let that idea go, and just cut out another set of cups – I was right back to what I first did, except it’s three cuts into the material later. I was on my way.While sewing the cups, and then top-stitching them, my machine decided to eat my material and made a big knot! As I gently tried to unpick the knot… I made a hole. 

Sadly, there’s no repairing that, and by this time, I didn’t have enough of this mesh to make new cups. I had to start over.

Take Two

  Thankfully, I was able to make this beautiful bralette with a stretch lace cup, and power net for the band from materials in my stash.

Oh, I love these colors together. This is the Platinum duoplex, power net, and strap elastic from Bra-Makers Supply. The lace is some gorgeous lace I found at Fabricland in Ontario. I really love these together.

I couldn’t find a 4 x 3 hook and eye in Platinum and I didn’t like it in black, beige or ivory, which were all I could find. So I lowered the back where the straps attach to use a 3 x 3 hook and eye.

 Here’s the side view. So very pretty.

 How does it fit? It fit quite well after I shortened the back band.

Here’s the band I cut out based on what I thought were my correct measurements. After re-measuring, I was an inch smaller than I thought. However, I ended up shortening the band to that red broken line. That’s more than just the inch difference. So if you’re making this pattern, which is a great pattern, just know the band fits big.

Once I had the band shortened, it was perfect. I’ve worn this for full days, and it’s very comfortable.

Support 

Using only stretch lace for the cups, I wasn’t expecting this to be the most supportive, but I would say it’s actually better support than any other bralette I own.

I thought of some options to make this pattern more supportive: Lining it with foam, which is an option mentioned in the pattern, but not my preference. Other options could be to line the lace cups with sheer cup lining, or some firm stretch mesh, or even duoplex. All of these would make this very supportive.

PHDs

  There are always the Projects Half Done. This was one of them. A lovely camisole pattern.  I bought the material for it; a gorgeous cotton/silk blend, and this lacy material I thought went well with it. I received the High Neck Camisole pattern from one of our wonderful sponsors, Lingerie Secrets.

As it turns out, I’m actually glad I didn’t get this completed because just before the tour started, I found an even better lace in my stash!The lace is a cotton lace too. I like this so much better than the original material I bought for this.

Thank You

I  want to express my gratitude to these wonderful sponsors for our tour! They’ve donated patterns, fabric, and findings to our bloggers, and have gone above and beyond and donated prizes for you – our readers.

Tour Discounts (These discounts have ended.)

  • Funky Monkey Fabrics is offering a 10% discount for the duration of the tour. Use code: CC10 for 10% off store wide until October 22nd. Not valid on already discounted full bolts.
  • 20% discount storewide at Fabric Please. Use code CANADACUPS.
  • 10% discount from Central Sewing Machines (email your order directly to Muriel@centralsewing.com to receive the discount)
  • 10% discount from Midnight Mountain Fabrics. Use CANADACUPS10 for the code
  • Free shipping from Club Tissus on all orders over $100. Use code: livraison100

 Come back here for our wrap up to enter into a draw for one of the prizes! Just look at these prizes!

Happy creating!

Tour Schedule

Hang with us as we reveal our inner secrets. 😉

 

 

 

 

// Please note that none of these post links are available before the scheduled date. If you click on one too early, you will get an Error 404: Page not found. You know about those, right? //
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Sunday, October 15

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Monday, October 16

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Tuesday, October 17

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Wednesday, October 18

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Thursday, October 19

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Friday, October 20

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Saturday, October 21

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Monday, October 23

  • Giveaway winners announced on all the blogs:

Little Heart Threads, Glitter in my Coffee, Michelle’s Creations, Mrs. Weaver’s Finest Unmentionables, Gracious Threads, Élégantine!, That’s Sew Venice, Sprouting Jubejube, Flying by the Seam of my Pants, Filles à Maman
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Another Watson for Em

~ Michelle ~ 6 Comments

There is nothing so comfortable as a comfortable bra! Or in this case, a comfortable bralette. When a bra is comfortable, there is no feeling of can’t-wait-to-take-it-off. You really forget you have it on. That’s how Em was feeling. She kept telling me how much she loved her Watson, and that she didn’t get home from work and want to take it off right away. I’m so glad.

Em’s last Watson.

This was all just bits of this and that I had in my stash. Despite that, I think it turned out quite lovely.

