A little bit girly...

I have more unfinished bras to show you.  Who was it that talked about the difference between blog-finished and finished?  Well, these aren't even blog-finished, but by the time the wires arrive, I think I will be in the throes of Christmas preparations.

These were made using the Emilia kit from elingeria.  

For the first set, I started with the bra pattern in  my previous post and altered it to become a 2-piece cup with vertical seams.  The cups are padded.  Whilst I wait for the right wires, I have inserted some other wires which are a bit longer and more tightly "sprung" than my usual wires.

The briefs were cut off an old Bendon pair I had.  The lycra is reasonably firm, so these are more of the fuller, suck-it-in variety.

Whilst these were all very pretty, I didn't think the padded version showed off the lace to all its beauty, so I decided to make an unpadded version.  It is a bit of a squeeze to get 2 sets out of the single length of lace, so I decided to make a partial band version.  I followed drafting instructions to make a partial bra band.  To modify the cups for a partial band bra, it is necessary to add a seam allowance width (6mm) to the wire line of the pattern pieces.  This is to account for the fact that on a partial band bra the wires sit inside the cups, whilst on a full banded bra, the wires generally sit outside the cup.  I also removed some of the curvature from the bust seam, to account for the fact that my fabric was stretchy.

For the first set, I purchased a pink ribbon to match the darker pink in the lace.  I didn't really like the look of this when attached, so for the second set, I used ivory ribbon.  Yes, I have sewn it off-centre on the knickers, and maybe one day this will annoy me enough that I take it off and redo it?

The knickers are a softer style than the ones above, using mesh instead of the lycra, in the same style as those in my previous post.  The fabrics and elastics would not behave whilst I was sewing these, and I unpicked them and redid them about 4 times.  Which is really off-putting.  Then I was pleasantly surprised to put them on and discover that sewing them 4 times does not make them less comfortable or less pretty than if they had worked out the first time, and that inanimate objects are really not imbued with the emotions of their maker!

A little bit lacy...

I was hoping to have these finished to show you, but today was parcel day, and the underwires I ordered didn't arrive.  The parcels only come in here once per week.  So you will see that the channeling at the CF of this bra is not trimmed and sewn in place.

This set was made using the Gabi kit from Elingeria, though I have used black power mesh and black mesh from my stash instead of the black lycra supplied.  I have some lace left over, so I will use the lycra in another project.

I am making my way through the chapters of my book "Patternmaking for Underwear Design" by Kristina Shin.  In this chapter, I modified a previous draft to create a 2-dart bra cup, which enables lace to be used without being cut into pieces.  A new draft for the foam lining was also drawn, using a 3 piece cup, which you can see in the next photograph down.

Actually, if you look, you will see that I did not do a good job of assembling the bra, as the cups are uneven at the centre front.  I'm not sure why this went wrong, except maybe that the black was difficult to see as I was sewing.  Normally I would unpick and re-do, but the lace was so fine, I feared that I would damage it during the unpicking.

The other trick that I learned in this chapter was to mark the low point of the lace scallops on the patterns, to enable more accurate cutting.  In the diagram above, you can see that I wanted a low point at the CF of the cups and where the strap extension joins the main cup.

Last year, I had a splurge on an Elle Macpherson underwear set.  Being the thrifty sewer that I am, I made a pattern from the knickers before I started wearing them.  The design and construction is quite unusual.  The front is made from lace.  The back is made from a double layer of mesh.  There is a CB seam.  Each CB piece is cut on the fold, with the fold-line being the leg line.  There is no elastic along the back leg line.  The original pair had clear elastic supporting the lace along the front leg line,  I used narrow beige elastic on my version, because I always struggle with that clear elastic.  The crotch has elasticated sides, but you cannot see the elastic.  It is encased between the mesh outer crotch and the cotton inner crotch, with stitching only visible on the inner side.

(Edited:  Audrey asked me what the fit of these was like.  You can see the net-a-porter model wearing the same style here.)

It took me a little bit of brain power to work out how to assemble these, so I have documented the steps taken

Cutting - lace for fronts, 2 back pieces cut on fold in mesh, one crotch in mesh, one crotch in cotton.

