Shelley

Fits Like A Dream

~ Michelle

My newest bra fits like a dream, but she isn’t peaches and cream.

For the better part of the last two years I’ve only worn my own bras. I did purchase a couple of bras too, but to be honest, the ones I made fit better – and they weren’t fitting perfectly. Because I was so used to wearing what I’d made, I thought I’d still wear my not-perfectly-fitting bras, but oh no. Once I had one that fit so well, I found the others just weren’t as comfortable. I have a list of things to sew, but one bra just wasn’t enough. So sewing another bra went to the top of my sewing list.

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Here’s my latest (and perfectly fitting) Pin Up Girls Shelley. And she fits like a dream.

I love that little pop of color on the power bar and bridge. That’s just fun. And I’m all about lace. So this bra is bringing together lace and a bit of fun and I’m thrilled.

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Here’s a better view of the power bar. Oh, I love that. This is such a beautiful pattern. There are so many fun things to do with it. Although the power bar looks like Lycra, it has the support of duoplex under it. I did the same on the bridge. The Lycra and lace are from an older fabric set I bought from Merckwaerdigh‘s store a few years ago. Everything else is from Bra Makers Supply.

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Here you can see the Sewy Rebecca I’d done with this material. You can also see I made the wrong size. I still have this bra in the bra drawer – it’s too pretty to throw away or cut up. Back to the material,  I don’t have a lot left, so I got creative in the placement of what I did use on the bra. I wanted to save some for panties. Yup, now that I have my bra fit down, I’m going to start making matching bra and panty sets.

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And the back of my bra. I did the 3 x 3 hook and eye closure again. I’m getting better at getting it done up and undone, and it really does make it more comfortable. Who knew?

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Here’s part of my stash for panties. That’s some gorgeous cotton/spandex from Bra Makers Supply, and my bit of Lycra left over from the kit from Merckwaerdigh, and some black lace for trim. I also found some pictures online for inspiration. I’m thinking of changing up my panties from the basic pattern I have now. I really love things that are asymmetrical, and love that I found some fun panties with just that look.

One of the best aspects of this journey I’ve been on with trying to find the perfect fit for my bras is the freedom I now feel in altering patterns. I used to feel they were somehow beyond my grasp and I wouldn’t think of altering them. I have no such fear now!

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And lastly, I’m trying to decide what color bows I want on my new bra. I’m leaning towards the red, or maybe red and black together …

I still have some fitting issues to plan for when starting out, but I did the same thing on this bra – I went up a cradle size from my wire size. This takes care of most of my cup alterations as it’s only one size different than the cup size I’m using. Is that clear?

Let me explain that a bit more. The Omega shape needs a larger cup size than wire. Let’s say I need a 38 wire, but my cup corresponds to a 42 wire. I’m meeting the two half way in between. By using the 40 cradle, the 38 wire will still fit, and so will the 42 cup. This one change eliminated a lot of alterations.

However, I still made a few. I thinned the bra under the cup  little more this time, so I ended up trimming my elastic under the channeling. I lowered the bridge 1/2″ again, and on this bra I adjusted for a flat spot I have. And I put in a vertical dart in the underarm area. I don’t think there are any other alterations I would even want to make on this bra.

Ah… a perfectly fitting bra feels so good.

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!

A Lot of Jewelry, Not a Lot of Sewing… Yet

~ Michelle

Our new space is working out quite well. My DH and I are sharing a computer desk, and we’re actually sharing it. (smile) We both have laptops, so he gets his side, and I get my side. So far, so good.

My crafting desk looks a lot better than in the last picture I shared, but I’m not done setting up. I have a storage cabinet coming in a week or so, and after that things should be much neater. I’ll post a picture after that.

So, what have I been working on? Well, it seems mostly jewelry. However, I did pull out some bra patterns, but I need a big sign on my desk to remind myself not to try to make pattern adjustments after 11 p.m. at night. To be honest, it was closer to 1 in the morning by time I realized my brain really doesn’t want to do this type of thing – at that time of night!

But it’s bright and early in the morning right now, and definitely wintry outside, so this morning is a perfect time to  work on some adjustments to my pattern.

I’m going to make adjustments to my Fantasie Vivienne clone. I really do like the overall fit to this bra. What I don’t like? The bridge is too wide for me. It’s about an inch wide at the top, and I’m not. So I’m going to adjust that. And the wire that’s in the bra is too short for the side panel. There’s more than a half-inch part that flops down when I’m wearing it. So I’m going to adjust that as well, and more than just the amount needed for the bra – the wires I have are not the same length as commercial wires. I’ll need to lower the bridge/underarm area over an inch just to make up for the difference in wires.

A few other modifications I think I’ll make are ones suggested in the Bra Makers Manual, like doubling the power net for the band to give more support. I did that in one of my first Shelley bras. This bra (below) has power net and Lycra and I love how the band feels on this – very firm and secure feeling.

Front View w Foam Cups

Here are a few things I’ve been making in the jewelry classes I’m instructing.

Pearl Turquoise Necklace 11.13.13

I love this necklace & earring set. I made the earrings first in my Introduction to Wire Wrapping class. They’re freshwater pearls and turquoise. I like the stone combination so much, I decided to make a necklace with the same stones the next day in my Introduction to Crimping class. These were from last week.