Hints 

As well as telling me how much she loved it, there were all the hints of what her favorite colors are, that she’d love another one, this was all she wanted to wear…

I got the hints. I dropped a few myself, like you have to buy some materials if you want me to sew you bralettes. Still, I really enjoyed making her something she loved. So… I’m making another one to get my sewjo back.

  Sales

 B,Wear has recently had a few sales. The first one I was aware of was a 35% off sale. I took advantage and I bought some elastics. I’ve found elastics were always what I was seemed to run out of first because I wasn’t willing to unpick it all, especially triple-zigzag stitches!

Along with my elastics, this lovely lace came from Bodil’s B,Wear shop. I used this for Em’s Watson. It’s gorgeous.

I’m matching it up with black to make a striking combination. White lace cups and cradle, black band, straps and findings. Em did say black and white were her favorite color combination.

Other Plans

Originally, I was going to use some more ‘bits’ that were left over in my stash for another bralette. However, once I was sewing with these ‘bits’ I realized the material was terrible! My machine hated it, and I didn’t want to sew with it anymore. After fighting with it and my machine for the better part of a morning, there was one more part that just wasn’t right; I couldn’t face unpicking it again. I turfed it and it felt great!

This is a really thin Lycra material. I still had some leftover after cutting this out, but it’s in a give-away bag now. Someone else might love it, but not me. Not anymore. Along with this, two other very similar Lycra materials are leaving my stash too.

Em’s Second Watson

    Here’s Em’s Watson. I really love how this one turned out as well.

Oh, it’s so pretty. The black and white is so classic.

Here’s the side view: There was a lot of switching thread for this bralette. I only made one little mistake on the first color change. I went over the seam by a couple of stitches.

Other than that, I was quite pleased with all my switching back and forth.

Here’s the back of the bralette.

Seeing as I know this size fits her, I sewed the bow on already. I took advantage of the black and white color scheme to put a black bow on the front.

 Here’s a little tip for keeping these bows in place while getting it all under the presser foot – use a little bit of double-sided tape. You hardly need any, and it will wash away in the laundry, but it keeps it right where you want it until you sew it in place.

There’s only one thing I don’t love about this lovely bralette. The rings and sliders are one size too big. I don’t have any 3/8″ ones. Well, I did have a few but they were plastic, and I know plastic won’t survive being stepped on. (I never asked. I didn’t want to know.) The smallest size I have are 1/2″ ones, and as you can see, they’re a bit too big. I did try moving them, and they seem to stay in place quite well.

The most fun I have sewing for Em is hearing the exclamations coming from the other room when she’s trying something on: “It’s so cute!” I just don’t yell like that over any of my makes for myself. I might have a little more sewjo if I did.

The lace for this bralette came from B,Wear, the elastics from Bra-Makers Supply, the straps from Merckwaerdigh, and the power net from a new supplier to me – Club Tissus.

Happy creating!

Using My Sample Packs

~ Michelle

Something I’ve had for a while now are the Sample Packs from Bra-Makers Supply. When I first ordered them, I was more excited about them than the rest of my order. I could see all the colors of Duoplex at one time, in one place. The same for the Power Net. Only a bra-making geek would be excited about this. There’s a link in the photo if you too want your own sample pack. (No affiliation with Bra-Makers Supply – just love.)

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That’s the photo from the BMS website. Here’s my own Duoplex Sample Pack.

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Here are all my samples:

all-samples

These are the Duoplex, the Regular Power Net, The Cotton Lycra and Tricot Samplers. They really are such fun and very useful. You can find a full listing of all the Sample Packs Bra-Makers Supply carries here.

In the past I’ve show you how I’ve used them. When I purchase a lace or other bra-related material, out come my samples right away to see what I can use to match my purchase.

Here’s a recent one. Merckwaerdigh‘s Etsy shop had a gorgeous Devore Cotton knit bra kit. I’ve learned to not even think about these things. She only ever has one of these treasures, so scoop it up quickly.

devore-cotton-lace

These two photos showing the Devore Cotton are both from Merckwaerdigh’s store.

devore-cotton

Isn’t that pretty? Devore Cotton is also more commonly known as Burnout Knit. Devore Cotton sounds so much more exotic.

However, I know from experience, I need a little more support than this kit will provide. That’s where my Sample Packs come in.

Here are a few of my Duoplex options.

Here’s the Devore Cotton and Light Beige:

dc-and-light-beige

In this photo that looks like a pretty good match, but in person the Duoplex is a little bit lighter than the beige in the cotton.

