Prima Donna

How Do I Store My Stash

~ Michelle ~ 4 Comments

A fellow bra-maker asked me what type of system I have for storing my stash. So I thought I’d share with you how I store all my precious materials.

A few years ago, a friend was moving and getting rid of a lot of things. I scored this cabinet from her. She’d used it for her kitchen, but I brought it home and put it in my sewing room.

Cabinet

I love my cabinet! The only thing I did to change it was to add some adhesive paper to the shelves. I can close the doors and if it’s not all nice and neat inside, well, I don’t have to look at it.

Here’s the inside:

Whole-Cabinet-Inside

I have a few cute craft items I’ve made glued onto the doors on the left side, as well as all the parts of a Prima Donna bra. On the right side I have my knit and woven Slopers, the Bra-Makers Supply Small and Large Finding kits contents, and an info page from Needle Nook Fabrics.

From the top left to right, I have Cotton Spandex at the back, then stretch lace elastics (for making panties), then in front of that I have my prized swatches from BMS showing the colors of all their Duoplex, Power Net, and Cotton Spandex. In front of that I have ribbons for making bows. The ribbons are probably the only thing I have in my stash that not in a plastic bag.

Next I have my box of bra-making Elastics, with a box of adjusted patterns on top of that. Here are my elastics:

Elastics-Box

Everything is sorted by size and type. The channeling is all in one zip bag. The 3/4″ elastic in another. It is not sorted by color though. If I’m looking for 3/4″ elastic, it’s easy enough to see black from beige in the bag.

Next to the Elastics box are the Laces box which sits on top of the Threads and Wires box. All the laces are still in their plastic for safe keeping. You might be wondering at this point, why I keep almost everything in plastic. I didn’t start that way. One day when I reached into my box for some lace, there was a dead spider in the box. I packaged everything up that same day. I’m not sharing my stash with spiders or any other bugs!

Laces-Box

In my Threads and Wires box you can see I keep my threads and bobbins together in little bags too. That way I never have to wonder if that’s the right shade of pink that matches my good thread for bra-making – my spools and bobbins stay together. The wires are all in a bag according to their size.

Wires-and-Threads-Box

The far right side of the top shelf contains binders with ideas and photos that have inspired me and sewing tutorials I’ve printed off. Lastly there are patterns in large over-sized envelopes.

That’s the top shelf. The second shelf has my Bra Kits box, and my Bits O Kits box. Any kits I’ve bought, as well as Duoplex, Power Net, and cup lining all go in the Kits box. Any bits I have that can’t make a whole bra go in the Bits box. No photos of that as it’s really a rather messy box and I really need to go through it again and trim down what I have in there.

Bra-Kits-Box

These top shelves are the treasures of my stash. But I still have two more shelves to go.

The third shelf in my cabinet has an assortment of fabrics for other than bra sewing. Material I’ve collected for bags, skirts and other fun sewing.

2nd-Up-from-Bottom-Shelf

That red and black material is going to be my next Flirt Skirt (still my favorite!).

The bottom shelf has more material, but it’s all in smaller amounts. There’s also felt on the bottom for any fun felt crafts I want to make. And there’s a small basket for my button jar and a few tools, like my Hot Fix tool.

Bottom-Shelf

At the back of the bottom shelf is the quilting table for my sewing machine, and some over-sized interfacing.

I do need to rethink where I’ll be storing my interfacing. I just may need more storage.

Happy creating!

Beige Lace Overlay

~ Michelle

With this Beige Lace Overlay bra, I feel I have my beige bra wardrobe complete. I have enough of a basic color to now branch out. I won’t be able to do that tomorrow, but hopefully soon.

Here’s my latest bra – the Beige Lace Overlay:

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This style is the same as the last beige bra I made. I was so happy with the lace on that bra, I decided I’d do the same again. My thinking was if the lace is different, then it feels completely different – at least to me. (smile)

All the materials are from Bra Makers Supply – including the pattern, but it isn’t the original pattern. What I’ve done is taken the Classic Full band pattern and altered it significantly to fit me. I’ve altered the cradle, the bridge, the upper cups and the lower cups, drew my own band based on a Prima Donna band. Heck I even alter the wires.

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Here’s a close up of the front. You can see here the lace doesn’t go all the way to the top of the upper cup – but lays over the upper cup. It’s a very pretty option for this style. You can also see how the upper cup curves with the style. This style is described in the Bra Makers Manual as a Fake Demi Cup. It still gives the coverage of a full cup.

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And this photo is just because I really love adding bows to cover the strap seam. It is such a pretty feature.

I won’t show the back or sides of this bra as they are the same as what I usually do – so no changes there. However, I do want to show you something else I thought to share with you. I remember when I first started making bras. Knowing where to cut the channeling was always a bit fuzzy for me. It was rather hit and miss for a while. Sometimes it ended up under the upper band elastic, but sometimes not. I would just zigzag over it in those cases. it still worked, but wasn’t quite as pretty as I was wanting. Then I figured out a way to do it.