And I made this necklace as well – just last night. And will likely make a pair of earring to go with this one too.

Mate Onxy Necklace 11.20.13

I think this is so pretty. This is made with matte jasper and dragon blood stones.

This is getting a bit long, but one more quick note. I really loved working with felt recently, and signed up for the Fab Felt holiday class on Craftsy. I bought some cute holiday material yesterday for the poinsettia class on there. I’m sure I’ll have one done before I post again, so you can see what I’ve done.

Stay warm! Did I mention it was -23 C yesterday?

Happy creating!

An Ivory Shelley with a Custom Bridge

~ Michelle

One shouldn’t decide to change the bra she’s making 3/4s of the way through. But I did. And I didn’t have the supplies for the change! So, a call to Bra-Makers, and a week waiting for the mail… and then some time to sew. And it’s done!

Here’s my most recent Shelley, and this one has a custom bridge, as well as some adjustments I made after my last Shelley. I used information from Norma’s book to do the bridge. This bra is in a very lovely ivory color.

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This is pretty good in terms of fit. I will have to fiddle with it a bit. When I did the new bridge, it changed the size of the cradle. When I first put the wires in and tried it on, the wires were flipping outward. I knew this one from another bra I’d made – the wires were too small for the cradle. So, having tried many sizes in and around my size, I have extra wires on hand. I grabbed the next size up and no more flipping.

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Here’s a close-up of the bridge. It’s still very narrow at the top, and lower too, to better fit the length of my wire. The above picture is also a better indication of the color of the bra.

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Here’s the side view. It has a nice smooth fit into the cradle. I’m thinking it still may be a bit fuller on the sides than I want. However, it does fit! And the bridge is going all the way back. So the only real fitting issue I would have with this one is the wires are one size too big.

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And the back. I did do what I saw in the boutique and used the same wide strap elastic at the back to connect to the straps as I was using on the straps. I was quite pleased with the look. As well, I used the same wide strap tape to join to the elastic. That was something I noticed and decided to try – all the straps were using wider strap elastic.

And finally:

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And a dart. Lowering the bridge means I have to do something to make the upper cup fit into the new lower bridge. On this bra I pinned the cup starting at the underarm, and then pinned around leaving just a bit unpinned between the top of the bridge and bottom. Then I saw how much I needed to take out of the cup. I pinned it and did a dart there – which is very close to what that Prima Donna Milady looked like. The big difference between the two bras is I’m not using a foam liner in the cup.

I did like the dart and it looks quite nice on. I may try something different next time too. I had another idea of how to make the cup fit with the lower bridge – like shortening the lower edge where the upper and lower cup join. Overall, pretty good!

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!

Sew-along Test III

~ Michelle

I really have to admit I don’t like the challenge of having to alter patterns. It is my reality, so I do need to just get past the dislike of it and do it. But I do ‘wish’ every time I’m going to sew, that I could simply make the pattern as is, or much closer to as is.

My tester of the Danglez bra didn’t go past the tester bra. I decided from my experience with the tester that it wasn’t going to be something I’d love. The band was very wide, and seemed too wide for a smaller frame. The band also sat very low on my body. I could try the cups again but with a different band, and I may do that at some point in the future.

I did decide to tackle the Sewy Rebecca Bra again. This time I used Duoplex for the lower cups rather than Lycra.

Another one of my must-admit-to-self truths is I need the support the Duoplex offers, and Lycra just won’t do it for me – even when it’s been interfaced.

So, I pulled out my Rebecca pattern again, and this time made three testers. My first tester was a complete experiment. I made my normal upper cup and 2 sizes smaller lower cup. That didn’t work, but the lower cup fit perfectly into the cradle.

For my second tester, I tried one size smaller lower cup. I must say I was impressed with the ‘oomph’ it gave, but it didn’t really fit either.

So, for my third tester, I made both upper & lower cups in my size and took in the lower cup with small darts to fit it into the smaller cradle.

Tester bra III front view

Here’s my tester from the front. I used black & brown Duoplex, so it doesn’t look the best, but hey, this is only a test.

I also made the bridge a little bit smaller; so much so that the wires actually cross over one another at the top of the bridge.

Tester Bra III inside view

Here is the inside of the tester. For the tester I also used Vertical wires rather than the normal long wires. I’ve decided I really do like the fit of them better, so will adjust my patterns to be a little higher at the underarm side of the cradle to accommodate them.

Long wire compared to Vertical Wire

You can see here the difference between a 38 Long and the 40 Vertical wire. The Vertical one comes up and in a little more. Even though I did like the fit,  my pattern had already been cut when I thought about trying this.

I must say, I LOVED the experience of a sew-along, and all the wonderful learning from one another. It was like taking a mini-course. I’m actually thinking of printing it off and putting the Sew-Along in a binder to refer to easily when sewing. Amy did a GREAT job! Norma was a tremendous help to all who had questions too, and everyone’s input really made it.

I definitely will make tester bras again in the future – likely every time I try a new pattern, but my next bra is going to be the Shelley again. I have some beautiful fabrics just waiting for a TNT (Tried ‘n’ True) pattern, and I think I’m ready for a pattern & sewing experience that will work out because the hard work’s already been done.

Next the finished Sewy Rebecca, and a few jewelry pieces I LOVE.

Happy creating!