1.  Assemble the fronts (front pieces will depend on the design of the lace used).
2.  Elasticate the front legs.
3.  Lay the left back on top of the right back and stitch both the CB seams (one seam will be the outer CB seam and the other will be the lining CB seam) in the mesh.  Mesh does not have a right or wrong side, but turn to "right side out".
4.  Stitch crotch lining to outer crotch along leg line, right sides together.  Attach elastic within the seam allowances, on the cotton lining side.  Turn in the right way, and zig-zag the elastic to the cotton side only (this is a little bit fiddly).
5.  Turn crotch back out the wrong way.  Sandwich front between crotch and crotch lining and stitch.  Turn crotch right side out again.
6.  Line up CB seam on mesh lining and mesh outer back.  Sandwich back crotch between mesh back and mesh lining and stitch.  Turn right side out.
7.  Stitch side seams (I encased mine between the two layers of mesh, but the original pair were overlocked together).
8.  Stitch CB seam of outer mesh and inner mesh together, as far as practicable.
9.  Elasticate waist.

You can see that they are a little more work than your average pair of knickers.  The result is both comfortable and pretty though.

A little bit fun...

I know I promised you location shots, but I have been on a swimwear / underwear sewing crusade lately, which I prefer not to photograph "on location".  Here is a shot of my backyard though.  I think this is the first time in my adult life that I have lived in a house with a Hills Hoist.  For the past years I have been living with that other Australian icon, the "under the house".

The knickers here were made from Amy's fabulous Rosy Ladyshorts lingerie pattern.   The pattern was originally designed for stretch lace, but I did not have any on hand.  I did have this very bright mesh that I ordered online years ago, which brighter than I expected when it arrived.

Actually, the whole project was masterpiece in nobbling together bits and pieces from my stash.  The stretch lace elastic was some that I picked up from Cozy Ma's in Cairns when I passed through a few weeks ago, with no specific project in mind.  Of course, with knickers this bright, I needed to make a matching bra.  The findings for the bra were from a findings kit I bought from Merkwaerdigh.  I think the heart motifs on the straps were a perfect match for the fabric!  I think I have mentioned previously that I had to discard most of the elastics in these kits, as they are not a good enough quality for my climate.  However, I did have some hot pink elastic, that I ordered as knicker elastic, which turned out to be plush backed elastic, a little too strong for knickers, when it arrived.  And finally, the turquoise ribbon was a tiny scrap left over from the ribbon trim on my daughter's character skirt for her ballet exams.

But back to the Ladyshorts pattern.  This is not a style that I normally wear, but they have turned out to be very comfortable.  The instructions were very good, but I can see in the photograph that I used my cover-stitch machine to attach the elastic. 

The bra pattern is one I drafted...although "drafted" is a loose term.  I have had "mesh bra pattern" on my to-do list for a while, inspired my these Calvin Klein versions.  On the day that I was making these, I did not want to get lost in the world of drafting (that is a place I can get lost for days and days, whilst projects sit about unfinished).  So I just got out my favourite bra pattern and used the pieces to get the size of the dart and the curved shape of the wire edge of the cup.  Then I free-hand drew the the shape of the cup.  I cut it out, held it up to my body, decided it needed changing a bit, drew a second version and that was it. 

Overall, I am ridiculously pleased with how this project turned out...mostly because it was a great match up of bits and pieces and because the bright colours are so uncharacteristic of my underwear drawer.  And yes, I will be using the Ladyshorts pattern again.

A little bit frilly...

When I start sewing swimwear, it takes me a bit to get in the groove of the different techniques and materials, so I just keep on going until I feel the old skills return and get a chance to develop some new ones.  I think if I just sewed one pair each year, I would never improve. 

I made 2 sets of bikinis out of this funky fabric, given to me by one of my sisters. The patterns are all self-drafted. 

I'm not sure what this first style is called.  It is like half a bandeau.  The strap sits over the neck, passes through the sides of the top and then ties at the back.  In the past, I have gathered the centre of bikinis onto "glamour rings" from Spotlight, but have found the rings to be a little expensive.  This time, I copied off RTW, and just gathered the centre onto a narrow tube made from the same fabric as the top.  Seems to work alright, and means you don't have to worry about breaking a needle on the ring.

