#BRAugust2019

Okay, so this is not Instagram, but in celebration of #BRugust, I thought that I would post some of my unblogged undies from the past few months.

First up is a pair of knickers cut from leftovers of a t-shirt I made my daughter. This is the back view.  The cotton is fairly substantial, so I made it a quick sew by cutting them as one piece and not even bothering with a gusset.

I made this sports bra to fit in with last year's workout wardrobe entry.  I modified the Sewaholic Dunbar sports bra  to have the strappy back and used fold-over elastic for the edges.

The next sports bra was made from some interesting fabric I picked up from Tessuti.  It appears to be two layers of nylon lycra bonded together.   I separated the layers in the non printed edge of the fabric to source fabric for the bindings.  It is a very supportive bra, but the fabric is not the softest, so I probably should have used something else for the bindings.  The pattern is one I made from cutting up a RTW bra years ago and have made over and over. I used the leftover fabric to make a super quick skirt for my daughter, which was essentially two almost rectangles sewn together at the side seams, with the top folded over to make an elastic casing, and not even a hem. 

The next set is more of a lounging set, as they are not particularly supportive.  It is the Barrett bralette from Madalynne, in a microrib knit.  One of the knickers is traced off RTW and the other is the Megan Nielsen Acacia. 

Next, the Hanna bralette by Studio Costura.  I'm not sure, but I think these knickers might be the Watson brief, by Cloth Habit.  I don't have a favourite underwear pattern.  I have a collection of maybe 6 or 7 patterns and just use what I feel like on the day, taking into consideration the fabric I am using.  This set, made from Dutch knit t-shirt scraps, has become my go-to, as it is super comfy as well as being a little bit pretty.

This week I finally got around to making a matching Jalie3131 bra for these Jalie 3886 Julia briefs, which are also Dutch knit leftovers.  You can see the briefs have faded already.  I tried to make a Julia bra, but it was a disaster, due to my elastic choice and pattern size.  The elastic on the bottom of this bra band is so firm that I have had to add an extra set of hooks to get it to close.  I haven't worn it yet, but I'm hoping it is as comfy as my previous versions.

Pretty good scrap busting!  I like my underwired bras, but bralettes are fabulous for using up scraps, and new knickers are always welcome.

Hey June Santa Fe top

Likewise, I got a little carried away with the Hey June Santa Fe top.  Here are my first 4 versions.

View A

View B

View D

View E

I made a narrow chest adjustment on all but the grey top, which I sewed first.  

On the white and grey versions I didn't turn up a hem, but sewed a line of cover-stitching about an inch from the bottom as a finish, which I have seen on lightweight RTW tops.

My only issue with this pattern is that the armholes are too high for me, so I will need to lower them before my next burst of sewing Santa Fe tops.

Hey June Union St Tee

I fell down a rabbit hole with the Hey June Union St Tee.  If the PR wardrobe contest hadn't yanked me back out, I could still be down that hole, making tee after tee.  As it was, I made 4 in less than a fortnight.

My first one was a striped shirt with the scoop neckline.  I didn't realise that the scoop neckline on this pattern was lower than the scoop on the original pattern release.  This scoop is lower than I would have liked.  Easy enough to change though.  I used my coverstitch machine to put a binding on the neck, rather than use the neck band piece from the pattern.  I didn't make any alterations to this pattern, and the neckline gaped on me, so I had to take the binding off and reapply it by hand, shortening it a little to draw in the neckline.  This striped cotton fabric is probably a bit heavy weight for the shirt and would have been better used for a long sleeved tee.

My second tee was the same size (M) with the V-neck.  I used the binding piece from the pattern, and found it a bit short.  I have contemplated taking it off and sewing a new neckband on, but haven't got around to it yet.  It seems the shirt is forever in the wash, so maybe I will never get to it.  The fabric is a gorgeous colour, a purply sort of blue in a rayon, from EmmaOneSock.  My attempt at a narrow chest adjustment wasn't the best approach, and changes the hang of the front of the shirt.