Here’s the DC with Dark Beige:

dc-and-dark-beige

Hmm. This still isn’t what I’m envisioning. But the beiges are a good match.

Here’s the DC and Platinum:

dc-and-grey

This  was what I was thinking for the kit. I do like this one. The greys are not the same, the BMS one is a little lighter than the one in the DC, but I might be leaning towards this one. I’ve been wanting to make a Platinum bra.

And the DC and Black:

dc-and-black

I think the black makes the DC look washed out, which is definitely not a look I want!

I think I’m going to go with a platinum band and use Sheer Cup lining behind the DC.

Do you have any of the BMS Sample Packs? Do you love them too? Do you have a favorite? What would you use behind the Devore Cotton? Duoplex or Sheer Cup Lining?

Happy Creating!

Prizes and Discounts

~ Michelle ~ 1 Comment

The Canada Cups – Cross Your Heart Relay is all wrapped up, but that doesn’t mean the fun has stopped. Oh, no. We have more fun for you.

First, let’s see our winners!

Giveaway Winners

Are you one of the lucky 10?
  1. Lavender and Lace bra-making class from Braphoria: Reece Montgomery (Canada)
  2. Two $25 CAD store credit certificates (for you and a friend) from Bra-makers Supply: Denise Marie (USA)
  3. Exclusive pre-release Latte bra kit from The Emerald Studio: Jodi Barrington (Canada)
  4. Complete bra kit including findings, underwires, and lace from Uplift Custom Bras: Angela Smith (Canada)
  5. The Sophie Swimsuit online class, incl. PDF pattern from Closet Case Files: Yiling (USA)
  6. $50 CAD store credit from Blackbird Fabrics: Chelle (USA)
  7. $25 CAD gift card from Ann’s Fabric Shop & a PDF pattern from Jalie: Jeannie (USA)
  8. $50 CAD gift card from Central Sewing Machines: Patricia (Canada)
  9. Complete bra kit from Custom Bras: Kelly Boggs (Canada)
  10. The 10th prize is a bundle of 3 classes from Craftsy, worth more than $200 USD. Their Giveaway is still open until tonight, 11:59 PM MST. This winner will be notified directly by Craftsy.

Did you win? If not, we have a number of tour sponsors who have not only donated prizes, but have also very graciously provided discounts for us.

Just look at all these sponsors! A very BIG thank you to all of them for participating with us!

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I hope you enjoyed our tour as much as we did making it. Let me know if you win, or if you decided to make something new as a result of our tour. I’ve already heard from one woman who said she “was motivated to finish her foam cup bra and make a lace one after reading the review on the Foam, Lace & Beyond class.” That is so great to hear. Did our tour motivate you?

Happy creating!

A Review of Sewing Panties Construction & Fit

~ Michelle ~ 125 Comments

Welcome to Michelle’s Creations for the Canada Cups – Cross Your Heart Relay blog tour, 2016.

banner-improvedI hope you’re enjoying all of our makes and reviews so far. This time around, I’m reviewing Beverly Johnson’s new Panty class and so is Deb, my booty buddy, from Sprouting JubeJube. Make sure after you read my post, you hop on over to read Deb’s thoughts on the class. If you started with Deb’s review, welcome here!  I do know Deb has been really busy with all her makes and has them all here in a separate write-up than her class review.

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Don’t you love Craftsy? It really is the best. They offer online classes that never expire, and in so many different categories (sewing, cooking, gardening, painting…); the instructors they get are the best and they answer your questions; Craftsy offers kits and supplies as well. They really are great!

You’ll see in my sidebar menu, I’m an affiliate with Craftsy. I decided to do this because I can do this without any compromise. I really do think they’re great. You won’t see me stand behind everything. But Craftsy, I do.

Back to Sewing Panties Construction & Fit. I started watching. I watched the class half way through the first night. Then got up the next morning and watched the rest of it. I felt ready and confident to draft my own panties which was something I’d wondered if I could really do before the class.

Beverly assures us that drafting our own panties isn’t hard. It’s just a few simple measurements. Then she proceeds to show us just how to do it. This photo is from Craftsy showing Beverly making her master panty pattern.

She was absolutely right! It’s not hard.

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The drafting of the panty is very reminiscent of Suzy Furrer’s Sloper classes. Once we’ve drafted our pattern, Beverly moves on to show us the three basic styles of panties – Brief, Hipster, and Bikini – and how to make each one from our own master pattern.