When I was playing around today, I realised that I could change the way the straps are tied, so that instead of sitting on the neck, the upper strap is brought down for the back straps to tie through.  I like this, because I find that halter straps tend to give me a head-ache if I wear them too long.  There is no elastic in the strap, because I find that the strap is softer and less likely to cause headaches if there is no elastic in it.

The bottoms have a CB seam, similar to my sporty pair, but the legs are higher cut and there is a little more cheek coverage.  I added the frill, because it looked cute in some of the magazines, but the frill visually widens the hips, which is not what I need.

Usually I make a bikini and a one-piece out of a length of fabric, but this fabric was a little light for a one-piece, so I made a second bikini. 

The top is a fairly plain halter style, and not so teensy as the photo would suggest.  I forgot to take a close-up photo of the strap.  I made the strap using the binder on my cover-stitch machine.  The binder usually folds over the fabric strip, and then a larger piece of fabric, such as a t-shirt, is fed into the binding as it is being sewn.  This time I fed rubber elastic in as the binding was sewn.  I think industrial manufacturers have special binders that control the tension of the elastic as it is being bound.  I just used my hands to control the tension of the elastic.  It worked well, until I stopped to check how it was working.  That's when the fabric slipped down in the binder and it all stopped working!  I had sewn enough to make a strap though.  I was pretty pleased with this, as I have not tried it before and was not actually expecting it to work at all. (For those interested, the binder I used was the Brother binder that came with my cover-stitch machine).

The bottoms are a more conservative pair.  I know it is hard to tell the difference from photographs, but I just don't think the internet needs pictures of me in swimmers!  For comparison, look at the amount of the back lining you can see, compared to that of the pair above.  I made this up from a pattern that I re-discovered recently in the pages of my Kwik-sew book.  I had labelled it "best bikini so far 2007".  I do remember drafting it.  I started with the band-side bikini on Stuart's site.  I lowered the leg holes.  I raised and curved the waist to cover that dimple left-over from childbirth, which still hasn't gone away, 7 years later.  I removed 5 - 6 cm of length from the crotch so it wouldn't be saggy in the bum. 

That was in the days before waist high full brief styles had made a come-back.  I guess the waist high bikinis could be considered even more conservative, but I don't find them very flattering, unless you are either stick skinny or you have a 50's hourglass figure or a perfectly proportioned upper and lower torso.   

A little bit vintage...

Sewing bloggers often refer to their fabric stash, or their pattern stash...but the last year or so, I feel that it was my ideas stash that was weighing me down.  I have so many things that I want to try, that I was consciously shutting out new inspirations...which is not a great place to be, because inspiration is the fun bit.  So, mentally, I have been trying to de-clutter the ideas stash.  It is time to hold the ideas up to the light and either discard or execute or file away.

This project is one that I had to execute...even knowing that the results would probably never been worn.

A vintage bathing suit.  Well, probably not vintage in any formal sense of the word.  The pattern was published in 1973. 

The halter top comes in A, B, C or D cup.  I made the A.

The bikini brief comes in hip sizes 28 - 40.  I measure a 40 but made the 36, after comparing the pattern to my other patterns.  The patterns suggest a knit fabric with 50% crosswise stretch, and my fabric has a greater stretch than that.

The sewing instructions were good.  The seam allowances were sensible and varied with the seams.  There were no directions to use an overlocker or coverstitch machine, but I wanted to test the pattern more than the directions, so I did use them.  There was a suggestion to use "Perky Bond Plus fusible interfacing"...not a notion that I have ever come across, but it sounds fabulously useful!

The verdict?  Well, the fit of the halter is not great.  The halter is attached to a band and the gathering is not in the best spot for me.  I think I prefer my own halter pattern.

The pattern illustration suggests that the bottoms are low cut, although they are not as low cut as modern bikinis.  Full cheek coverage.  Just how photographs of 70's bikinis look. 