For my third tee, I went for a slouchier look and tried a size up from my measurement, which made it an L.  This time I added about 2 inches to the neck band.  I tried a different narrow chest adjustment and was happy with the results.

For the 4th version, I was aiming for a vintage vibe with this slubby cotton knit.  The knit does not have great recovery.  I started with the L, used the narrow chest adjustment from the previous tee, shortened the sleeves and widened the neck band.  I added length to the neckband and basted it in place to see if the added length was right.  It took me several attempts to get the right length in this fabric.

I can see many more of these tees in my future, as I love the boxy shape and the slouchier look.

Coverstitch Binding in the Round

I have an amazing tutorial for you today.  Well, nearly amazing.  Not quite perfect, but I haven't seen another tutorial like this out there.

And, like many improvements, born out of necessity.

I forgot to bind the neckline of my sports bra before sewing the shoulder seams together.  It was a new pattern and I was having lots of issues with it, so I just forgot.

So this is what I did.

I stay-stitched a short line the width of the binding and made a clip.

The I went to the cover-stitch machine and started binding at the clip.  In the photo below, you can see that I am holding the section above the clip out of the way.

Continue binding all the way around.  Fold the start binding out of the way as you finish.

Here it is off the machine.  This is the less than amazing bit.  You can see that my start is not perfect.

Trim the ends of the binding.  Fold garment right sides together so that you can sew the ends of the binding together.  Using a hump jumper will help the ends stay aligned as you sew this together. Here is my bonus tip for the day.  I have a hump jumper, but you can also use the plastic case that sewing needles come in, as it is a good height for this (and usually on hand!)

This is what is looks like now.

Trim the ends, press open (well, I didn't actually press, but it conveys the action required) and stitch down (again using a hump jumper) .

From the wrong side.

And the right side.  You can see that it is not quite perfect because of my start, but this was my first time and I will get better :).

The completed neckline.

It is actually neater than when I bind before sewing the shoulder seams because it all lines up better.  I can see myself using this technique a lot in the future. especially on leotards and swimmers for my daughter.

Stylearc Winona Knit Top

This was a freebie pattern I got with another order from Stylearc.  It looked like a quick sew, and it was...I have made it up twice already.

This pink striped cotton knit is from The Fabric Store in Brisbane.  I have bought this fabric twice now; once for my daughter and once for me.  I used larger grommets than the pattern specified, because that is the size I have.  I was interrupted by a visitor just before installing the last grommet, and when I returned, I had lost concentration and put the last one in upside down...it is the most visible one as well :(.  The folds in the sleeve are trickier than I expected, because of the angle of the seam in near the armhole.   For this version, I interfaced the inset corners at the bottom of the neckband, because I had so much trouble getting nice corners on my first version below.

This mocha fabric was in the remnant bin at The Fabric Store last time I visited.  It is a silky soft bamboo and was only $7 for the piece.  I didn't put the grommets in this version,because I thought it would be dressier without them, but really, the neckline is probably a tad too low without them.  There doesn't seem to be any gaping though, so I'll wear it few times and see how it goes.

Scrap busting running singlets

I've had these running tops in mind for a while,  but Zoe's post on scrap busting being published as I was attempting to declutter my sewing room spurred me to action.

Top 1

 Top 2

Top 3

The fabrics were all from my scrap drawer, all lightweight and non-clingy.  There is a real mix of fibres...cotton, silk, polyester, mesh, bamboo.

The pattern is my own.  I started with one of my woven tank patterns, ignored the bust dart and used the side seam of the back piece to draw a new side seam for the front piece.  I then lowered the armhole and added some width to the side seam below the armhole to give a loose fit.

I didn't get too precious about the sewing, so in some places the binding is less than perfect and I think one of my seams ended up on the outside instead of the inside.  After looking at the photos, I think I need to adjust the tensions on my overlocker.  All the piecing was done on the overlocker.

I wore the first one for a run last night, and it went well.  The run was very hot and a loose tank over a sports bra is my preferred running attire for hot weather.

Jersey Layers

I got my daughter to take a quick snap when I realised that two of the garments in my outfit today are not-quite-recent unblogged makes.

