My favourite use for Liberty fabric

The bras I make from Liberty are my favourite ones to wear.  Here are my new ones.

1st set:  Bra pattern - self-drafted (Basic, Liberty 3).  I think that the embossed straps are a luxurious detail.  I used a cute, frilly elastic on the decollete. The matching knickers are also from a self-drafted pattern (cheekies with a CB seam).  The stretch lace on the side front panel was much stretchier than others that I have used for this pattern, so I compensated by making some tucks in the front woven panel.  I inserted elastic as a trim into these tucks to turn this flaw into a design feature!

The 2nd set:  Bra pattern - self-drafted (based on foam cup pieces from Gabi bra).  On this one, I did a better job of changing threads to match each stitching line - only one line of stitching on the inside of the bottom band elastic has been sewn with the wrong colour.  I wanted to use white straps, but did not have any.  Instead, I covered the straps in matching Liberty fabric.  The knickers are also self-drafted (based on draft by Shin, red variation).  I added extra width to the front panel to account for the fact that I cut it in a woven instead of a knit.  The frilly elastic on the knickers is very girly.

  

The next bra is an old one that I never blogged, using the same pattern as the 1st set.  I had bought a pink elastic kit, and was disappointed that the elastics were weak / had perished when the kit arrived, so I scrambled around and ended up using 3 different colour elastics.  It all turned out okay and this has been my favourite for a while now.   Only I put it in a front loader washing machine on holidays, which must be harsher than my old top-loader, and elastic "threads" in the power mesh have broken out.

 

I wanted to get 3 sets sewn over a long weekend (I really needed new bras as all the wires are popping out of my old ones), and was determined to limit myself to proven patterns.  Only then I couldn't find all the bits I needed to match this lovely purple lace.  So I decided to make a strapless bra, to eliminate the need for some of the elastics / findings.  Only then it didn't work.  I used a purchased pattern, and then modified it a bit, based on my own patterns, and the result was a disaster.  There were tears of frustration as the weekend ended.  I then pulled it all apart, hacked a bit, put it back together.  The resulting bra is a little on the skimpy side.  More of a strapless demi-bra, if such a thing exists.  I didn't make matching knickers,  as I am still hoping to get a decent bra from this lace before I use the leftovers in knickers.