This swimsuit did get a strong "reaction" from my family.  Not sure if it was shock or laughter.  Someone asked if I was wearing it to a costume party.  I'm not sure where this notion of swimmers and parties comes from, but it seems to be a talking point around here.

I'm glad I made it up though.  Now there's a little more space for a new idea.

A little bit sporty...

I have achieved one of those holy grails of motherhood...all three children in swimming lessons at the same time!  Which leaves me with little excuse not to get in and do a few laps myself.  I always find it easier to get on and exercise if I am dressed for the part, so I made myself some sporty swimmers.

The fabrics: just came from stash remnants of nylon lycra.

The patterns: Last year, when I was thinking about starting a pattern company, beginning with bikini patterns, I drafted a heap of different base patterns.  When my free pattern was sewn up by, oh, all of zero people, I shelved the idea.  The advantage of the process is that I now have a bundle of patterns to choose from for myself.  The bottoms here are a pair that sit low on the waist, have wide sides and a low leg line at the front and cut across the cheek at the back.  The CB seam allows for a close fit at the back, so whilst they are on the skimpy side, they sit firmly in place.  No riding up, no tugging, no pulling.  Possibly the back rise could be a smidge higher, because whilst there is no bum crack actually on display, it is only a bee's dick away.  I wear a swim shirt over the top, so no biggie.

The crop top is adapted from Jalie 2563.  Truth be known, I am not too fond of the crop top as a bikini, because there seems to be too much fabric on the top half, compared with the bottom half.  (Of course, this is less of a problem for pear shapes...the photo above shows my difference in sizes top to bottom).  I counteracted this a little by scooping out and widening the neckline of the original pattern.

One of my sisters did question my choice in style, thinking that bikinis were impractical for the vigorous activity of butterfly and tumble turns.  My swimming does not actually involve either butterfly or tumble turns.   In fact, up until this point, my triangle bikini and swim shirt have been adequate for the task, though I did always check the triangles before taking off my shirt!

My daughter did tell me that although they were good swimmers, she wouldn't advise that I wear them out, to like, a party or anything.  Can't say that I was planning on any party going in these.  She went onto to say...(here I was fully expecting to hear...because it shows your big, wobbly belly)...because the grey colour was not really pretty.  Actually, she is right.  The grey is not all that flattering.  Anyway, I think they look a bit sporty, so if I wear them to the pool, I am more likely to get off that banana chair and into the water.

On Location

I'm hoping to bring you a few location shots this coming year.  Carolyn does this so well.  I set off after the kids had left for school, and I tell you, I was a sweaty, dripping mess when I returned, relishing my air-conditioned office.

The pattern was Vogue 8494.  I made a couture version of this dress several years ago, and always wanted to make a casual version with frills down the v-neck.  Only when I pulled the pattern out, that notion seemed out-of-date.  I did not want to give up on the pattern, so I opted for a pleated collar type thing instead.  The collar is wide and forms a little shoulder covering as well.

Even with the collar, the dress seemed a little plain, so I added an asymmetric pleated flounce on the skirt as well.  Both the collar and the flounce were hand pleated in place (being on-the-run additions to the pattern).

See this next shot.  Well, I took along some other shoes for the photoshoot.  There was no way I could walk the gravel path up the hill in them, so I put them in the backpack with my camera and tripod.  My camera only takes one photo on its self timer and I don't have a remote.  It took all of the 10 sec timer to get into position when wearing the shoes, and then I had to take them off to get back to the camera.  Not to mention holding on to that tree so I did not slip down the slope.  So only one photo in these shoes.  I'll save them for lunching on a city vacation.

The fabric is a beautiful cotton from the Fabric Store in Brisbane.  I don't normally go for black prints, but this one reminded me of the Marc Jacob bird dress, which has a funky vibe about it.  The bodice is self lined.  I was halfway through cutting the bodice and lining when I thought to match prints.  I couldn't exactly match prints, being half-way through, but by swapping a few pieces around and cutting some off grain, I was able to maintain the right amount of print / spacing on the bodice, which was a little tricky with the princess seams.