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You can see here I’ve folded my upper band elastic over to where I will sew it, but it’s not sewn down  yet. It’s not even pinned yet. Then I lay the channeling over that. This gives me a clear visual to use. I’m holding the channeling here for the picture because it just didn’t want to lay flat. Pins come in so handy, don’t they?

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And once I see where I want to cut it – where the top of the channeling will lay under the elastic – then I cut it. I also cut it on a bit of an angle. I follow the slope of the band rather than cutting it straight across the top of the channeling.

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And here you can see how neatly the 3-step zigzag finishes that channeling. I hope this helps.

One last bit here, do you remember this?

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I’m in the hunting-gathering stage for this project. I’m collecting laces to put together to make my own version of this beautiful bra Amy Relf made. I LOVED this, and have the picture beside my sewing desk to remind me to work on this.

Happy creating!

La Bella Luna

~ Michelle

I hope all my Canadian and American readers both had wonderful holidays. Canada’s birthday is July 1st, and America’s is July 4th. Let me tell you, there’s one week a year where most of the continent is celebrating.

I just finished the cloned bra I made for a friend of mine. and it looks so pretty. Prettier than the pictures show. And she LOVED it. She exclaimed when she saw it that it was prettier than the original. Well, that made me feel good!

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She chose Ivory & Pink for her colors. And they really do look so nice together. All supplies came from Bra Makers Supply. Here’s a close up of the set we bought at Bra Makers Supply.

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And the back of  her bra.

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It all went together quite smoothly. Cloning is easier than pattern adjusting!

There were a few things I noticed on this bra that were a bit different than I was expecting. One was on the original bra, the manufacturer only used 1/2″ band elastic – if it was that wide. I was really surprised when I saw it and how narrow it looked. I didn’t measure it, but honestly, it looked like the same as the upper band elastic. I changed that to 5/8th width which is more supportive and should be more comfortable.

Changing the size of the elastic meant I had to add that extra bit to the pattern I traced. That wasn’t a problem, but there was not room for all that elastic under the cups. So, with bated breath, I followed the advice Beverly gave in a recent blog. She explains how to cut the elastic so it will fit under the wire.

I read her blog and thought, ‘that makes sense’, but then when it came time to actually cut the elastic! Oh, my! What a terrifying feeling. I had just spent hours sewing this bra… and it’s for someone else… and she paid for all the materials… and I’m about to cut it! Can you feel the drama there? Well, I can tell you I’m so very thankful it all turned out.

But I didn’t just cut the elastic. That was too big a step for me, so I took a preparation step first. To help me feel more comfortable cutting, I folded the elastic over the seam where the cups were sewn into the cradle – that same seam the channeling will be sewn onto – and then traced on the elastic where I could feel the seam underneath the elastic. Sorry, no pictures of that. I was busy holding my breath that it would all work out! Then I simply cut along that traced line. It all worked perfectly. When I do this again, I’ll take pictures to show you.

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On this slightly blurry picture (Sorry, technical difficulties), you can see the elastic is much wider at the lower bridge than what can possibly fit under the channeling. Trimming the elastic is a great option.

As well, on the above picture you can (barely) see the seam in the bridge. That was another one of the surprises I found on the original bra. Most patterns I’ve come across have the bridge cut on the fold. This original bra had a seam in the bridge. So I added a seam allowance to the bridge, and seamed both the duoplex on the front of the bra and the sheer cup lining.

Again, not super clear, is the lower cup of this bra is lined and there is a vertical seam in the lining. It shows up much better in this photo of the original bra.

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That seam line that is visible is actually in the lining, not in the lower cup. So I copied that as well.

The only finishing touch I’d still like to add are a couple of bows to cover the strap seams. They always make it look so much prettier.

One last surprise on this original bra was the lower cup fabric is stretchy! That one doesn’t even make sense. When dealing with cups larger than a C why would a manufacturer use stretchy fabric? It’s not supportive. So one negative is my friend said she could use a little more room in the lower cup. It fits and she’s still thrilled with it, but we’re thinking of changing things up for her next bra. I’m thinking the Shelley bra will be perfect for her.

And lastly, my friend, Jan, really loved her apron. She wanted a picture of her wearing it for the blog. Not only her wearing the apron, but she grabbed a spatula from the kitchen to make it look like she was busy cooking too.

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Happy creating!

I’m Copying Again

~ Michelle

I’ve come full circle in my blogging. I started off with a blog called I’m a Copy Cat. Well, it’s been over a year of bra-making and I’d promised myself that even if I was hugely successful at bra-making, once a year I buy a good quality bra and copy it. I don’t know that I’ve been hugely successful, but I certainly can  make a bra.