 

The top is Tessuti's Mandy boat tee, made up in a silk jersey.  I made a slight modification by adding side splits and cutting a hi-low hem.  Possibly I made adjustments to the length also.

The bottoms are a shorter version of this track pants pattern mash-up, made up in a rayon jersey.  I wish I had made the elastic a smidge tighter as they have a tendency to slip down when I am wearing them.

The tank top was previously reviewed here.  It hasn't worked its way into my wardrobe too much, so I was pleased to incorporate it into an outfit today.

My daughter made me the necklace from some shrinky dink plastic.

Blue Ponte Skirt

There seems to be some sort of disconnect between the person I think I am (avid sewer, can whip a few new garments to spruce up the wardrobe each season) and the person I actually am (person with a large sewing space and expanding fabric stash who only sews easy projects in shorts bursts of activity during the school holidays).

I guess the solution is to like wearing clothes of simple design and simpler construction.  Which this skirt is.

I used the same patrones pattern as this skirt, added as much length as my remnant would allow, eliminated the back darts and extended upwards from the waistline to accommodate a sewn-in elastic waistband.

Quick sew.  Quick blog post.

Burda Asymmetrical Top

I visited Sydney last weekend.  A versatile player in my weekend wardrobe was a Burda top made up in a very soft, grey, bamboo knit sourced from Oddz and Endz in Noosa.  The pattern is 02/2014 #135A.

I wore it on the plane, with black linen pants (not shown).

I wore it to a play, with my big red skirt.

I wore it to Bondi, where we were nearly blown away.

I did make changes to the pattern.  In the photo below, the back is in the upper portion of the photo.  Other reviewers found the top too short, so I wanted to add some length.  In the back this was simply a matter of splitting and spreading the pattern.  For the front, I wanted to reduce the amount of the drape, as the original pattern looks a bit as though you are carrying a spare belly around.  I split the front and overlapped at the split to reduce the amount of drape.  I then split and spread the bottom sections to increase the length.

I was happy with the fit, though looking at the photos, the upper arm is pretty loose.  I finished the neck edge with my coverstitch machine and binders.

I bought this same fabric in red and am wondering if I should just make up the same top again?  Only looking at the sleeves in the photos, I think I need to adjust the fit of the sleeves in the upper arm.

Oversized linen t-shirt dress

Initially, I planned for this fabric to be a cardigan.  Then I tried on a dress whilst on holidays, and thought maybe I could re-create it in a more flattering colour.  Only it has ended up a bit short, due to fabric limitations.  And possibly, it is a bit sheer to be worn in public, unless as a beach throw-over.  Happily, it is perfect for wearing at home.  I have been living in my missoni tank dress all summer, and I think this one will take over from the tank dress as the weather cools a bit.

The fabric is a linen knit from EmmaOneSock (this colour was called grape, and does not seem to be currently available).  In the past I have had trouble binding the necklines of linen knits.  This time, I interfaced the binding with a tricot fusible interfacing, and had no problems.

For the pattern, I started with the drape drape 2 t-shirt, no. 4.  I used the half of the pattern not on the fold, raised the neckline, lengthened as much as a could and cut a curved hem.

And it seems I have enough fabric left on the sides to cut out a short-sleeved, light weight cardigan....suggesting that perhaps if I had lay the fabric out fully, and played with the pattern layout, instead of trying to cut out in a too small space, I would have been able to cut a longer dress.  No worries, it will get plenty of wear just the way it is. 

Jalie 3352

This Dolman top from Jalie is a quick and easy make.

I think it works great in a stripe.  Navy & white would give you a mariner's tee, but I prefer this fuschia bamboo jersey.  I suspected that the bamboo would be difficult to use as a binding....I thought I'd give it one go....some of it caught under and some of it didn't, so I just cut through the binding so that it curled up.

I made a size U, which corresponds to my measurements, but I think it is too big for me, which is most unusual for Jalie....usually I find their patterns very close fitting and always think I should have gone up a size.  The sleeves seem to be a much closer fit on the pattern models.