From those three styles, Beverly shows some more variations like making your own French cut panties. There is also a style with the seams in the front. I had just been looking at the Make Bra DL21 pattern. I’d read great reviews on them and how the seams didn’t show at all. I’m going to try my hand at drafting my own!

My big question is how will my class-drafted pattern compare to my favorite pattern?

Before I made a pair up, I wanted to compare my class-drafted pattern to my favorites: Kwik Sew 2286.

Here are both back pattern pieces – the black outline is the class-drafted pattern; the white pattern piece is my 2286 pattern:

back 2

The pencil wasn’t showing up very well in the photo, so I redrew the lines in black on my computer. The class-drafted Hipster hits the center back exactly the same as my 2286s. The hip sits a bit higher on the class-drafted pair. As well, the class-drafted back is a bit wider in the hip and gives a little more cheek coverage. I had no idea my 2286s were cheeky!

I was thinking about the size difference, and remembered Beverly does suggest in the class to start with a 20% reduction when drafting the pattern. Clearly, my 2286s have more than 20% reduction, which shows even more on the front piece.

Front

Again, the front is bigger on my class-drafted pair. And the Hipster line sits a little lower. The leg opening on the front of my class-drafted pair (again, outlined in black) is definitely lower, and that would be something I’d want to change.

Gusset

The class-drafted gusset is shorter and although you can’t tell in the photo, it’s a touch narrower as well. I’d even narrowed the gusset pattern piece on my 2286s.

For my panties, I’m going to use my favorite 2286s like I often use my sloper – to help me get the fit I want. I will change the leg opening on the front, lengthen the gusset a tiny bit, and since I haven’t found my 2286s to be too small at all, I will narrow the class-drafted pattern.

It’s time for new panties! New, drafted-to-my-measurements, incorporating-all-the-aspects-of-my-favorite-pattern, and matching-my-new-bra new panties. These are not just any panties!

panties on table

Oh, I like these. I incorporated the lace application on the legs the same as my 2286s, and did a lace front panel to match my bra.

I wanted to show you a few more details. One of the things I’ve learned making my own panties is the side seam is a weak spot when you’re using lace on the front like this. So, for these panties, I used a 1/2″ strip of knit interfacing to reinforce the seam.

reinforement

As well, having a lace front isn’t quite the same without some elastic. It will often be too loose. So a little bit of lingerie elastic behind the lace is hardly visible, but makes a big difference when you’re wearing them.

Elastic behind the lace

I like everything to look as nice inside as out. I pin my lace out of the way and use my Pinking blade to trim away the excess fabric.

Pinking the edges

There’s only one more thing to add. This is one of the bows I made for my bra.

One more thing to add

Here’s my matching set.

Full set on table 2

 I love them both!

Set on Catherine 3

I loved making self-drafted panties, but that wasn’t all I made. As well as making these panties, I reviewed a pattern.

 

 Here are the panties I made:

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Yes, it’s the Pin-Up Girls Boy Short Collection.

Along with covering Beverly’s newest class, Deb from Sprouting JubeJube and I are both reviewing panty patterns, but not the same pattern. I’m reviewing the Pin-Up Girls Boy Short Collection. Although I know what pattern Deb is making, I’m not going to tell. You’ll have to go to Deb’s blog to see her pattern review and all her makes. She really did make some lovely panties, and we found out we love the same materials. Really. We have the same Cotton Lycra stash. That’s all I’m saying.

Let me show you the Boy Shorts I made.

Front of panty

 They look just like Boy Shorts, but they also looked bigger than what I usually wear.

comparison

And they are bigger. To be totally honest here, they looked HUGE to me!  It’s mostly the different shape. Boy shorts have material over the leg and what I usually wear doesn’t. Oh my! Here they are being compared to my favorite Kwik Sew 2286s. I know what size not to use so my next pair will fit.

The best part of these panties is the back. I made view 4. They really have a super cute back and I will use this feature in the future.

Back lace detail

Isn’t that a lovely detail?

I want to thank Bra-Makers Supply for providing me with the Pin-Up Girls Boy Short Collection, and Craftsy for providing me with the class Sewing Panties Construction & Fit.

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Tour Schedule Itinerary

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

Canada Cups Logo Draft

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Saturday, September 17

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bloggers

A big thank you to our wonderful bloggers. They’ve all done such a great job!

Happy creating!