So I went back to the boutique and bought one of those bras I’d tried on and treated myself.

Vivienne Fantasie

Here’s the bra I bought – but that’s not me in the picture. This is a very pretty bra, and I do like how supportive it is. It’s a Fantasie Vivienne in berry.

Once I got it home, something was bothering me a little. You know, just one of those nagging things in the back of your mind. Then I realized what it was – the underwires weren’t as big as some of the Prima Donna’s I’ve had in the past. The Prima Donna’s are really too big on me, but this one is only about a size too big.

I couldn’t figure this out. From everything I looked at in size charts, the wire should have been the same size of wire as the Prima Donna’s.

To begin, I got my stash of wires out and laid them over the bra’s channeling. I wasn’t getting a match though. This was really bothering me, so out came the seam ripper and I opened the channeling under the arm. I know how to fix it again, so I thought why not? Although I will say it was the first time I’ve ever ripped out stitches on a new bra!

I took out the wire and to my great surprise, it’s a Vertical wire! I was SO very surprised by that. I had to be sure though, so I went to Bra-Makers Supply’s web page and printed out their forms for Vertical wires. Just look under Information to Download, and it’s in that list.

Interestingly, the wire in the bra wasn’t quite a 44VW, but not a 42VW either. Just slightly bigger than the 42VW wire. When I tried the Vertical wires, I was informed that a 40VW corresponds to a 38 wire. I found the 40VW a bit small, so 42VW would be the size for me. And I find this only a tiny bit big. That means very little alterations for me!

And I’ve mentioned this before, but Vertical wires are a much better fit for women like me, dealing with what Beverly Johnson refers to in her manuals as the Omega shape. I had no idea there were bras on the market that used Vertical wires!

I also thought I’d mention a great resource, just in case you’re wanting to clone a bra. For me, it originally came from my first Threads magazines purchase. Sadly, it’s an out of print issue from Feb/March 2002 (#99). Beverly Johnson wrote an article called “Clone a Favorite Bra”. There’s a review of this article  on Pattern Review. I recommend it as well.

But don’t be discouraged that you can’t get that magazine back issue; the same information as the article is in the Bra-Makers Manual; the only big difference is the article had photos with it; the information in the manual has illustrations.

Happy creating!

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!

The Shelley – without Seam Allowance

~ Michelle ~ 12 Comments

I still have a hard time believing I did this. I actually worked on the pattern, making sure the underarm area was shortened, and the allowance was made in the pattern for the Omega shape – but I forgot to add a seam allowance to the pattern! And it all went together so nicely that I didn’t notice until I tried it on!

All that upset aside, it turned out very well and looks so pretty.

Shelley Bra Full Band Beige Omega Design Front View

Here is the Shelley from the front. I love the lace I used here. All the materials are from Bra-Makers Supply. I decided to do something a little different with the lace and used a little flower I cut out to cover the front seam on the band where it joins to the bridge. I applied it before sewing in the cups or sewing the elastic to the lower edge. I was quite pleased with that little detail.

Shelley Bra Full Band Beige Omega Design Side View

Here is the side view. Do you notice, there are no little gathers at the bottom of the cup? I made some alterations to the pattern and I am so happy with them. I actually took it in at the corners on the bottom so it would fit into the cup perfectly and it did! So, that means no more darts or ‘easing’ the cup into a smaller opening.

Something I’d been wondering – and I’d need someone who has much more technical experience with pattern drafting to let me know if I’m correct or not – if I’m using a D for my wire size, then is the D cup pattern the correct size for the base of my pattern. I’m dealing with two different sizes, so I was just wondering.

My wondering led me to check. and I pulled out the D pattern and compared the pattern I’d made and it fit. So, now I’m thinking I could [possibly] make my patterns by starting with a D and then graduating it up to the F cup I need. Hmm, some more playing with patterns is ahead.

Shelley Bra Full Band Beige Omega Design Back View

And this is the back. I’m very happy with it as well. I based this on a Prima Donna bra I had and took apart to clone. I haven’t done that yet, but did decide to copy the back. I will need to make my fabric straps longer if I do this again. There was no ‘extra’ in that strap.

As well, the hooks are a little wonky (is that a word?). I’ve been having a bit of trouble with my zigzag handling the fabrics for lingerie. I’ve spoken someone in the education department of Elna (my sewing machine brand). They suggested using a walking foot to help with that. I haven’t tried that yet though. I had a few problems with the stitches bunching up on this bra in a few places. I wonder if anyone else is having the same problems?

Even though I left out the seam allowance when I made this, and the cups aren’t quite deep enough as a result, I’m still very happy with this bra. I now have my pattern with adjusted seam allowances, and am ready to sew it again.

Before I do, I’m planning on joining Amy on her Bra-Making Sew Along.

Happy creating!