23.11.12

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.

14 comments:

Gail said...

You should be ridiculously pleased. At risk of the risqué...I bet your partner is too.

katherine h said...

Wink!

Summer Flies said...

These are very pretty! I love this set!

Andrea said...

That set looks amazing. I've made underwear before, but I'm afraid to take the plunge into bras.

kbenco said...

These are so pretty, and what a great match of elastic and main fabric.
I am liking all your swim wear too. It is a good idea to make a few sets in a row, I should try this too, as I always seem to have to re-learn the tricks I used last time!

poppykettle said...

What a gorgeous set!!!! I think the brightness (and pattern repeat... lovely!!) is fabulous up against a very happy fabric. How did you find M's instructions?? (I'm not even going to bother trying to spell that tricksy dutch word). Love the hills hoist shot :)

katherine h said...

Thank-you Poppykettle! Sorry if I was not clear. This pattern is not from Merchwaerdigh. I have not tried a Merckwaerdigh, but I believe that their instructions are not in English.

This pattern and tutorial are by Amy from Cloth Habit.

Bernice said...

Very cute. Love the colour combination. Most impressive that all the bits were found in your stash....what does that say about your stash...that it's big, or that it's diverse? Maybe both.

EmilyKate said...

You've done such a beautiful job on both pieces! I love the colours, I'm either a superplain or superbright lingerie girl :o)

MushyWear said...

Fun colors and they look so professional!

fabric epiphanies said...

These re outstanding. I really want to make more lingerie but I always have other projects to complete first.

Audrey said...

I love the picture of your pretty feminine undergarments hanging from an all business metal rack ( Hills Hoist). It also makes me take inventory of the underwear I currently have on, and it occurs to me I could up my game in the department. Thanks for the inspiration.

Anonymous said...

Very pretty! I love the scavenger hunt to find all your fabrics and trims! I've not attempted a bra yet...a must do, you make it look easy!

Amy said...

Pretty! And thanks for the review. I'm glad they worked out so well. I've made a few pairs in mesh, too--which were really comfy. I want to try the coverstitch to attach the lace trim because I'm a new fan of woolly nylon. Might take some practice. Your bra is so cool! I really love mesh bras, just so weightless in my climate.