There is a shop locally that sells thread and regular zippers.  Normally, I would use an invisible zip, but you've got to go with what you have.  It gave me a chance to try our Kathleen Fasanella's tutorial for a lapped zipper with facing, that I printed out yonks ago.   Look how neatly it turned out on the inside.  It looks as though I did not under stitch that section, which I may not have.  I did under stitch the rest of the neckline, but I left this bit when I was following the tutorial for attaching a facing for a sleeveless garment my machine.

The outside is just as neat.

After following those tutorials, I could not work out how to attach the bottom edge of the lining by machine, so I folded it under and slip-stitched in place.

And lastly, my favourite photo from the shoot, though no extra sewing info is to be gleaned from it.

Solar Eclipse

Solar eclipse, as viewed from Cape Wirrawawoi.

Well hello there!

We have upped, moved and landed in the NT, the land of year-long summer sewing.

It seems that there has been a lot going on in blog land.  A big shout out to Liza Jane, who has the best reason ever for sewing stylishly comfortable clothes.  I am sad to see that Mary Nanna has closed up shop.  She was one of my most favourite bloggers ever, and I am keeping her on my blog roll because I am secretly hoping that she will change her mind.  Amy, over at Cloth Habit, has released her first pattern, and I confess, the very first thing I did when I got the internet on was to download the pattern and make it up (well, it did take a long time for that month's worth of emails to download and her pattern is such a jiffy little number).  My version turned out fabulous, if I do say so myself, and I will share it with you sometime in the next few blog posts.  Kbenco is sewing up a storm for her daughter's formal dress and Little Betty is still churning out the garments, though personally, I am coveting her recovered chair.

My sewing machine (and other household items) arrived here sooner than I expected, so I have something to show you.  It arrived long before my car, when I was walking everywhere, even in the middle of the day.  I desperately needed more clothes that covered my shoulders and decollete, so that I wouldn't burn to a crisp with all that walking, so I started with a shirt.

The pattern was inspired by one out of a Patrones magazine.  I didn't used the Patrones pattern because I wanted to develop my own shirt block and make the pattern from that block.

Last year, I went to a workshop at Spotlight with Connie Crawford, to promote her patterns.  We tried on one of her shirts.  I wish I had taken a photo of me wearing her shirt, so I could see how well it fit once I got home.  The shirts were made out of a heavy crepe, which is a forgiving fabric, fit wise.  She told me that all I needed to do was raise the shoulder by half an inch and I could use any of her patterns.  I was a bit confused, because I thought she put me in the size bigger than my bust size, and even I could see that the seams wouldn't close at the hips.  Anyway, I bought the pattern and decided to make a muslin, starting with the pattern as-is, except for raising the shoulder.  I had just bought The Complete Photo Guide to Perfect Fitting by Sarah Veblen,  which is very good, but I found fitting myself to be an immensely frustrating process. 

For starters, the bust point appeared to be too low (which I don't remember from the fitting), so I moved that, which wasn't too hard.  Then I thought it needed to come in in the upper torso and out for the hips and there were a few other wrinkles and pulls happening.  3 muslins in and I thought I was getting close.  There was funny stuff happening at the shoulder so I made a slash there, just to see what would happen, and my whole shoulder burst through.  So then I gave up and draped myself a block on my body double.  The final version doesn't look too far off the Connie Crawford pattern, but I think I did need changes at the shoulder line which should have been made before all the other changes.  There is a little too much ease in the shoulder cap, which is okay for this fabric and style, but I will need to work on that for my next version.  I can swing my arms forward with no binding what-so-ever, which I am happy about.

The shirring on the front neck is just a pretty feature and doesn't incorporate any darting or design features.  I added some width in across the back and shirred it too, just to match in with the front.  This does make the shirt a little too billowy at the back and I am wondering if I should add another group of shirring at the small of my back.

The fabric is a beautiful cotton that I picked up in Japan on holidays 2 years ago.  Cotton fabrics there were very well priced, if you don't take the airfare into account!

I'm glad to be back in blogland, and whilst I have read much of what you have all written, I will only start commenting from this point forward...the absence of my comments does not mean that I don't think that you all are sewing fabulous stuff!  xx